Fort Collins' city council is going back to the drawing board with the city's contentious land use code. The council voted 3-2 this week to repeal it. That means the code, which has divided residents over its revised rules on increased building density, will get another look next year when a new council is seated.
A successful petition effort by the group Preserve Fort Collins put the code back in council's hands this month. As mandated by the city charter, they could repeal it or refer the issue to voters. The council chose the former.
"There's so much in the actual form and function in the 500-page code that I think we can reach an agreement on that, and then keep a discussion going on the more contentious parts," said Mayor Jeni Arndt, who voted in favor of a repeal.
Arndt pressed that the "bones of the code" could be reexamined by council and city planning and zoning. She said they'll have to keep an eye on what is going on at the state level, too, in case the legislature pursues sweeping land use reforms.
"It does feel like Groundhog Day, because a year ago we were saying this, too," Arndt said.
The city's land use code has seen this scenario before. Last year, council reexamined it after Preserve Fort Collins' first petition effort to stop it. The city held work sessions and engaged in public outreach before passing it again this October.
That decision was swiftly countered by another petition effort from residents concerned about how the code would impact neighborhoods and incentivize affordable housing.
Councilmember Kelly Ohlson voted against a repeal. He said the code could disrupt and alter the city's character.
"It's just not right — to me — to change the rules of people and their existing neighborhoods, their historic neighborhoods, their established neighborhoods," Ohlson said.
Councilmember Susan Gutowski also voted no. She supported sending it to the ballot.
"I honestly believe that we have a very intelligent and capable community that can understand what it is they're voting for," she said.
Dozens of residents spoke ahead of Tuesday's vote. Some praised city council for all their work on the code and implored them to push ahead. Others blasted them for creating a code that disregarded the wishes of the community and wouldn't solve a local affordable housing crisis.
Like many Front Range cities, Fort Collins is looking at ways to increase its affordable housing stock. The revised land use code sought to open up more options for builders in different zones of the city by allowing increased density. It also permitted ADUs, or Accessory Dwelling Units.
Now, with the code in limbo again, any action it carried to address affordable housing will have to wait until 2024.
At the meeting this week, resident Don Stepp urged the council to continue their work.
"I think Fort Collins is a great place to live, I'm sure it was nice when it was small and rural, it's great now, I think it's going to be a great city in the future as the city makes changes to meet the challenges of the future," he said.
