Garfield County P&Z waiting for reinforcements

Planning commission short three members and an alternate

By Phillip Yates
Post Independent Staff
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
March 2, 2008

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GLENWOOD SPRINGS — The job doesn’t pay anything. There’s a lot of responsibility. And sometimes you might have deal with an upset public.

The perks of the gig? Helping to guide the future of growth and development in Garfield County.

The Garfield County Commissioners are now looking for three regular members and one alternate member to join the county’s Planning Commission, the body that reviews and advises county commissioners on potential land developments and other matters in the area.

An alternate serves with all the full privileges on the Planning Commission and is able to discuss issues, review applications and attend public hearings but cannot vote on an application, said Phil Vaughan, the Planning Commission’s chairman. However, if there are less than seven members at a meeting, an alternate can vote, Vaughan said.

Anyone who is interested in applying needs to send a letter of interest to Commissioner John Martin at 108 Eighth St., Suite 213, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601.

Martin said commissioners are looking for “folks that want to be involved into making decisions for the future.”

“It is hard work, it is not paid for,” Martin said. “But it is very rewarding when you stand back and say, ‘I helped create this county through my rules and regulations and my recommendations.’”

Martin said he wants interested people, from stay-at-homes to bakers at the local grocery stores, to apply and get involved in “their government.”

Although members of the Planning Commission make recommendations to county commissioners, Martin said they are also in charge of the county’s Comprehensive Plan, a planning document used to chart future land use development in the area.

Vaughan, who has served almost 17 years on the county’s Planning Commission, said he has seen many contentious proposals come before the body, including the recent Cattle Creek Crossing zoning issue.

During the Planning Commission meeting on the issue in December, members voted to allow the highest urban density allowed in the county on the 282-acre property. Commissioners, last month, decided on a lower-density zoning.

“We are all volunteers,” said Vaughan, who has been the commission’s chairman for the past 10 years. “But I think the most important thing about serving as a planning commissioner is that you are a volunteer for the county, you’re involved in land-use planning issues, which have a clear effect on the future of Garfield County. I think it is very rewarding.”

Contact Phillip Yates: 384-9117
pyates@postindependent.com


Post Independent, Glenwood Springs, Colorado CO