WALSENBURG — In a 5 to 1 vote Tuesday night, Walsenburg City Council approved Ordinance 1045 which will allow tiny homes to be built in R-1 and R-2 zoned residential areas with a variance approved by Planning and Zoning. The ordinance passed this week on first reading, and amends Article XIII of the Zoning Ordinance by adding a section (6.2F) ‘to vary the minimum floor area for single family detached dwellings within R-1 and R-22 Districts’. The amendment says the tiny homes, which are normally 150 to 450 square feet, must be placed permanently on a footer or foundation, and tapped into the city’s water and sewer system separately from any other structure or use on the property. Sprout Tiny Homes, LLC President Rod Stambaugh attended the council meeting and said the company will also be going before the Huerfano County Commissioners seeking similar regulation changes. Council members Rick Jennings, Silvana Lind, Nick Vigil, Clint Boehler and Mayor James Eccher voted in favor of the ordinance. Councilman Charlie
Montoya voted against it. Council unanimously passed Ordinance 1046 on first reading that removes a mistakenly included penalty section in Ordinance 1035, which adopted the Model Traffic Code for Colorado for use in the city. The new ordinance deletes Sections 4 and 9 in Part 14 of the code. Work should get underway soon on the Stout Street sewer relocation project as city council approved the bid from Parker Excavating for $71,808.65. While $221 higher than the lowest bid, Parker Excavating was able to begin the project sooner than other contractors. San Isabel Electric Association Inc., General Manager Reginal ‘Reg’ Rudolph met with city council and was thanked by Mayor Eccher for a $5,000 donation the power co-op gave to the city, which paid for Walsenburg’s continued membership in the I-25 Economic Development Group. The council and administration will be working in the coming weeks on a renewal of the SIEA/City of Walsenburg franchise agreement. The current 25-year agreement expired in 2013, but all of its tenets remain in effect. Rudolph also said SIEA’s annual meeting will again be held in Walsenburg, this year on Saturday, September 20. In other business, city council approved a lease modification with Falduto Ranches, LLC which extends the current lease of city-owned property through October 31, 2014. • Approved Carol Pennington-Roesch as the newest member of the Planning and Zoning Commission. She will also act as the commission’s Recording Secretary. Pennington-Roesch compiled and designed the final report of the comprehensive plan citizen survey which was recently completed (see separate article page 11). • Approved Jim Vigil to a full five-year term as a member of the Walsenburg Housing Authority Board. • Approved a liquor license renewal for the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Walsenburg.
