Alpine planning commission unanimously recommends denying proposed scenic-view ordinance

The Alpine City Planning Commission voted unanimously on Feb. 3 to recommend denial of a proposed ordinance that would add scenic-view and ridgeline protections to the city's development code.

Commissioner John McKay moved to recommend denial, a motion announced by the chair and seconded by Commissioner Jeff Davis. The motion listed multiple findings: that the draft would impose unreasonable limits on property rights, create an unmanageable number of legal nonconforming properties, invite neighbor-to-neighbor disputes that would draw the city into adjudication, and overlap with existing hillside protections. The commission approved the motion without opposition.

Supporters had argued the ordinance would provide objective, photo‑based vantage‑point analysis to prevent "unreasonable obstruction" of protected scenic features. Bill McGee, who said he drafted the proposal with Councilmember Andrew Young, told the commission, "The focus of the ordinances [is] on documented observable conditions rather than opinion," and described a 20% threshold for visually meaningful change.

Opponents and several commissioners said the draft was too broad and would be difficult to administer. Chair Alan McDonald warned that the proposal, as written, "is so overly broad; the enforcement mechanisms are so harsh," and said it risked pitting neighbors against one another and creating widespread legal nonconformities. Commissioners urged staff to consider narrower solutions — for example, designating a small number of public vantage points for stricter review — rather than applying a citywide private‑property standard.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory; the measure would next go to the Alpine City Council, which would decide whether to pursue the ordinance, revise it per the commission’s feedback, or take no further action.