Citizens' Development Review Guide (CDRG)

The Citizen's Development Review Guide (CDRG) is an empowering resource to explain a citizen's role in our Development Review process. We hope this guide, along with staff planners, will aid you in making the process more predictable, timely, logical, accountable and customer-focused.

The CDRG flowchart shows the process at a glance and has "frequently asked questions." The CDRG guide is a 6-page more thorough "how-to" guide. Both the CDRG flowchart and guide can be easily downloaded and shared with your neighbors and are handy tools showing all your opportunities to offer feedback and participate.

Why Development Review?

Across the country, development review is a core local government responsibility. As cities and towns grow and change, local governments usually headed up by a planning department and with the involvement of many other departments, review proposed developments to ensure they meet the needs of the community at-large. These communitywide needs include the safety and welfare of citizens and high-quality, consistent design and construction of buildings and public infrastructure.

The City has established regulations pertaining to development. Development review exists in part to ensure each new development is in aligned with our community’s vision for Fort Collins. Another purpose of development review is to ensure consistent and high quality projects and public improvements. For example, the City requires development “pays its own way.” This means private-sector developers are designing and constructing many improvements, such as sewer lines and streets, which will become a part of the public infrastructure maintained by the City.

In addition to these purposes, the City has taken an integrated approach to the development review process. A development review team, comprised of City staff from numerous departments, reviews applications through a coordinated review process. This ensures development applications are processed in a timely manner and that approved projects meet all of the City’s requirements.

Who can Comment on a Proposed Project?

Anyone! Residents, students, employees and business owners - anyone who feels they might be impacted by a proposed project.

Can My Comments Make a Difference?

Absolutely! Community comments on more than one project have prompted the applicant to return to the drawing board and propose modifications or a completely new plan that addresses neighborhood concerns. What makes a difference are comments that are directly related to the specific project, that recognize how much of the problem is caused by the project, and that propose reasonable solutions for consideration.

How Can I Provide Effective Input?

• Although the quantity of letters may indicate the extent of neighborhood or agency interest, it is the relevance of the comments, as they relate to objective criteria in the Fort Collins Land Use Code, that will most affect a project's outcome.
• Briefly explain who you are and why you are interested in the project
• State your comments/concerns clearly and succinctly using objective language
• Comment only on issues relevant to the decision being made
• State opinions and preferences, ask questions, and propose alternative solutions to particular issues. State informed opinions and, where possible, include data/background to support your opinion
• Review the project's technical reports/case file analysis, comment on conclusions, assumptions and the data collecting methods
• Ask for studies you think are important but have not been provided
• Identify project features that you like and think should not be changed, and
• Provide any comments about the project's compliance with city regulations.

What are the policies?

All of the City’s regulatory codes were developed from the policies and principles in City Plan, a comprehensive plan for Fort Collins. While City Plan is intended to be used as a guiding vision for the City, several other documents contain primary regulatory codes that govern the development review process. Key Standards The Land Use Code (LUC) contains regulations that include the City’s procedural requirements, project types and requirements of each, general development standards, zone district purposes, permitted uses, specific development standards of each, and definitions of many of the terms used in the code. Other standards guiding the development review process can be found in the Municipal Code, the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards, various subarea plans, and more.

In addition to this guide, please see Section 2.1.2 of the Land Use Code, “Overview of Development Review Procedures,” for additional information about the development review process.

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