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Mar. 27, 2001
By Jim Mimiaga Despite objections of neighbors who voiced concerns about preserving open space and the character of the area, the Montezuma County Planning Commission last week approved a zoning designation for small lots on a 79-acre parcel on County Road N. Paul and Shirley Burcher on County Road N had requested a zone of AR 3-9 for a section of rural land a mile-and-a-half east of Highway 666 where nine homesites ranging from 3-5 acres are being proposed. Another two lots already have homes. A new road would be installed, each home would have an individual septic system, and water would be provided by Montezuma County Water Company, off of a 2.5-inch line. The zoning designation was recommended for approval by the commission, but with a caveat that during the development’s planning stages, neighbors’ concerns be dealt with adequately. The remaining land was recommended for an AR 10-34 zone as requested by the owners. Neighbors worried that open space could be compromised, despite assurances otherwise. "If this one is approved, and then another and another, then this sets a precedent where open space disappears because it doesn’t fit with the surrounding development," said one neighbor. As a solution, County Administrator Tom Weaver suggested zoning under the cluster incentive, which groups homes together while legally protecting a certain amount of open space from future development. "The cluster would work well here and it takes care of neighbors’ concerns about the loss of open space," he said. But real-estate agent Leila Hanson said the plan had not been prepared that way and wouldn’t be at this time, although it would be attractive for neighbors. And Paul Burcher added that the option would not work well for him because he is trying to get away from maintaining the land by selling it for development purposes. "Selling these lots is my retirement," he said. "If I left some of it in open space than I would still be responsible for that part under the cluster and I do not want that responsibility." Still, said neighbor Shawna Cline, the proposal does not mesh with surrounding properties, most of which are parcels 10 acres or larger. "The size of this subdivision does not really fit with the area," Cline said. "There are some smaller lots but they are spread out among larger ones, not all together like this proposal." Covenants for the new neighborhood should be similar to those outlined for the adjacent Deer Run subdivision, neighbors said. The rules prevent single-wide mobile or modular homes, require foundations, require a minimum of 1,300 square feet per home, and forbid junk accumulating in yards. "We want to encourage communication between neighbors on proposed development," said planning commissioner Joe Arado. "You may want to reconsider your plan so that at the next meeting your neighbor’s concerns, like protecting views, are taken into consideration." Hanson said those concerns would be addressed and that preferred covenant restrictions would also be considered. A development plan must be submitted and approved before zoning can be granted, Weaver said. |
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