Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Grand Junction council repeals resolution allowing developer to count city open space toward density, 5-2
Summary
Following extensive public comment and council debate, the Grand Junction City Council voted 5-2 to repeal Resolution 13‑26, which had authorized inclusion of about 15 acres of adjacent city-owned open space within the Camelback Gardens development area for density calculations.
The Grand Junction City Council voted 5 to 2 on May 6 to repeal Resolution 13‑26, which had authorized the inclusion of approximately 15 acres of adjacent city-owned open space in the Camelback Gardens plan-development boundary for density calculations.
Staff described the action as a policy mechanism to average density across older Ridges-area entitlements and noted that the open space would remain city-owned and open to the public. The presentation said the inclusion would not transfer ownership or maintenance responsibility but would change the planning area used to calculate allowable density for a cluster development.
Neighbors and several planning commenters told the council the resolution effectively allowed a developer to build at a higher density without undergoing a rezoning or comp-plan amendment and said the approach lacked adequate notice and could set an undesirable precedent. "By simply allowing Camelback Gardens to use 15 acres of surrounding open space in its density calculations, the council has opened the door to construction of a denser development in an area zoned as residential low," a neighbor testified.
The developer's representative and some council members countered that the open space dedication dated to early Ridges development and that including prior dedications in clustering calculations had precedent in the area's long history. "The property has performed," a developer told council, arguing that the land's prior dedications were part of the planned development framework.
Council members weighing both housing goals and process concerns ultimately sided with the need for a clearer public process. Council Member Kennedy moved to repeal the resolution; the motion carried 5-2.
The repeal rescinds the city council's prior authorization to include the approximately 15 acres in the Camelback Gardens plan-development density calculation. Staff and council said future changes to density or land use should proceed through the regular comp-plan or rezoning processes to ensure public notice and reduce legal risk.
