Erie staff outlines UDC update, $250,000 consultant budget and Old Town outreach

Town of Erie planning staff on Feb. 18 briefed the Planning Commission on next steps to implement the town's comprehensive plan, including a planned update to the Unified Development Code (UDC) and targeted outreach in Old Town.

Josh Campbell, Erie's senior strategic planner, told commissioners the council asked staff in January to research changes to residential medium categories and that staff proposes adding a narrower band tentatively called "residential medium‑low" (8–12 dwelling units per acre) while retaining a residential medium range at 13–18 du/acre. Campbell said only three parcels within the town's planning boundary would fall under the revised medium band, and that staff will examine how those parcels' land-use designations map to site-specific conditions, calling out 111th and Arapahoe and two Old Town parcels as key study areas.

"Within the 2026 budget, we do have approval of $250,000 to bring on a consultant to update the UDC," Campbell said, describing an anticipated RFP and a summer kickoff for conditions analysis and policy drafting, with community review planned in early 2027 and final adoption expected the following year.

Sarah Narmela, planning and development director, said the aim of the UDC rewrite is to align zoning standards with what is being built in the market today so developers do not routinely seek PD (planned development) exceptions. "Our hope is that we are reflecting what's in the market now, what's being built, and so that our standards actually accommodate what people are building right now, so we're not having to look at setbacks that don't work anymore," Narmela said.

On Old Town, staff described an 11-event outreach effort over the past six months that included town-hosted coffee hours, an ice-cream social and neighborhood walks. Campbell said the engagement showed residents prefer incremental, trust-building steps (medium- and long-term programs and policies) rather than immediately launching a neighborhood plan, and staff plans to explore quick, medium and long-term actions and possible grant funding to support those efforts.

Commissioners questioned whether density bands should lock in typologies too early in the process, how UDC character-area provisions might codify walkability and whether historic-preservation tools (such as a local historic district) would be appropriate; staff said HPAB (Historic Preservation Advisory Board) has initiated conversations and staff will return with refined proposals. Campbell said technical analysis (including fiscal land-use modeling) will accompany any parcel-level changes before the commission would be asked for a formal recommendation to council.

The commission did not take final action on the UDC policy work at the meeting; staff said further work and community outreach is planned and a joint study session on housing alignment is scheduled for April 7.

Erie staff listed the UDC update and Old Town outreach as near-term priorities with public review steps built into the schedule.