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MONTE VISTA-After more than three and a half years of meetings, revisions, legal review and public input, The City of Monte Vista’s planning and zoning committee is moving closer to adopting a comprehensive new Land Development Code designed to modernize the city's zoning regulations and bring local ordinances into compliance with current Colorado law. 

The proposed code was the focus of a recent Monte Vista City Council work session led by City Planner DJ Enderle, who spent nearly an hour and a half reviewing the draft article by article. Enderle explained the proposed revisions, gave a detailed presentation, answered questions from council members and discussed how the updated regulations could shape future development within the city. 

Before the presentation began, Monte Vista City Clerk Unita Vance reminded those in attendance that the evening's gathering was a work session rather than a formal council meeting. 

"Just to remind everybody, this is not a meeting," Vance said. "This is just a work session. Nothing is being recorded and no decisions will be made this evening." 

Enderle introduced Planning and Zoning Commission member Barb Sears and another commission member who assisted throughout the presentation. He said the draft represents more than three and a half years of collaboration among the Planning and Zoning Commission, city staff and the city's attorneys. 

"We had a bunch of public meetings," Enderle said. "Our most recent public meeting went over a lot of the major changes." 

He said staff also met with residents throughout the process, gathered public comments and continued revising the document as questions and concerns were raised. According to Enderle, many of those concerns stemmed from misunderstandings about what a land development code does and does not regulate. 

According to Enderle, the proposed Land Development Code combines Monte Vista's existing land use, annexation and subdivision chapters into a single document with one consolidated use table, updated definitions and a more streamlined review process. Enderle said the rewrite also ensures the city's regulations remain consistent with current Colorado statutes. 

"What we're doing now currently aligns with all of the current state statutes," Enderle said. 

Although the rewrite is extensive, Enderle emphasized that the city did not start from scratch. 

"We changed it all," he said. "But we still retained 60 to 70 percent of the original code." 

One of the most time-consuming portions of the project involved updating definitions. 

"It took us six months to get through 314 definitions," Enderle said. 

Planning and Zoning Commission member Barb Sears said the reorganized code will be much easier for both city staff and residents to navigate. 

"My old codebook was just full of Post-it notes everywhere," Sears said. "You had to look in three different chapters to see what you were looking at." 

She added that simplifying the review process should also benefit property owners. 

"I think it's going to be easier for the community as well," Sears said. "If something is already allowed, why make them go through the process?" 

Enderle explained that the code is intended to protect neighborhoods, preserve property values and provide clear development standards while remaining easier to understand than the city's current regulations. 

One important provision, he said, is that projects already underway will not be affected if the new code is adopted. 

"If they drew a building permit or they have a site plan that they're currently working on, this doesn't trump what they already have," Enderle said. 

Existing lawful uses will also remain protected, even if zoning classifications change. 

Using homes along Broadway as an example, Enderle explained that some residences became legally nonconforming after zoning districts changed over time. Under previous regulations, homeowners could have faced restrictions on rebuilding if a home was destroyed. 

"We did make an amendment to the code two years ago that said they could rebuild if it burned down," Enderle said. 

The updated code continues those protections while reducing future nonconforming situations. 

The work session also included discussion of accessory dwelling units, commonly known as ADUs. Enderle explained that ADUs are secondary living spaces located on the same property as a primary residence, such as apartments above garages or detached backyard units. 

Among the most significant proposed revisions are changes to residential zoning districts. 

Monte Vista currently has separate medium-density and high-density residential districts, although only two properties in the city are zoned high density. 

"The difference is how many homes you can put per square foot," Enderle said. 

To address that inconsistency, the proposed code combines the two classifications into a new Residential Mixed Density district. 

Under the proposal, single-family homes and duplexes would continue to be allowed, while developments of up to four units could also be permitted on qualifying lots. 

"It does allow for a little more density," Enderle said. 

He stressed that the changes are not intended to alter the character of existing neighborhoods. 

"We're not going to put a four-story building" in an established residential neighborhood,” Enderle said, noting that future development would still be required to meet architectural and design standards compatible with surrounding properties. 

Enderle also reviewed updates to the city's highway commercial district, explaining that the revisions recognize the businesses already operating along the corridor while making the zoning easier to administer. 

"What we have is what we have," he said. 

Additional revisions include updates to industrial zoning, commercial development standards, accessory dwelling units, development procedures and other technical sections of the code. 

Throughout the presentation, Enderle emphasized that the rewrite is intended to simplify and modernize the city's regulations rather than create new restrictions. 

Before concluding the work session, he encouraged council members to continue reviewing the draft before it returns for future consideration.