Cortez Land Use Code Chapter 3 - Zone Districts and Use Regulations (Public Review Draft)

Review and comment on Chapter 3 of the Cortez Land Use Code using the below digital PDF. Click anywhere on the document to add a comment. 

Learn more about the update on the City's website here>>

Purpose: Defines each of the City’s zone districts, the dimensional standards that apply to properties within each district and describes which uses are permitted.

What Changed:

• Added overall purpose and descriptions for each zone district
• Established the Residential Estate (RE) zone district as a legacy district since there are only two properties established under this zone district, and it is not a common district for the City. Existing properties zoned RE may operate as usual; however, no future parcels may be rezoned to RE.
• Changed name of Manufactured Home District (MH) to Mixed Residential (R3) to better reflect what has been built in the past 30 years – no change to zone district boundaries or overall intent and purpose of the zone district
• Changed name of Highway Commercial to General Commercial District (C) to better relate to the location of existing and future development already designated as C
• Simplified the Planned Unit District (PUD) regulations to clarify that this is a zone district
• Adjusted residential dimensional standards to align with the City’s Housing Action Plan, including a reduction in minimum lot size which will accommodate more affordable housing types and remove many of the existing nonconformities throughout the City
• Simplified both commercial and residential dimensional standards tables to remove redundancy and create consistent setbacks per zone district rather than per unit type
• Updated land use standards to include new housing types such as cottage cluster, micro homes, tiny homes, and modular homes and expand the allowance of more housing types in the R2 and R3 zone districts
• Incorporated land use definitions from Chapter 2 and updated standards to clarify housing types, temporary uses, and outdoor display and storage

What remains the same:

• Maintained the same number and intent of zone districts - no changes were made to zone district boundaries
• Maintained many of the use allowances in each zone district in addition to expanding some to be less restrictive
• Maintained many of the parameters of the R1 zone district due to community feedback desiring the district to remain its current look and feel