Woodland Park planning commissioners recommend public/semi‑public zoning for Gold Hill Tank Site

The Woodland Park Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the city council zone the city‑owned Gold Hill Tank Site as public/semi‑public land, the commission decided at its July 9 meeting.

Karen Schmink, Woodland Park’s planning director, told commissioners the roughly 3.69‑acre parcel at 1370 West Midland Avenue was conveyed to the city in December 1988, has hosted a water storage tank since the early 1990s and currently has a replacement tank under construction. "The city of Woodland Park is the sole owner of the property," Schmink said, and staff recommends zoning it P/SPL to reflect its ongoing municipal utility function and the comprehensive plan’s parks/semi‑public future‑use designation.

The recommendation will go to the City Council for a public hearing and action on Aug. 6, with the annexation ordinance to be considered first and the zoning ordinance to follow. Schmink said state annexation provisions allow a city to annex municipally owned land under a specific statutory provision and noted that zoning must be established within 90 days after annexation becomes effective.

Commissioners asked several practical questions about the site. One commissioner asked whether the storage tanks require on‑site chemicals such as chlorine; Schmink replied that water treatment and processing occur at the city’s water plant and that the site functions primarily as storage, though she said she was not 100% certain of every operational detail. Commissioners also queried whether the proposed zoning would retroactively require a special‑use permit for existing utility facilities; staff said they planned to document the water‑tank use as an existing nonconforming use rather than require an immediate special‑use permit.

Schmink said the city followed the Unified Development Code notice procedures (mailing notices to owners within 200 feet, posting the property and publishing the agenda) and that staff had not received responses or concerns from nearby property owners. A commissioner asked whether the Parks, Recreation & Beautification reviewer had commented; Schmink said PRAB had not expressed interest.

A commissioner moved the recommendation that the Gold Hill Tank Site (legal description provided in the motion and address 1370 West Midland Avenue) be zoned public/semi‑public land; another commissioner seconded. After confirming that the Planning Commission’s role is to recommend zoning (not to act on annexation), commissioners voted yes and the motion carried.

The meeting record shows no public speakers on this item. The Planning Commission’s favorable recommendation will be considered by the City Council at a public hearing scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.