Joint Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Recording in progress.

It's recording.

Just treat it the other way and everyone's problems will be solved. It's working. You're always.

I mean. Commissioners, we're ready. Let's look meeting if I know.

Brittany, are we ready?

Yes, sir.

All right. So I will call to order the regular meeting of the Joint Planning Commission of Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 6 PM. BRITTANY, IF YOU DON'T MIND, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL?

YES, SIR. COMMISSIONER HUNTER? HERE.

HERE.

THERE YOU GO.

NOW YOU'RE NOT MUTED. OH, OKAY. HERE.

PERFECT. THANKS. COMMISSIONER EVANS? HERE. COMMISSIONER HAAR? HERE. COMMISSIONER MORRIS? HERE. CHAIR SCOTT?

HERE. THANK YOU. Commissioners, I would look for if there are any changes to the proposed agenda tonight. Does anyone have anything? Okay. Staff, is there any changes to the agenda that you're aware of? Nope. Nope. All right.

Move approval.

Anybody second that? Oppose the agenda as proposed? I'll second. Great. We'll move forward then. Commissioners, does anyone have any real or potential conflicts of interest with the project in front of us tonight that they'd like to identify?

Nope.

I see none, and I don't have any either. Tonight, our next item on our agenda is our election of officers. The city's part of this, we have some new election of representatives, so I think we're going to pause this for one meeting and i'll act as the the one-time chair for this meeting and then we'll do elections at the next meeting in october if everyone finds that acceptable is that right october yeah potentially september but also potentially october oh two all right excuse me either september or october it could go either way i'd like to move we appoint commissioner scott as interim chair until

such time as the board can reformat.

I'll second.

Let's go ahead and vote on that just because real quick. Brittany, do you mind?

I don't mind. Thank you.

Can you call the roll then? Sorry. Yes, sir.

Commissioner Hunter? Yes. Commissioner Evans? Yes. Commissioner Haag?

Yes.

Commissioner Morris? Yes. Chair Scott?

I'll abstain, but thank you all very much. Yes. All right. Moving right along then, we will go ahead and look for the approval of the minutes of the Joint Planning Commission regular meeting of January 15, 2026. Tonight, I believe Commissioner Evans and Commissioner Hunter are our two representatives present tonight that were there for that meeting. So I will look for their feedback to staff if they have any. And I believe Commissioner Hunter identified an edit. So please go ahead.

Thank you, Chair Scott. I have just one quick item at the very top of page two. Item Roman numeral four, identification of potential or perceived conflicts of interest. To the best of my memory, there were none. And if I'm right on this, could the minutes reflect that just so people don't have to go wonder about that item? Thank you.

Thank you.

I move that we approve the minutes as amended by Commissioner Hunter.

OK.

I'll second.

All right. None of us have any comments. So Brittany, if you don't mind, would you please call the roll on approval there?

And is it correct that that's only Evans and Hunter? OK. Commissioner Hunter? Yes. Commissioner Evans? Yes. Thank you.

Okay. Well, we're just going to keep going along here. So now I'll call Project PL20260020, the Out West Building Supply Sketch Plan. And I believe staff has a presentation for us. Mr. Falk.

Everyone look good?

Yes. Thank you.

