The Three-Mile Planning Area for the Town of Buena Vista. From page 66 of the Tuesday, February 13, 2024, BV Board of Trustee meeting packet.
The Buena Vista (BV) Board of Trustees (BOT) met Tuesday, February 13 to discuss the annually required Three-Mile Plan, hold a public hearing on amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC), approve revisions to the BV Municipal Code, and update compensation for future trustees and mayors.
Three-Mile Plan Updated and Approved
The Three-Mile Plan is required for municipalities and essentially outlines the Town’s plans for a three-mile radius. While the plan is not set in stone, it does provide valuable information to the county.
These plans are required by the state to be reviewed and updated annually. Other than the amendment to expected density in a specific area, a few minor corrections and updates were made to last year’s plans, including an added map of the source water protection district, names of areas added to the legend, and a correction of the location of Cottonwood Irrigation Ditch.
Mayor Pro Tem and Chaffee County Commissioner candidate Gina Lucrezi suggested a change to proposed density east of County Road 313 because of its nearness to the Arkansas River and various wildlife corridors.
“You have the Ark that runs right through there… that’s riparian ecosystem. It’s unique and important, and we really don’t have a lot of that,” said Lucrezi. “High density on the east side of 313, I don’t feel like that would be a fitting place for high density.”
The BV BOT unanimously approved the proposed Three-Mile Plan with an amendment adjusting the population density of the area east of County Road 313 from “Medium to High” to “Low to Medium.”
Unified Development Code Public Hearing
Three separate ordinances were unanimously approved by the BV BOT during a public hearing on amendments to the Unified Development Code (UDC).
The first adds a cash-in-lieu for parking option east of Tabor, south of Williams, north of Carbonate, and in Old Town, east of the Highway. The money collected from this cash-in-lieu option could be used by the Town to build a parking lot. This ordinance also clarifies language stating additional parking may be required beyond the minimum based on the parking table within the code.
The second ordinance adds a process for encroachment permits, which are referenced in the code but do not have an established process. Creating a replicable process will allow the Town to handle these situations, such as a sign overhanging a public sidewalk, consistently and regardless of staff changes.
The third ordinance changes the requirement to a single paper copy for submittals and adds a required electronic copy. This reduces the “ungodly amount of big pieces of paper” submitted at each step of review according to Planning Director Joel Benson.
No public comment occurred during the hearing, and the BV BOT approved all three ordinances in quick succession. Trustee Andrew Rice did suggest outlining PDF requirements, such as including bookmarks and a table of contents, to make it easier to navigate the electronic submissions.
Municipal Code Update Streamlines Marijuana and Retail Liquor Permit Processes
Ascend Cannabis Co.
The ordinance to amend Articles I and IV of Chapter 6 of the BV Municipal Code concerning Marijuana and Liquor licensing was unanimously approved by the BV BOT with a minor change in language to update “sale of alcohol” to “service of alcohol.”
Mayor Libby Fay caught the inconsistency in language because the retail permit allows establishments to provide complimentary drinks but not to sell them.
The change streamlines and clarifies the application process for retail marijuana licenses by combining two phases of the application and having applications reviewed by random drawing. It also allows the Town Clerk to review and issue retail liquor permits like the one recently provided to Hi-Lonesome Boutique. The Town Clerk would work with the police chief on retail liquor permits and any requests in question would be brought to the BOT.
Compensation for Trustees and Mayor
The final discussion item focused on BOT compensation. Currently, the stipend is $350 per month for trustees and $450 per month for the mayor.
While the official vote and approval will occur at a later BOT session, the trustees discussed possible amounts and timing for the change. Rules prevent the BOT from voting themselves a raise, so any changes approved prior to the April 2 election will apply only to newly elected trustees.
The Board also agreed to set a timeframe for the raise to occur on January 1, 2025. They decided on this date to avoid adjusting an already tight 2024 budget and to mitigate concern over the trustees giving themselves a raise but needing to reject a request this year due to budget constraints.
In the end the BOT directed staff to draft an ordinance to raise the compensation to $500 per month and $700 per month for the trustees and mayor respectively.
Consent Agenda and Reports
The consent agenda, including minutes from the January 23 BOT, the November 14 Airport Advisory Board, and the December 6 Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, was unanimously approved
Staff reports were delivered by the police chief, planning director, and public works director. Notably, Police Chief Dean Morgan reported a successful fentanyl bust that captured over 600 pills and sent a 14-month-old infant to protective custody.
At the end of the meeting, the BOT moved into executive session “to determine positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, develop a strategy for negotiations, and/or instruct negotiators, pursuant to C.R.S. § 24-6-402(4)(e), concerning the Topside Annexation” before adjourning for the night.
The next BV BOT meeting is set for 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27.
The full agenda and board packet is available online here.
Recordings of BV BOT meetings are posted after they occur on the Town’s YouTube channel.
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