INTRODUCTORY SCENES FOR County 101 “River of Return” With apologies to “Dragnet, Law & Order and the Talking heads” COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION   P.O. Box 1190 Fort Collins, CO 80522-1190 Planning (970) 498-7683 Planning Fax (970) 498-7711 Building (970) 498-7700 Building Fax (970) 498-7667 http://www. larimer.org/planning

This is the County Larimer County, Colorado I work here I carry a County ID and I use the Land Use Code

Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent

this In the Larimer County Community Development Division, the people are represented by three separate yet equally important groups: the code compliance inspectors who investigate possible violations of the Codes, the planners and planning commission who review land use applications and the Building Department who issue the building permits. These are their stories

My name is Friday-Joe Friday, I work for Larimer County Community Development Division as a Code Compliance inspector. Today is April 1st and my day began with calls from neighbors upset they received notice of a Planning Commission hearing.

They know there has been an ongoing violation by a group operating a day camp for disabled vets on weekends for five years and each year more and more people are coming and going from the property, camping on the property, generating traffic over their small community roads, creating piles of garbage that are not cleaned up for weeks at a time and creating high noise levels. Now this group wants to increase the activity on the property by building a new structure, accommodating more people and operating more days of the week. 

And you may ask yourself… “Just how did I get here?”

Need foundation here The Building Inspector, Mr. Jones is driving to a requested inspection and notices a foundation being poured on a property adjacent to the Big Thompson River he has never been to.  This is his inspection area.  He did not conduct an inspection prior to the pour, so he stops in to talk to the owner.

The inspector asks the owner if she has a building permit.

Picture of pole barn or other building The owner says no, she didn't know she needed a permit for an outbuilding. The owner explains she is building a 40x60 outbuilding with a bathroom, sink and kitchen.

IWill get The inspector explains a building permit needs to be issued prior to work re-commencing on the project.  Hands her a card with the contact info on it

The inspector issues and posts a stop-work order on site Stop work red tag The inspector issues and posts a stop-work order on site

Iwill get The inspector notifies Code Compliance staff of the issuance of the stop-work order when he returns to the office. 

Code Compliance staff confirm there is no building permit of record Iwill get Code Compliance staff confirm there is no building permit of record

Flood plain pic Research of the property shows the parcel is partially located in a FEMA designated floodplain which restricts the placement of structures in floodway and flood fringe areas

I will get A  Code Compliance Inspector calls the owner to explain a building permit cannot be issued without approval of the structure's location which may not be allowed due to its proximity to the Big Thompson River.

During the conversation, the owner explains she wants to use the building to protect 10 to 20 disabled vets and family members from inclement weather while they are learning to fly fish on his property, restrooms, and to provide food for the vets and their family members.

I will get The Code Compliance Inspector suggests a meeting be scheduled with a Planner, the floodplain administrator and the owner to discuss the owners' options. As these uses require approval through a land-use application process

Time passes before an appt is made phone calls back and forth I wil

The Planner, Floodplain Administrator and owner meet and ultimately the owner agrees to submit an application to the Planning Department

The application would be for a special review approval to allow a day and overnight camp on the property to accommodate up to 60 people on any day between May 1 and September 1 each year. The purpose of teaching disabled vets how to fly fish.

The owner is requesting approval of 20 tent sites and 20 RV sites in addition to the 40x60 outbuilding to accommodate his guests.  The owner agrees if the outbuilding is approved for its intended use, the building will be moved out of the designated floodplain area

I will get And here we are now….