Greetings, commissioners. My name is Eric. I am a planner with the community development department, La Plata County Community Development Department. And before you tonight for your consideration is the Out West Building Supply Sketch Plan Proposal, project number PL20260020. The subject parcel is located at 93 Silverview Lane in Durango, Colorado. The applicant, Jack Reynolds, is in our virtual audience this evening. And the agent, Nancy Dostal of SCH Engineering, is in attendance this evening. This is a proposal to add a 9,600 square foot storage shed to the property. This is a three-sided storage shed that will be an area for the storage of on-site building material. The proposal does also include a 5,760 square foot concrete pad for truck access. The site historically was Agritech Fencing. In 2025, there was a direct determination that was approved by the La Plata County Planning Department that did change the use to out west building supply. As a part of this approval, the county did note that if any further future expansion would be proposed, that this would have to go through a major land use permit and a sketch plan application. There are currently three other existing commercial businesses on the property on the northern end. This proposal will not impact or change those commercial businesses. They will continue to operate as they have for many years. This parcel is located in the Joint Planning Area and will be subject to the intergovernmental agreement between the City of Durango and La Plata County. And the standards outlined in Land Use Code Section 72-2 will apply. A little bit of location and context here for you. This is a pretty zoomed out view of the subject parcel. You can see the little tiny square outlined in red. Elmhurst Corner off to the east, Three Springs up to the northwest, and then the City of Durango is off to the west. The image on your left is a photo of the subject parcel highlighted in red just south of Highway 160 in the Grandview area. The photo on your right is an aerial image outlined in red of the subject parcel as it exists today. This area is located within the Durango Planning Districts. It's classified as mixed commercial light industrial and low density residential. This classification does envision commercial manufacturing and industrial uses as well as single family homes and compatible public facilities. As you can see in the very colorful photo, the image to your left, the subject parcel there, just north of it is Highway 160. On the other side of Highway 160 is a mixed-use area. To the west is also a mixed-use area and residential development. To the south is low-density development. To the east is actually the Florida Mesa Planning District, and those are also mixed-use and commercial parcels there, designations. The image here that you see is the subject parcel. This is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise just to provide you with a better visual experience. So the north is off to the left, the east is directly up, and then the west is down, and to the right is the south. The subject parcel property, the blue roof building here is the out west building supply with the existing concrete pad around it. The proposed storage shed is down here to the southwest of the parcel. This is a zoomed-in version of the site plan. You can see the existing building, the concrete pad, the proposed storage shed, and then this is the proposed concrete pad, the 5,760 square foot concrete pad. The rest of the area is proposed to be a gravel pad for parking and movement of vehicles here. On the outside, just out here, you'll see this is where the storage tanks for the fire suppression that are recommended by the Durango Fire Protection District will be located. This is a proposed detention pond for any kind of drainage that may occur due to the development of the storage shed. Since this parcel has been utilized in a commercial capacity for many years, the proposed addition of a storage shed for an existing business will be an appropriate use for the site. The storage shed itself would be a minimal impact in density, not create any kind of impact for nuisance conditions or environmental impacts. The storage shed itself would actually act as a visual buffer from the surrounding neighbors to some of the stored materials. During construction, there may be a bit of an impact, but once construction is completed, there would be no cumulative impacts to the site. This proposal is in general conformance with the Comprehensive Plan and the Durango District Plan. The addition of a storage shed on here would enhance the economic and commercial diversity development of the joint planning area, which does impact La Plata County as well as the city of Durango. The site does have an approved commercial well, which does have adequate capacity to serve the proposed Proposed storage shed. The parcel is also served by South Durango Sanitation, which also has capacity to serve the proposed development. Access to the property would be from Highway 160 onto Silverview Lane. Access for this proposal would be reviewed in further detail during the preliminary stages, preliminary plan stages of this proposal. They would have to meet the standards addressed in the land use code, and a traffic to impact study would be needed at that point in time. The request for agency comments was sent out to 15 different agencies. Those were all included in the agenda packet for this evening. Notable comments here, I just put down the City of Durango, the engineering department did request that a drainage report that met the standards of the joint planning requirements would be needed. That would also be submitted at the preliminary plan. The Colorado Department of Transportation and the Division of Water Resources both stated that the proposed addition of a storage shed would not impact the services that they provide to the extent that they would need any changes. The Durango Fire Protection District did request that they would have a couple of storage tanks added for fire suppression, and they may have to create an access road a little bit wider. They would have a fire hydrant added for fire suppression for that site. Comments from the La Plata County engineer did emphasize that further review would be needed at the preliminary plan stages of this proposal. Documentation that would be required at that point in time would be a water demand and water quality study, a drainage report, the documents for fire suppression and water storage requirements as stated by the Durango Fire Protection District. And the county engineer did also note that significant paving in many areas may be needed, as well as an emergency access. This will all be determined during the preliminary plan through a traffic study, traffic impact study. A request for public comment was sent out to all the parcels within, all the landlords within 500 feet of the parcel boundary. We did not receive any public comments for this proposal. Next steps in this process, should the sketch plan be approved this evening, it would be the applicant can submit an application for a preliminary plan. That would also be reviewed at the Joint Planning Commission. The last stage in this is the final plan that's an administrative review. Staff does recommend approval of project number PL20260020, the out west building supply sketch plan proposal with the findings and conditions as outlined in the staff report. Thank you. And if you have any questions.

