Daniel council sets June 1 public hearings for zone change, WUI adoption, and RA‑5 code revisions

At its May 4 meeting the Daniel Town Council set three public hearings for June 1, 2026 to consider: a zone change for parcels #20-4489 and #20-4491 at 3350 S Hwy 40; adoption of the state-referenced Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) map and code; and possible changes to Town code 8.07 governing the RA-5 residential and agricultural zone.

Councilmember Gary Walton moved to set the zone-change hearing for 3350 S Hwy 40; Councilmember Eric Bennett seconded and the council voted unanimously to advertise the June 1 hearing. The council also approved a hearing to consider adoption of the WUI map and code after Councilmember Walton noted the governor had moved the statewide adoption deadline to Jan. 1, 2027; Councilmember Bennett clarified local fees would not be collected until that date. Councilmember Stefanie Grady moved the WUI hearing; the motion carried unanimously.

Planner Eric Bunker told the council that changes at the state level make some uses defined differently and that updating local code 8.07 would align the Town with state code. Public commenter Drew Reilly expressed concern that frontage or dimensional requirements in the proposed RA-5 changes could be burdensome to future development and suggested the Town consider variance processes similar to the county’s. Councilmember Bennett said the public hearing would be the appropriate venue for detailed discussion.

All three public hearings were scheduled for June 1, 2026; council members instructed staff to publish notices and prepare materials for the hearings.