Longmont City Council approves review that could mean at least 172 future residential units
May 15—The Longmont City Council referred a 9.5-acre parcel of property at 8809 Nelson Road to the city's annexation review process Tuesday, which could lead to a development plan for at least 172 residential units in the future, according to city documents.
The property is in unincorporated Boulder County near the southwest side of Longmont on the north side of Nelson Road. It currently has one single-family home, one barn and two cattle sheds and is zoned for agricultural use. The annexation review process could lead to a change in zoning and more housing density.
"My concern, is, we're moving forward with development and ... I see a lot of things in the pipeline surrounding apartments ... for rent," Ward 3 Councilmember Susie Hidalgo-Fahring said during Tuesday's regular session. "That doesn't necessarily meet ... the needs of working-class people as far as being able to build equity."
Still, in a 5-to-2 vote, the City Council referred the Nelson Road property to the annexation review process. Ward 1 Councilmember Diane Crist and At Large Councilmember Sean McCoy voting against it.
"We have to have some sort of generational wealth," McCoy said. "I will not be supporting this annexation without some sort of absolute confirmation that we are going to see that."
Information about the project's exact number of proposed dwellings and whether they're expected to be renter- or owner-occupied won't be determined until later in the process, Jennifer Hewett-Apperson, Longmont principal planner, confirmed in an email Wednesday.
The council was not asked to make a final decision on any development project Tuesday. Instead, it was considering whether or not to refer the property to the annexation review.
"One of my concerns is transportation," Crist said. "It is right on Nelson, but there is no transportation there other than (by) car."
As part of the annexation process, the project applicant would need to hold a neighborhood meeting and to submit a formal application to be reviewed by city staffers. From there, the application would be referred to the Longmont Planning and Zoning Commission, which would hold a public hearing and make a recommendation to the City Council.
The City Council also would hold a public hearing before making a final decision about annexation.
Specific dates for those meetings have not yet been announced.
The project developer, Chanin Development, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