Thank you. Commissioners, leave behind something. Sorry, go ahead. OK.

Thank you, Chair Scott. Mr. Falk, I just want to, for the other commissioners edification, since we can't communicate prior to the hearing, I'd like to clarify that Mr. Falk clarified to me over email. I sent him a bunch of questions on the email and clarified. Of course. HE CLARIFIED THAT THE NEW STORAGE BUILDING, IT'S A SHED ROOF, ONE-SLOPE ROOF, THAT THE HIGH SIDE IS ON THE EAST, IT'S ONLY 22 FEET ABOVE GRADE. THE LOW SIDE IS ON THE WEST, IT'S 18 FEET ABOVE GRADE. AND THIS WATER STORAGE TANK THAT IS FOR THE FIRE WATER THAT'S IN FRONT OF THE PROJECT, MR. FAULK CLARIFIED TO ME THAT IT'S 47 FEET LONG, 8 FEET WIDE, AND 11 FEET HIGH. I just thought it might help us to visualize that.

Sure. Thank you. Thanks, Commissioner Hunter. Commissioners, any other questions for staff right now? No. Okay. At this time, then, we'd invite Ms. Dosdall to come on up if she has anything to add from the applicant's perspective. And I apologize. The applicant is joining us virtually as well, so if he has anything to add, we'd welcome him as well if you have anything.

Is he on there?

Jack Reynolds.

Raymond.

We have an attendee by Durango Daybreak online now.

Oh, I know who that is. That's a neighbor or a potential neighbor.

Hi.

I'm Nancy Dostal with SEH representing 93 Silverview LLC, which is, for all intents and purposes, Out West Building Supply. Thank you, Eric. Thank you for your time. We have reviewed the staff report. We have no concerns with the conditions requested the recommendation and the conditions of approval. Just to give maybe a little bit more background, the applicants purchased the property last year after a long and hard search for an appropriate spot to locate Out West Building Supply. It's a Colorado-based company looking to expand into the Durango area. They purchased the entire property left the older businesses in the front. Agritech fencing used to be in the back, so they were asked to move. And they've spent already significant time and effort in cleaning up the property. They simply want to clean it up more. It's always had outdoor storage. The fencing was stored outside. Drywall doesn't go as well outside. They're really anxious to get this building built and put the drywall in the building. And that's really all they're asking for. Due to previous, perhaps, owner's actions, the county cannot find permits for much of the uses in the front. And that's why all of the site has been pulled in to this review. Frustrating for the applicants. They just wanted to move in and put their shut up. But that's... life, I guess. Add to the frustration, it got pulled into the area of joint review after they purchased. So that was fun. So anyway, we don't really have any questions, concerns other than we're really anxious to get this going. We'll be trying to submit for the prelim plan as soon as possible. Probably go home tonight and put in a request for the applications. So that's how anxious they are. Any questions?

Commissioners, any questions?

Go ahead, Commissioner Hunter.

Go ahead.

Ms. Dostal, I appreciate that the new owner is doing a lot of cleanup on this property, and that's wonderful. And the existing fence on the west side does a very good job of screening from as you're driving to, like if you live in that residential neighborhood to the south, and you're driving uphill, that fence does a great job screening. But I noticed on a site visit that that fence must have seen one too many heavy winters. And I'm wondering if in their cleanup efforts, would they be willing to the northern, I'm sorry, the southernmost section of the west fence Every other slat is missing, and that's for about an 8 or 10 foot length. And then the whole western fence is doing what my fence does because the bears came after it. It's weaving in and out, and it looks like it might fall over. So would they be willing to include a repair of the west fence in their cleanup?

Yes, absolutely. I spoke with them after your question came in. They absolutely committed to it. And I laughed a little bit that Agrotype Fencing didn't do a very good job of their own. So yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah, I just have a comment, I think, for you. I appreciate very much the applicant's willingness to help those other non-conforming businesses stay there and stay in business. And I think that also should be applauded for the applicant. Any others?

