A committee has been formed by the Ouray Board of County Commissioners to evaluate the land use department's building permit process with a view toward setting deadline times and implementing an educational process for developers and contractors who apply for a permit. The county has been under pressure recently from developers to get the permit applications approved in a timely manner, due partly to the high number of inspections required to grant certificates of occupancy generated from last year's record number of permits. In essence, the signoff stage is delaying the early permit review stage. The committee, which includes veteran local developer Bob Luttrell, as well as land use officials, will analyze inspection procedures and recommend its findings to the BOCC, which will in turn instruct the land use office to follow certain procedures. “Two to four weeks (for a go-ahead) is OK,” noted BOCC Chair Don Batchelder, “but once you get past six weeks, there is a need to streamline the process without subverting any of the requirements and have time frames to make it pretty sure when they’ll get the permit.” County Land Use Planner Greg Moberg had suggested to the board Monday that the county hire a part-time inspector to keep up with the demand. He provided examples of what types of problems education could help: An applicant applies for a two-bedroom single-family residence in the septic application, but then, when the project is finished, lists a four-bedroom house for sale. The county has on record an approved foundation permit, but there are problems with the location of the septic system.

ESTATES AT FAIRWAY

PINES DENIED

The BOCC denied a request by local developer Jim Willey to approve the Final Development Plan and Final PUD for the Estates at Fairway Pines.

The preliminary development plan had been initially granted with conditions by the BOCC on June 9, 2003, and the county had granted an extension of the deadline of last December up to the end of this year. But the removal of "a great deal" of gravel was not completed; and rocks were left standing on one of the fairways, and the gravel pit has yet to be converted into a lake.

"Staff believes the site should be cleared of gravel and final graded to meet this condition."

The applicant was also unable to enter into the required service agreement with the Sanitation District formed to provide centralized sewage disposal for the subdivision. The developer requested (and was denied) approval of individual septic systems with leach fields to temporarily address the problem.

Sanitation District representative David Reed said, however, that the sewers now in the ground are not in accordance with the PUD — or the district requirements. "There is a violation and there's a default with the district," he said. "We have conditions that there are violations of the PUD and that the county will have to rescind. Errors and omissions continue to be discovered." The county concurred with the planning commission, denying the final plat based upon these two principal conditions not being met.

VISUAL IMPACT REGS

LEFT UNTOUCHED

A request for an exemption of the county visual impact regulations for a

3.7 mile corridor on County Road 1 was denied, preserving the enforceability of "criteria and standards" on the west side of the county road. Developer Randall Fischer had applied for the exemption alleging that the law's standards were inequitable, due to the considerably higher density of home sites in the Fairway Pines subdivision on the east side of the road.

Fischer's land is situated on 1:35 acre density (one home per 35 acres of land) while Fairway Pines lots range from one to two acres (but are situated in a heavily forested section of the development). The county announced its decision after reviewing the testimony and findings of the land use staff at public hearings on July 11, August 8 and a work session with county attorney Pat Crossley on August 15.

Fischer now says he intends to apply for a 1:6 acre zoning change, as the next step in his plans to develop the property.

REZONING APPROVED IN

SOUTH MESA ZONE

A rezoning of 72 acres from 1:35 to 1:6 acre density was approved for Fisher Canyon Creek Partners in the South Mesa Zone. The land in question is the subject of a swap with the Thomas Ranch. The trade involved "only a net gain of two acres of South Mesa Zone, but we gave up 20 acres," said representative Eric Lederer. The land had been delineated "foothills" under an earlier law that was changed following a complete re-zoning of the county during the 2000-2001 period.

OURAY COUNTY

WORTH $163,848,740