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History of the Land Use Code Updates#

City Streets

The City’s Land Use Code (LUC) regulates zoning, land use, building design, and more. This page is to help you learn more about the history of the updates to the Land Use Code over the past two years including what previous engagement was done with the community and City Council.

Previous Engagement with City Council and Community#

Engagement Type Details

City Council Work Session

February 14, 2023 

City Planners outlined potential paths forward for Council’s consideration of housing-related changes to the City’s Land Use Code (LUC).

Repeal

January 17, 2023 

Ordinance No. 114, 2022 officially repealed.

Referendum

December 20,2022

The City Clerk's office confirmed that there were sufficient signatures collected through the referendum process to require City Council action. That action can take one of two forms: either repealing the ordinance or referring it to the voters. As a result, the new code did not go into effect on January 1st.

Community Info Session

November 29, 2022

Nearly 200 people attended this information session, and the City received 172 questions and comments during the course of the meeting. You can see an unedited list of all the questions and comments on this document. Answers to these questions are grouped by topic and addressed on the frequently asked questions section of the LUC website.

City Council Regular Meeting - Second Reading

November 1, 2022

Second Reading of Ordinance No. 114, 2022, Re pealing and Reenacting Section 29 1 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins to Adopt the Land Development Code and Separately Codifying the 1997 Land Use Code as “2022 Transitional Land Use Regulations”

City Council Regular Meeting - First Reading 

October 18, 2022

First Reading of Ordinance No. 114, 2022, Re pealing and Reenacting Section 29 1 of the Code of the City of Fort Collins to Adopt the Land Development Code and Separately Codifying the 1997 Land Use Code as “2022 Transitional Land Use Regulations”

Council & Commission Briefings

Fall 2022

Briefings with all Councilmembers and Planning and Zoning Commission members

Draft Code Office Hours

August – October 2022

10-12 hours per week were offered beginning in August 2022 and ending October 21 (one week after first reading). Met with approximately 30 people during this period in one-on-one meetings and answered many more questions via phone and email

Draft Code Workshops

  • August 22, 2022
  • September 7, 2022
  • September 22, 2022
  • October 24, 2022

all held virtually over Zoom with live Spanish interpretation

Public Review Draft

August 2022

A draft of the proposed code changes released in August of 2022 for the public to read and react to.

City Council Work Session

June 14, 2022

Three hour work session on code drafting and specific changes recommended

City Council Work Session

February 8, 2022 

Overview of the framework for Phase 1 update, particularly the Key findings from the LUC Diagnostic Report.

City Council Memo

January 3, 2022 

This Diagnostic Report evaluated the old LUC, identified existing regulatory barriers to housing supply and affordability, and outlined key findings and recommendations for Phase 1 LUC Updates to address those barriers. The analysis and recommendations from the Diagnostic Report were used alongside information gathered through community engagement to shape the content of draft code changes.

City Council Work Session

November 9, 2021 

Introduction of the Guiding Principles rooted in the adopted policy foundation.

Community Input Sessions

  • October 23, 2021 
  • October 25, 2021 
  • October 27, 2021 

All held virtually over Zoom with live Spanish interpretation and breakout groups facilitated by the Center for Public Deliberation.

Community Info Sessions

  • October 4, 2021 
  • October 6, 2021 
  • October 14, 2021
  • October 18, 2021 

The City hosted four information sessions in the fall of 2021 exploring housing and demographic trends, learning about "Planning 101", interviewing industry experts about housing capacity in Fort Collins, and exploring how land use regulations either create or limit housing options. To see the Powerpoints and recordings of these sessions, visit the links below.

  • Housing and Demographic Trends: Who is the "everyone" in our housing vision? Learn about who lives in Fort Collins now, and who will likely live here in the future. (Recording | Slides)
  • Planning 101: How do we use zoning as a tool to connect us rather than divide us? Learn how land use codes evolve over time to meet community needs and goals. (Recording | Slides)
  • Housing Capacity: How do we know that we don't have enough housing? Learn why it's so hard to build the housing we need. (Recording | Slides)
  • Housing Choice: How do we build housing for our next chapter? Learn how land use regulations either create or limit housing options. (Recording | Slides)

Council & Commissioner Interview

Summer 2021 

As part of the initial outreach the project consultants held interviews with Council and Planning and Zoning Commission members. These interviews explored how the LUC aligned with current adopted policy.

City Council Work Session

July 13, 2021 

Housing Strategic Plan implementation, including LUC phase 1 updates

City Council Regular Meeting

March 2, 2021 

Funding appropriation in conjunction with the Housing Strategic Plan adoption

 

Related Documents#

Included below is the full draft of the Land Development Code that was adopted by City Council as well as the previous version that was available for review by the public and the initial diagnostic report that was the foundation of the recommended changes to the code. 

First Reading Draft (September 2022 for Oct. 18 Council meeting)

Public Review Draft (August 2022)

January 2022 Diagnostic Report

This Diagnostic Report evaluated the old Land Use Code (LUC), identified existing regulatory barriers to housing supply and affordability, and outlined key findings and recommendations for Phase 1 LUC Updates to address those barriers. The analysis and recommendations from the Diagnostic Report were used alongside information gathered through community engagement to shape the content of draft code changes.

Find My Zoning#