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Colorado
Chaffee County Considers Adding Smart Code to Existing Regulations to Protect Property Rights, Prevent Sprawl
Frustrated by 15 months of futile discussions about ways to save Chaffee County from sprawl, whether to keep the two-acre rural lot minimum or to compensate owners for restrictions, and how to help ranchers stay in business so they don't sell their water rights to out-county developers, the county's volunteer land-use roundtable is now looking toward ''the new urbanist Smart Code'' as an option alongside current regulations, reports Salida Mountain Mail writer Jason Starr, with group member Rick Shovald stressing ''it's going to involve a charrette and involve smart growth.''
Some roundtable members and county planners doubt the Smart Code applies to rural areas and even if it does, that developers would use it instead of the current two-acre zoning, but proponents are optimistic.
''Having a dual code is a way to retain private property rights,'' pointed out ranchers' representative Frank Holman. ''And as the Smart Code evolves it will eventually address everyone's needs.''
Resident Paul Crabtree agreed.
''Adopt the Smart Code as an alternative,'' he said. ''Then people know they are not losing their property rights.''
County planning consultant Barb Cole, who has been updating planned unit development (PUD) regulations and drafting guidelines for an agricultural overlay zone, the writer notes, felt that her work included New Urbanism and smart growth goals.
''I believe a rewrite of the PUD provides the mechanism of getting to a dual code,'' she said. ''The easiest and simplest ways to have a Smart Code is through the PUD process.''
Accordingly, the roundtable asked her to continue the PUD update and appointed a subcommittee to work with her on details. -- Mountain Mail 4/30/2007
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