Longmont City Council to consider land use, zoning changes
Jul. 27—Longmont City Council on Tuesday night will have public hearings and vote on a package of property owners' requests for changes to previous land use designations, zoning and conceptual development plans for parts of the Irwin-Thomas Annexation area in southeast Longmont.
That area, which the city annexed in 2018, is generally bounded by Martin Street on the west, both sides of Colo. 119 on the north, 119th Street on the east and Quail Road on the south.
The revisions to earlier city-approved comprehensive plan, zoning categories and conceptual development plans for more than 200 acres within the Irwin-Thomas Annexation area, if also approved by the City Council, will accommodate such projects as Costco's construction of a 150,000 square-foot wholesale store and fueling station on a 17-acre site east of and adjacent to the Harvest Junction South retail and residential development in southeast Longmont, which is south of East Ken Pratt Boulevard.
Longmont's Planning and Zoning Commission members voted unanimously on May 19 to approve the proposed changes and council members unanimously voted preliminary approval on June 29.
Under agreements the City Council approved last December, Longmont plans to purchase a 9-acre property immediately south of the Costco site, a parcel that Longmont could use for a future affordable-housing development or eventually sell to help finance an affordable housing project elsewhere in the city.
A privately owned eastside portion of the overall area west of 119th Street, as well as a city-owned property north of Colo. 119, are to be the sites of future gravel mining operations.
City staff said in a memo for Tuesday's council meeting that among the primary changes the ordinances up for final council votes would make for the area's future development would be:
— Replacing the mixed-use employment land use area in the previous plan with a mixed-use regional center and mixed-use corridor land uses to accommodate the proposed Costco Warehouse and additional regional center and mixed-use corridor development.
— Adding multi-family neighborhood land use to diversify the mix of affordable housing options.
— Adding a collector street designation to the north-south Harvest Moon Drive between Colo. 119 and Quail Road.
— Increasing the setback and providing additional mitigation of potential impacts between the existing residential development west of the site and the planned and approved gravel mining on the remainder of the property.
"These applications are intended to facilitate a public/private partnership to bring commercial development, new jobs and an additional location for affordable housing to the City," staff wrote the council. "The landowners and the city will partner to invest in the infrastructure required to serve the proposed development."
Also on the council's Tuesday night agenda:
— A staff presentation on how Longmont might spend almost $13 million in COVID-19 funds to help city government and the community, its residents and businesses recover from the pandemic.
— A special presentation by the city staff and Colorado Lottery representatives to celebrate the Lottery's "2021 Starburst Award" recognition of Longmont for the city's use of $1.98 million in Colorado Conservation Trust Fund Lottery money to help pay the $5 million costs of renovating, improving and upgrading Garden Acres Community Park.
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If you go
What: Longmont City Council regular meeting
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Civic Center Council Chambers, 350 Kimbark St.
Agenda: tinyurl.com/yt4j3b5b
