Minturn Forward: Land Use and Subdivision Regulation Update Project

Minturn Forward Code Update Project Overview:

The Town is updating its land use, development, and subdivision regulations (Chapters 16 and 17 of the Minturn Municipal Code), and moving the Town forward after the recent adoption of the 2023 Minturn Community Plan which is intended to guide the Town’s land use and development decision making over the next 10-15 years.

Project Goals:

For several years, the Town has identified numerous issues related to its land use regulations (rules stipulating how property owners can use and develop their properties) and the need to update Chapter 16 - Zoning, and Chapter 17 - Subdivisions of the Minturn Municipal Code to better regulate the types and character of new development and to provide more understandable, user-friendly, and more predictable requirements and processes for anyone wanting to develop or subdivide property.

The Minturn Forward Code Update Project is aimed at achieving four primary goals:

• Align the code with the Town’s Strategic Plan.
• Implement policies and strategies of the 2023 Minturn Community Plan.
• Create a more complete, consistent, and user friendly set of land use and development regulations using clear graphics and non-technical writing/terms wherever possible.
• Craft regulations and processes that fit Minturn and address important community issues.

Land Use Update Survey - Thank you to those who participated

The Town of Minturn is in the process of updating its land use regulations. As part of this effort the town is asking for input from the community to help guide the changes to be made.  Thank you to all of the residents who took part in our recent survey, which closed on March 22nd.  We received several responses and are pleased with the community participation.   

A series of open houses was also hosted by the town to provide additional opportunities for community members to ask questions and offer input on the update to Minturn’s land use regulations. Thank you to those who attended and provided feedback.  

Open House Format:

The intent of the open houses is to provide community members with an opportunity to provide input on the following:

• The physical characteristics (i.e., types of land use activities, architectural styles, building scale, street and streetscape design, etc.) that make distinct areas/neighborhoods in Minturn unique places. 
• Physical changes that they’d like to see occur in the future, as well as changes that they would not want to occur.
• Other thoughts that they want to offer to help guide the town’s effort to update local land use regulations.

The open houses will take place concurrently with the online survey and while staff works on updating sections of the Town’s land use regulations that are more focused on administrative and process-related sections of the code.

The open houses will provide community members with an opportunity to have group discussions about areas/neighborhoods in Minturn and to offer an opportunity for people to provide input to supplement their survey responses or as an alternative to participating in the survey. Further, the open houses will also provide an opportunity to spread the word about the Minturn Forward Code Update project and the survey. This is why the activities are being held concurrently.

The open houses will offer different activities aimed at gathering input from participants. These activities will likely include sticky note and/or sticky dot exercises, as well as facilitated group discussions.

Each open house will be advertised as an opportunity to discuss certain areas/neighborhoods in Minturn. However, if participants are interested in offering input about areas/neighborhoods other than those advertised, they will have the option to do so.

Open House Schedule:

• Open House #1: Monday, March 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  • Open House for Dowd Junction, Grouse Creek/Meadow Mountain Business Park, Taylor Avenue/Minturn North, 100 Block
• Open House #2:  Thursday, March 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  • Open House for Pine and Boulder Street, Main Street 200-600 Block, River lots 200-600 Block, Martin Creek including 700 Block
• Open House #3: Thursday, March 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  • Open House for 800-1200 Block West Side of Main Street, 800-1200 Block East Side of Main Street, Two Elk Estates and Cross Creek, and Maloit Park

Phase IV: Public Review and Adoption (March 2024-June 2024)

The last phase of the project will include presentation of updated sections of the Town’s land use and development code to the Planning Commission and Town Council for review, comment, and approval. 

Project Phasing and Timelines:

The Minturn Forward Code Update is anticipated to take 14-16 months to complete a four phase process as outlined below.

Phase I: Community Outreach & Engagement (March 2023-August 2023)

Phase I will kick off the project with various community outreach activities and opportunities aimed at gathering community input before performing a more technical review of the existing code or drafting any new code language or rules. Phase I will include the following tasks:

• Formation of stakeholder groups - professionals who use the existing zoning and subdivision codes and who can provide critical feedback on what works, what doesn’t work, and ideas for change.
• Formation of focus groups - other user groups such as homeowners, business owners,  or impacted property owners who may have a different perspective on existing rules or proposed changes to the Town’s land use regulations.
• Information campaign - using the Town’s website and newsletter, as well as direct mailings, the Town will work to keep the public informed about project timelines, milestones and opportunities to participate.

Importantly, prior to the adoption of any new land use or subdivision regulations affecting private property rights, public notice will be provided to all affected property owners, and staff will present proposed code revisions to the Planning Commission and the Town Council in public meetings and/or work sessions.

Stakeholder Interview September 28, 2023:

• Michael Pukas
• Pierce Austin Architects
• Reid Phillips, Karl Krueger, and Pete Seibert
• Earle Bidez (Audio Only)
• Todd Biekkola, Brian Sipes, and Lynn Teach (Audio Only)

Phase II: Code Assessment (August 2023-October 2023)

During Phase II, Town staff will be squarely focused on technical review of the existing code to document previously identified issues, as well as new areas of concern. This step will be completed by the Town’s Planning Department as well as consultants hired by the Town with expertise in evaluating code language and policies, and recommending revisions.

The code assessment will be informed by public input gathered during the first phase of the project. The result of the code assessment will be a report providing recommendations for code amendments, a road map for making those changes and suggested prioritization - which parts of the code need to be addressed first.

Phase III: Drafting (November 2023-March 2024)

Drafting of new code language will logically follow the completion of a code assessment and the presentation of a report to the Town of Minturn Planning Commission and Town Council. Given direction from the commission and council, staff will move forward with drafting new sections of the Town’s land use and development regulations. This phase will also be an opportunity for staff to report back to stakeholder and focus group participants on proposed draft changes, and to verify that public input gathered during Phase I was listened to and incorporated into our new code language where and when appropriate.

Phase IV: Public Review and Adoption (March 2024-June 2024)

The last phase of the project will include presentation of updated sections of the Town’s land use and development code to the Planning Commission and Town Council for review, comment, and approval.