Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Clarion Associates worked with the City of Glenwood Springs to revise their current development regulations. The updates followed Clarion’s previous work in 2015 (Phase I) to prepare a development regulations analysis and assessment, including an annotated outline detailing how the new development regulations would be organized. The assessment included several recommendations for improving Glenwood’s development regulations, based on best practices from other communities and feedback from Glenwood Springs’ stakeholders.

Phase II, which kicked off in March 2016, consisted of a complete overhaul of Glenwood’s development regulations, based on the recommendations from Phase I, and supplemental guidance from a Project Advisory Group and staff. The update to the development regulations occurred in three modules to separate the document into manageable

parts for internal and public review. Clarion worked with Urban Interactive Studio to develop a project website that served as the primary hub for project-related documents, upcoming meeting information, and was a portal to submit comments to the project team. The first module included improvements to the procedures for development review and approval (which was one of the most pressing issues). The second module revised the lineup of zoning districts and amended use regulations, addressing mixed-use and reducing barriers to infill and redevelopment. The final module focused on development standards, including new sensitive area protection standards that regulate development parameters on a site depending on the “limits of disturbance,” rather than the entire site. Clarion then prepared a consolidated draft for adoption based on comments received on all three modules. The updated regulations were unanimously adopted in July 2018.