Dolores County preliminarily approves subdivision-exemption for West Cemetery, waives setbacks and fee

Dolores County commissioners on Feb. 2 preliminarily approved a subdivision-exemption carve-out to allow expansion of the West Cemetery and agreed to waive the application fee and relax setback requirements.

The presenter for the West Cemetery District said the parcel lies adjacent to the town office and south of the clinic and that the district will pay for a survey and plat. The presenter asked the county to reduce or waive the standard setbacks because the land's sole intended use is cemetery plots, not residential structures.

"The people using the cemetery aren't going to mind either way," the presenter said, urging the county to maximize usable space.

Commissioners discussed existing county regulations, noting that current subdivision-exemption rules call for 50-foot setbacks for structures and 25-foot setbacks from other boundaries. Commissioners said the exemption is a close procedural fit because no new residences or septic systems are planned for the site and that a plat and survey should clearly delineate boundaries.

A commissioner moved to grant preliminary subdivision-exemption approval for the West Cemetery, waive the application fee, and waive or reduce setback requirements; another commissioner seconded the motion. The board voted unanimously to approve the motion.

County staff said the applicant will coordinate with Gerald (county staff/survey point of contact) to make sure the final plat does not include default setbacks.

The county also discussed records the cemetery district delivered to the county (boxes of inherited documents) and noted plans to secure them in the records vault and later review retention and digitization options.

Next steps: the county will accept the finalized plat once the survey is complete and will record the final exemption paperwork after the applicant provides signed authorization.