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Glenwood Springs Council authorizes state-court action against landlord of 100 Midland over zoning violations
Summary
After months of community complaints and a Planning & Zoning revocation, the council voted 6–1 to instruct the city attorney to file a state-court enforcement action seeking injunctive relief against the property owner of 100 Midland Avenue for operating a temporary hold facility not permitted under local zoning.
Glenwood Springs Mayor and council voted 6–1 on Aug. 6 to ask the city attorney to prepare legal enforcement — including injunctive relief and related sanctions — against the landlord of 100 Midland Avenue after staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission concluded the site was being used in a way that violates the municipal code.
City Attorney Carl Hanlon told the council his office recommends suing the private property owner in state court rather than naming federal agencies, because a state-court action against the landlord gives the city its best chance to show a non-discriminatory land-use enforcement claim. "Your job here is to decide whether or not you're gonna enforce the land use code," Hanlon said, framing the legal question as a land-use enforcement matter rather than an immigration policy debate. He warned of the risks — probable motions to dismiss under the federal supremacy doctrine and high litigation costs — and provided a state-court cost estimate of roughly $50,000 to a preliminary injunction and significantly more to reach trial.
The vote followed more than an hour of public comment in which residents and regional supporters urged the council to act. "Vote to enforce and then work with us," said Ashley Stahl, who testified that community volunteers had collected video and records documenting repeated use of the building in ways they say violated local rules. Many public speakers asked the council to sue the private landlord only, arguing that naming federal agencies would move the case to federal court and sharply raise the costs and timeline.
Councilor Schachter moved the enforcement instruction; Mayor Pro Tem Salinski seconded. The motion passed 6–1 after council members debated legal risk, enforcement mechanics and community concerns. The city attorney said the filing would seek a preliminary injunction prohibiting the landlord from leasing or allowing the premises to be used as a temporary hold or detention facility while the case advances.
