Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The planning department, still bogged down with work after the recent moratorium on major development permit applications ended, is looking for another way to free up some time.
A group of amendments to the city's municipal code that would expedite the processing of minor permits and final plats among other issues may be pushed through the Planning Commission tonight. Instead of bringing the proposals to the Planning Commission and City Council, many of the more minor permits could be reviewed and judged for final approval by Planning Director Wendie Schulenberg after staff review.
The planning department estimates that about 75 percent of its workload is due to minor applications. Of the 94 minor development permits processed in 1999, 26 were final plats, 23 were minor site or building modifications, 5 were minor changes in use and 10 were time extensions. That amounts to 64 of the 94.
The new Community Development Code, scheduled to be completed about January 2001, will likely include these amendments, but the planning department wants to institute the changes before the new code is passed.
"Planning Commission has extensively considered the concept of a staff-level approval process during the review of the various development code drafts," Schulenberg wrote in her proposal.
The amendments would affect minor development permit review, including final plats, minor changes in use and minor building alterations.
A minor building alteration would involve less than 1,500 square feet of area.
The City Council has pushed Schulenberg to reduce some of the current Planning Commission and City Council reviews of plats and permits in order to free up time for more pressing matters.
Under the proposed amendments, Schulenberg could still bring the permits to the attention of the Planning Commission and City Council at her discretion.

To reach Avi Salzman call 871-4203 or e-mail asalzman@amigo.net