Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, March 7, to consider a new restaurant liquor license, a memorandum of understanding, MOU, with Colorado Mesa University to establish the Montrose Permanent Fund, and a final plat for a new CASA development.
Councilors Barbara Bynum, Mayor Dave Frank, Doug Glaspell, David Reed, and Ed Ulibarri met in the temporary City Council Chambers in the Montrose Public Safety Complex along with city staff.
The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
Watch the meeting here.
MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE OATH OF OFFICE
Deputy City Clerk Briceida Ortega administered the oath of office for Judge Erin Maxwell to serve as the City of Montrose’s new Municipal Court Judge. Maxwell will be replacing Judge Charles Greenacre who is retiring from the bench in April.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the February 21 regular City Council meeting.
The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found on the new Public Meetings Portal and at CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
NEW HOTEL AND RESTAURANT LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve an application for a new hotel and restaurant liquor license at 1222 East Main Street for Tacos 2 Day LLC, doing business as Tacos 2 Day, for consumption on the licensed premises.
The City Council is the local liquor licensing authority for the City of Montrose. The council held a public hearing before voting to approve the change of name and location on the liquor license.
ORDINANCE 2616 - FIRST READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2616, on first reading, to clarify a section of the city’s Municipal Code. The City Council has the authority to amend portions of the code to update language or clarify certain provisions.
ORDINANCE 2617- FIRST READING
City Councilors voted 4-1 to approve Ordinance 2617, on first reading, authorizing the sale of the city’s historic City Hall located at 433 South First Street for use as a functional educational facility and world-class hotel.
Proceeds from the sale will be contributed to a permanent endowment fund in collaboration with the Colorado Mesa University Foundation for further expansion of the CMU-Montrose physical campus and its program offerings.
City Councilor J. David Reed delivered brief remarks about the history of the university’s role in the Montrose community. CMU, according to Reed, has grown significantly over the years adding new programs that benefit the local workforce such as welding, early childhood care, and law enforcement — all areas of study that are in demand throughout the city.
Councilor Ed Ulibarri voiced his opposition to the ordinance.
City Manager Bill Bell delivered a presentation outlining the process of selling City Hall before Mayor Dave Frank opened a brief hearing to accept public comment.
Several members of the public voiced their support and nonsupport for the project before the council formally approved the ordinance on first reading.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
City Councilors voted 4-1 to approve a memorandum of understanding, MOU, with Colorado Mesa University to establish the Montrose Permanent Fund to be held and administered by the Colorado Mesa University Foundation.
According to the MOU, additional contributions to the fund may be made by the Contributor, CMU, the Foundation, or any others at any time.
The Montrose Permanent Fund will be established to provide a permanent source of dedicated funding to enhance and expand academic offerings, recruit and compensate qualified faculty members, grow the physical campus, and support Montrose students in the pursuit of higher education at the Colorado Mesa University Montrose Campus.
A committee consisting of the mayor and city manager of Montrose, the president of CMU, the director of CMUM, the CEO of the Foundation, and the superintendent of the Montrose County RE‐1J School District, will be created upon the execution of this agreement.
RESOLUTION 2023-03
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2023-03, setting April 18 as the hearing date for the Sunset Village Addition annexation.
The Sunset Village Addition is a proposed annexation of approximately 10.01 acres in size. The property includes two parcels located at 576 6600 Road and 616 6600 Road.
CASA FINAL PLANNED DEVELOPMENT
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a final plan for the CASA Planned Development.
City Planner William Reis said the Court Appointed Special Advocates, CASA, Planned Development is a residential development on the northern side of Montrose, located on Lot B of the San Juan Industrial Park Subdivision.
The property is approximately 7.47 acres in size and is situated north of N San Juan Ave. The property is zoned “I-1” Light Industrial District and is planned to have 45 supportive housing units, along with a community center. Properties with multiple residential buildings on one lot require a Planned Development. Supportive housing is considered a conditional use in the “I-1” Light Industrial District. The conditional use may be approved with the preliminary planned development and final planned development and does not require a separate application.
CRACK SEAL MATERIAL PURCHASE AND SOLE SOURCE WAIVER
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve the purchase of roadway crack seal material from Dissco (Denver Industrial) in the amount of $93,741.
The City of Montrose Streets Division is preparing for the upcoming crack seal project that will be self-performed. This project includes 36.1 lane miles of streets that will be crack sealed in zone D of the city’s Street Maintenance Plan. The crack seal material used is specific to our area and local climate. The city has utilized this product from Denver Industrial Sales & Service Company for the last several years and with great results. To maintain compatibility and warranty with existing equipment, staff requested authorization of a sole-source waiver for the purchase of this material. The pricing provided this product is comparable to that of other crack seal material and to what has been purchased by the city in years past.
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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 on-demand through the city’s Public Meetings Portal.