Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Oak Creek Planning Commission is enlisting Susan Corser in her first official meeting with the group tonight as the town struggles to finish a land-use code and comprehensive plan.

The town has received another extension from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs to submit both plans. The original due date was Oct. 31, but a first extension moved that date to Dec. 31. After realizing that the town would not have enough time to advertise required public meetings and accept the plans, they requested and received another extension, to the end of February.

Planning Commission member Chuck Wisecup said he spent more than eight hours going through his notes to compile the list of changes the commission would like to see in the final document. He turned those notes over to Corser, a Steamboat Springs resident who works as a freelance consultant for municipal plans and environmental studies.

Wisecup said today’s 7 p.m. meeting at the Oak Creek Town Hall is open to the public, and the commission will be scheduling additional public input sessions before the plan is finalized. No members of the public attended the last Planning Commission meeting, he said.

Among the most controversial topics are additions to the land-use code that would ban all mobile homes outside of mobile home parks. The Planning Commission also must decide whether it wants to allow mobile homeowners to replace aging mobile homes outside of the parks.

The town had worked with the Britina Design Group, of Arvada, but when the person working on the project with the company could no longer be reached, the commission hired Corser. During tonight’s meeting, the Planning Commission also will discuss Corser’s contract, which has not yet been finalized.