Following years of negotiations, the Cortez and Montezuma County planning commissions appear to have reached agreement regarding urban-services zones.

Such zones mesh building and development codes between city and county borders to encourage conformity and smart growth. Compatibility between local governments‘ planning regulations is important, said Cortez Manager Hal Shepherd, in order to handle potential annexations and avoid conflicting development patterns.

"It’s a common-sense approach that shows good cooperation between the county and the city," Shepherd said. "Now, when a developer comes along wanting an urban-services zone, they will have the requirements to go by."

That has not always been the case, as both government planning agencies wrangled over what the code language and development parameters should be on the edges of Cortez.

But a compromise was struck "for the areas we could agree on," said County Administrator Tom Weaver. "It’s a small step, but a significant one."

Under the urban-servicess Zone Standards Agreement, expected to be approved, builders seeking dense development in the county near Cortez on lots of less than three acres must meet the following criteria:

• The development must be connected to the Cortez Sanitation District system, at the builder’s cost. That means extending those lines to serve the new commercial or residential development, agreements that must now be worked out before planning-commission approval.

• Water lines within UBZ zones must be 6-inch lines and must include fire hydrants. That’s compatible with Cortez’s standards and allows for easier hookup to city water systems in the future if annexation occurs.

• The water lines used for fire protection must be large enough to deliver fire flows, but the fire flows themselves do not have to be provided. City and county planners came to a middle ground on this issue.

Development just outside the city limits relies on water from the Montezuma Water Company, and the city wanted those fire-protection flows to be included. But MWC does not provide for fire flows; therefore, the pipe must only be adequate to deliver fire water. If the development is annexed, than connecting to the city system will be easier.

• Developers seeking the urban-services zone must conform with Uniform Building Codes, which include standards for structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. The city requires the same standards.

• Subdivision roads on either side of the Cortez city limits must be comparable to each other. Under the county urban-services zone, moderate residential developments would require curbs and gutters, sidewalks and 36-foot-wide roads. For light residential, no curb or gutter would be required; 36-foot-wide gravel-based roads would be standard, and 28-foot-wide streets for pavement with 4-foot gravel shoulders.

Buffer zones between differing types of developments were also clarified in the proposed agreement. Development should be compatible with adjacent existing development, but if not, the agreement requires 40- to 60-foot buffer zones decided upon by the Montezuma County planning department.

The plan does well to avoid sprawl, city and county planners say, because it encourages dense development near cities that have the infrastructure to deal with sewer and water needs.

"We will have growth, so it is best to be prepared for it," Shepherd said. "You want to have denser development around the three communities, and the rules need to be there so the developer is not forced to stop while we figure out what to do, or go back and tear up the street later to increase a line size."

Coordination of development allows for future annexation, too, Weaver said.

"Say you have development outside the city limits that wants city police protection or use of the city street-cleaner. Without conformity, they may be denied that option," Weaver said. "So this fixes that problem."

He stressed that the agreement is only for development on sites under three acres; all other zones under the county can still be utilized on land adjacent to the city.

The proposed agreement helps developers also, said Jeff Reinhart, Cortez zoning and building inspector.

"It gives them more flexibility because they can get higher density other than a three-acre lot," he said. "When you get a concentration of humanity, then you need to step up services. That is what we are striving for here so that the county keeps it rural character while municipalities handle the higher density building."

The commissioners hope that the standards can be used as a model for similar agreements with Mancos and Dolores.