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Granby Board of Trustees approves Terra Firma Custom Homes permit, adjusts parking code

Wind blows through the aspen trees outside of Granby Town Hall. The trustees meet every second and fourth Tuesday of the month.
Kyle McCabe/Sky-Hi News

In a quick hour and a half long meeting Tuesday night, the Granby Board of Trustees extended a conditional use permit for Terra Firma Custom Homes and approved changes to the town parking code, among other things. 

Town Manager Ted Cherry presented a resolution to the board for the conditional use permit. The company received a permit for five years in 2017 to manufacture, fabricate and process materials into products for their home-building business. 

“I don’t think we’ve had any complaints about them over the last five years,” Cherry said. “It seems like a fairly straightforward renewal.”



Before approving the extension, trustees asked Terra Firma’s President Brad Smith about the property. Town Attorney Nathan Krob pointed out that the previous permit limited use of the property to a storage facility until the company built restrooms connected to sewer and water. Smith said Terra Firma built a building on the property with space for bathrooms and has applied to include the property in the town sewer district but has not received approval.

“We’re not constructing products there and things like that,” Smith said. “It’s a builder’s yard at this point.”



Smith also answered a question about where Terra Firma gets water for trees they plant in customers’ yards, saying the company buys water from C Lazy U Ranch. The tree watering question came from the only community member response to the public notice for this hearing.

Parking 

Cherry presented a resolution to the board that made adjustments to the town’s parking regulations in the central business district previously discussed by the board. It made a distinction between parking in the district and elsewhere in the town.

“I do believe that this would clean up some of our parking issues that we have seen or will see within the town,” Cherry said. “In my opinion, it doesn’t make things totally onerous on developers.”

Central business district parking requirements will be based on square footage being used in a building. The limits are lower than some surrounding communities and give developments options to fulfill their requirements, including having up to half of their parking spaces off-site or paying an $8,600 per space fine instead of providing parking for up to 100% of their requirement.

The resolution also described a street parking credit process and allows developments to use tuck under parking off alleys.

Other business:

  • Granby Police Chief David Shaffer spoke to the board to recognize officer Jeff Heitzenrater, who is leaving the department to work in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
  • Mike Ritter, the head golf professional at Grand Elk Golf Club, and other members of the Grand County Tourism Board gave a presentation to the trustees about their goal to create sustainable tourism in the county.
  • Abby Loberg, the Democratic candidate for Grand County Clerk and Recorder, introduced herself to the board during public comments.
  • Resident Gloria Montgomery expressed disapproval for controlled burns near her house on the west side of town, and resident Daniela Gosselova talked about her concerns with infrastructure and disaster preparation in Granby during the public comments.
  • Gosselova commented during public testimony related to the Terra Firma Custom Homes permit that she thinks the industrial sites in Granby should build fences around their property to make the drive into the west side of town look better.
  • Also during public comments, resident Nancy Healy told the trustees she has noticed an increase in speeding along Agate Avenue and asked them to consider solutions.
  • Jeremy Krones from Colorado Headwaters Land Trust spoke to the board about the trust’s request for an event liquor permit for their National Public Lands Day celebration Sept. 24 at Polhamus Park. The board approved the permit.
  • Cherry gave an update to the board about the Fraser River Valley Housing Authority’s housing needs assessment, the authority’s ballot initiative to secure funding and the town’s Highway 40 housing project.
  • Trustees approved a resolution to hire Executech as the town’s new information technology provider.
  • During the administrative update, Town Clerk Deborah Hess said four people have picked up application packets to run for trustee positions 
  • Trustee Jeffrey Sneddon mentioned Music & Market, the Dream Builder women’s entrepreneurship program and a comprehensive plan discussion meeting in his economic development update.
  • Trustee Nicole Schafer gave a housing update, pointing out that the average listing price in July was higher than the average sale price.
  • Chief Shaffer answered questions about reducing speeding during the public safety update.
  • Trustee Chris Michalowski said paving in Grand Meadows will start Sept. 13 with no set end date, and Cherry talked about an administrative issue that resulted in a violation at the North Service Area Water District during the public works update.
  • In the recreation update, Trustee Nick Raible said summer camp is coming to an end, recognized the work of its staff, mentioned the Touch a Truck event Aug. 13 and said the town hired a new pickleball instructor.
  • Cherry mentioned insurance renewal and assistant town manager candidates in his manager’s update.
  • Mayor Josh Hardy talked about the Rural Philanthropy Days conference in his update, and Krob talked about a Reclamation Ridge appeal being dismissed, Sept. 18 mediation with former Rodeo Apartments developer Unicome and cases relating to Sun Communities’ water.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to correct the spelling of a name.


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