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San Miguel County staff present draft housing-code update, urge SSR review
Summary
County staff presented a draft housing-code update to the planning commission and county commissioners, outlining tiered density incentives, reduced lot minimums, ADU and caretaker-unit allowances, and a proposed path to speed some affordable housing projects outside the PUD process.
Kaye (Kay) Simonson, lead planner presenting the Strategic Stakeholder Roundtable (SSR) recommendations, told the joint meeting that the housing-code update is a comprehensive audit meant to remove regulatory barriers and accelerate affordable housing production. "This is still a work in progress," Simonson said, noting Logan Simpson served as consultant and that the project is funded in part by a Prop 1/2/3 local planning capacity grant.
The draft focuses on four zone districts—Community Housing (CH), High Density (HD), Medium Density (MD) and Low Density (LD)—and proposes changes including reduced minimum lot sizes, expanded allowable housing types (duplexes, townhomes, cottage housing, cohousing, ADUs), and a tiered incentives approach intended to allow some developments to proceed via shorter one- or two-step reviews rather than full PUDs. Chair (meeting moderator) and SSR members emphasized the recommendations remain advisory and will return to the SSR for further refinement before planning-commission and BOCC hearings.
Why it matters: Simonson framed the update as a tool to make affordable housing feasible locally by aligning zoning with modern construction practices, water availability and developer financing. She cautioned that most zoned low- and medium-density land in the East End is already subdivided, and water availability will constrain realization of the new allowances.
Next steps: Staff said Appendix A and several tables require alignment with SSR decisions and that at least one more SSR meeting is likely before planning commission review. A planning-commission recommendation and a BOCC hearing are planned once the draft is ready for review agencies.
