Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, June 1, to appoint a new member to the council and consider a number of ordinances and resolutions.
Councilors Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, Doug Glaspell, and David Reed met in City Council Chambers along with city staff. Due to changing COVID-19 protocols, members of the public were allowed to attend in City Council Chambers, or online via the Zoom platform.
The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
Watch the meeting here.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Several members of the public addressed the council on various topics including a proposed new development near Cobble Creek, public safety, and kudos to the council for being a transparent and effective local government.
CONSENT AGENDA
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the May 18, 2021, special City Council meeting and the May 18, 2021, regular City Council meeting. The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found at CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
There was one change to the May 18, 2021, special meeting; the official record was updated to reflect the presence of David Reed at that meeting.
Councilors also granted approval to a special events alcohol permit for the FUNC Fest scheduled for June 12, 2021, and a fireworks display permit for the city's 4th of July celebration.
APPOINTMENT OF DISTRICT II CITY COUNCILOR
By a vote of 3-1 City Councilors appointed Anthony Russo to the City Council’s District II seat.
Russo’s appointment fills a vacancy left by Dave Bowman who resigned from the council on May 3. Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the council held its work session Tuesday morning to interview three candidates: Russo, Jeff Rice, and Edward J. Ulibarri.
As set forth by the City Charter, the City Council formally votes to appoint a replacement within 30 days of a vacancy. The procedure used to fill vacancies on the City Council is the same as the process used to appoint new members to the city’s Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission.
To fill the vacancy in the District II City Council seat, applications were accepted only from residents residing within the district.
City Councilors Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, Doug Glaspell, and David Reed all thanked the applicants for taking the time to apply for the vacancy and their interest in public service.
In accordance with the City Charter, the District II seat will be on the ballot for the 2022 General Municipal Election.
RESOLUTION 2021-09
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the adoption of the Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan to serve as the city's road map for the next 20 years.
The Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan serves as the city's guide for local decision-making on long-range planning, land use, development, policy, and capital improvements. This community vision sets goals and opportunities for growth and development with a 20-year vision and a 10-year focus on setting the groundwork to meet these goals.
The city began the Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan process in the spring of 2019 with the Existing Conditions Report.
In June 2019, the city hosted two community kick-off meetings, one in English and another in Spanish, to gather public input to help develop a shared vision for the future of Montrose. Residents who were not able to attend were given the option to submit feedback via online surveys.
Over the course of the summer and fall of 2019, eight community workshops were held, along with online surveys and an interactive online map, to gather additional public input and involve as many people as possible throughout the process. With the combination of public meetings and online input, the city collected a record amount of public feedback to use in the plan.
Topics included land use, transportation, housing, economic development, capital improvements, downtown, recreation and tourism, parks and open space, environmental concerns, and intergovernmental agreements with key local government and public services partners.
Following the public meetings, city staff worked with the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee to develop guiding principles, goals, objectives, and an implementation plan based upon input received from the community. This committee consisted of local residents, city staff, Planning Commission, and City Council. Over the course of the past year, city staff has worked on compiling all of this information and drafting the Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
The City of Montrose adopted its first Comprehensive Plan in 1998 and then completed an update in 2008, with map revisions in 2012 and 2016. Municipalities typically update comprehensive plans every ten years.
According to data by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the population of the City of Montrose is expected to rise from 20,090 in 2018 to 32,420 in 2050. In comparison, the overall population of Montrose County is projected at 68,780 in 2050, up from 43,336 in 2018.
The Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan is available for download at CityofMontrose.org/CompPlan.
ORDINANCE 2543 - FIRST READING
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the update of two sections of the city's Municipal Code regarding minimum roof pitch requirements.
According to Senior Planner Amy Sharp, city staff has undertaken a review of the Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 4, Section 8.1 (4-4-8.1) and Title 4, Chapter 4, Section 8.2 (4-4-8.2) in order to update the performance standards for minimum roof pitch in the “R-5” Low Density/Manufactured Housing District and “R-6” Medium Density/Manufactured Housing District. This effort suggests modifications to the City of Montrose Municipal Code to update the performance standards to reflect current industry standards, which have changed since the current code was adopted.
This modification changes the minimum roof pitch from 3.5:12 to 3:12.
City Councilors will vote on the second reading of this ordinance at the June 15, regular meeting.
ORDINANCE 2544 - FIRST READING
Councilors voted unanimously to approve a request to allow a property that is currently within the Montrose city limits to revert back to being outside of the city limits. According to Senior Planner Amy Sharp, the process is known as a disconnection or de-annexation from the city limits of Montrose.
The property, owned by Keith and Melissa Morris, is located at 16763/16765 6725 Road and is approximately 7.95 acres in size. .
The city received a letter from the property owners requesting that this property be disconnected from the city limits of Montrose and explaining the reasons for the request. This property is located at the eastern edge of city limits and disconnection would not result in the creation of a county island. The property is currently being served by Tri-County water, a septic system, and Bruin Waste for trash services. The property was annexed into the Montrose city limits in 2005 as part of the Lake Addition.
Sharp said city staff is recommending approval of the request.
City Councilors will vote on the second reading of this ordinance at the June 15, regular meeting.
ORDINANCE 2542 - SECOND READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2542 on first reading, designating the Montrose Fire Department No. 1, located at 24 South Uncompahgre Avenue, as a City of Montrose Historic Property.
According to City Planner William Reis, on April 27, 2021, the city's Historic Preservation Commission considered an application for historic property designation of the Montrose Fire Department No. 1 (Montrose City Hall Annex)e. The commission voted unanimously to recommend final approval by the City Council.
Reis said the structure meets the eligibility criteria per Montrose Municipal Code Section 4-15-3 (B) for the following reasons:
The 1910 Montrose Fire Department No. 1 is important for its long-standing association with fire protection in the City of Montrose. Serving a critical need at the beginning of the 20th century for Montrose’s quickly expanding population, the building housed the fire department for the next seven decades, offering the community both fire protection and educational assistance.
The Montrose Fire Station No. 1 is representative of the type and method of construction that was prevalent in Montrose from the 1890s through the first two decades of the 20th century. The fire station features a stepped parapet wall with a stone identification panel. Below the parapet wall is a characteristic decorative brick cornice. A similar cornice is found over the original truck bay. This decorative brickwork also serves as the sill for the windows over this bay. Alteration of the building has closed the truck bay while retaining the original shape of this opening and has utilized materials that are sympathetic to the design of the building.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Barbara Bynum said she was thrilled to have the return of The Forum, held each Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. inside Cascade Hall on the CMU Montrose campus. The Forum has been closed for the past 15 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dave Frank reported that the Montrose Rotary Club presented a check for $187,633.59 to the city on Tuesday to help pay for the Rotary Amphitheater currently under construction in Cerise Park.
Anthony Russo said he was grateful and honored for the opportunity to serve on the City Council and looks forward to serving the citizens of Montrose.
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All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via the city’s website and cable channels 191 for Charter subscribers and 970 for Elevate subscribers. Replays of council meetings are also broadcast at 6 p.m. on the same channels on days that the council is not in session.
In addition, each regular meeting is archived on the City of Montrose’s YouTube channel.
Residents can watch all regular City Council meetings and work sessions live through the city’s website at CityOfMontrose.org/Video.
For more city news visit CityOfMontrose.org.