So I went by the property today just to take a peek and look. I live out that way as well. It looks like they've done quite a bit of cleanup. And it looks like there's already like a little shed that I'm sure they're going to move out. It's been there near the west-facing fence. It looks like it's still part of a shed or something in there that AgriTech might have left behind. But it looks like they've done a nice job of cleaning it up.

Commissioner Hunter asked for back seats. Go ahead.

I WOULD JUST LIKE TO APPLAUD THE APPLICANT FOR THEIR PLACEMENT OF THE NEW SHED. VERY HAPPILY HUGS THE WESTERN PROPERTY LINE AND PRESERVES THE VIEWS FOR THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORS TO THE SOUTH WHO ARE GETTING SOME REALLY MARVELOUS VIEWS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS BY DESIGN OR LUCK, BUT IT PRESERVES THE LOCATION OF THIS SHED AND THE HEIGHT AND THE ROOF SLOPE ALL WORK TOGETHER TO DO A GOOD JOB PRESERVING THE VIEWS.

Honestly, it works best for deliveries, but we also talked about the fact that it would be good for screening also. And you asked about the water storage. That was only put there at the request of the fire department. And they suggested it's essentially a used frack tank. So if you know what that looks like.

Yeah.

OK, I don't think we have any other questions for the applicant then. So at this time, we will go ahead and open public comment on project PL20260020. Reminder for anyone joining us online. Sorry. Teams? No. Zoom. Zoom. Sorry. So joining us on Zoom, if you would please go ahead and hit that raise hand button, then our moderator, Ms. Medved, will call on you. And then anyone joining via phone, we'll invite you to join next. Although do we only have, we just have one person on the phone right now, it looks like.

We do, and I actually have Sarah Schwartz with us tonight, who's helping moderate, and she's keeping an eye there.

Sorry.

But it looks like so far they've been given a cue, and there's no hand raised.

Okay.

Yeah, there's no hands raised currently. Okay.

Well, for those of us joining us via telephone or online, if you would like to, please go ahead and raise your hand. Ms. Schwartz, can you remind me if they're joining via telephone on Zoom?

It's star... Star 9.

Star 9. Thank you. I used to remember that. And while we're waiting for that person, if they're trying to find those buttons on their telephone, if there's anyone present in chambers tonight who'd like to provide comment on this project, we'd certainly invite you forward at this time. All right. I don't see anyone that wants to come forward right now. Sarah, do we have anyone that was able to find Star 9 or raise their hand online?

Nope, no hands are raised.

Okay. Well, with that, then I will go ahead and close public comment on this project and bring it back to the commission for any further discussion or if there are any clarifying questions required of applicants for the staff, or I'm certainly ready to entertain a motion if that's appropriate from the commission standpoint.

Move approval of project PL20260020, out west building supply sketch, plan with two findings and one condition. We have a second?

Yes, I have a second.

Okay. Any discussion on the motion?

Yes. I have a question for staff.

Okay. Go ahead, Commissioner Hunter. Okay.

Thank you, Chair Scott. Mr. Falk, given that the applicant has stated their willingness to repair the western fence, do you recommend or not that it become a condition of approval? Would that make it easier to track if it were a condition of approval?

They still have to go through the preliminary plan stage of this, so I think we can touch base on it then.

Okay.

Okay, thank you. If you'd like to, we can make it as a condition of approval, but I think they're still going to go through preliminary plan, and that's definitely a more thorough review of this whole process, so that'll definitely be touched upon then. We'll make note of it.

Okay, thank you.

With that, commissioners, are we ready to take action on this? Okay. Ms. Medved, if you wouldn't mind, would you call the roll?

Yes, Chair. Commissioner Hunter? Yes. Commissioner Haar?

Yes.

Commissioner Evans? Yes. Commissioner Morris? Yes. Chair Scott?

Yes. And with that, the Project PL20260020 passes unanimously. And I believe that that's all we have today. Would anyone like to propose that we adjourn?

Sure, I'll propose that we adjourn.

And we are adjourned at 6.24 p.m. Thanks, everybody.

Recording stopped.