By Rudy Hemmann

The Surveyor

The Berthoud Planning Commission held a regular business meeting the evening of Thursday, March 28, 2019, and considered a series of rezone requests by the applicant, Heron Lakes Investments, LLC, with Jim Birdsall acting as agent.

A section from an information sheet which outlines the request follows:

“The Applicant is requesting to rezone seven previously zoned areas, and approval of the Heron Lakes tenth filing Preliminary Plat (PP). The primary purpose of the zoning map amendments is to correct platting issues. The Applicant is also requesting Heron Lakes tenth filing PP approval to create 29 single-family patio home lots over 114.9 acres along Heron Lakes Parkway, and eleventh filing PP approval for 59 lots (28 single family attached/townhouses, 30 single-family estate lots) on 20.47 acres.

The applicant is proposing to rezone seven areas:

AREA 1: AG to R-2: 9,920 square feet or 0.228 acres more or less.

AREA 2: AG to R-2: 117 square feet or 0.003 acres more or less.

AREA 3: AG to R-3: 46,513 square feet or 1.068 acres more or less.

AREA 4: R-2 to R-3: 197,972 square feet or 4.545 acres more or less.

AREA 5: R-2 to AG: 1,436 square feet or 0.033 acres more or less.

AREA 6: R-2 to AG: 42,441 square feet or 0.974 acres more or less.

AREA 7: R-2 to AG: 2,104 square feet or 0.048 acres more or less.

The majority of the seven rezoning requests are to transfer small areas either from the golf course into lots to provide more depth for the lots, or vice versa – transferring areas zoned residential back to the golf course … The golf course is located within the AG zoning area. So, the transfers into or out of AG, are to and from the golf course itself. All but the re-zonings of areas 3 and 4, transfer small non-developable areas either to the golf course, or to the proposed residential lots in the preliminary plat also being requested. Therefore, no change in density, or use will result in these five re-zonings apart from areas 3 and 4; moreover, roughly the same amount of area is being transferred to and from the golf course to the residential lots, and vice versa.”

Along with the re-zonings mentioned above, the applicant requested commission approval of the Heron Lakes 10th and 11th Preliminary Plats.

Curt Freese, the town’s director of community development, brought the applications to the attention of the commission. Freese explained the necessity of the rezone of the tracts.

Birdsall also gave a brief presentation before the commission. “All of the rezoning is housecleaning to bring consistency and clarity to the project,” said Birdsall. He went on to state  the leaders of the project are excited about the potential of the types of homes which will be built on the lots of the 10th and 11th filings.

A public hearing was opened on the proposal and quickly closed again when no one stood to speak to the item.

There was an objection to the rezone of Area 4: R-2 to R-3, which was resolved by the applicant withdrawing that item from the request to be addressed at a future date.

A motion recommending the town board approve amendments to the Heron Lakes zoning map for the six remaining Areas (Area 4 having been withdrawn by the applicant) was made, seconded and passed unanimously.

A motion recommending approval of the Heron Lakes 10th and 11th Preliminary Plats was made, seconded and passed unanimously.