OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Town of Erie Planning Commission Regular Meeting - February 18, 2026

Planning Commission — Wednesday, February 18, 2026
BodyErie, Colorado
SessionPlanning Commission
DateWednesday, February 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:37:17

Transcript — Verbatim
0:57

Good evening and welcome to the February 18th, 2026 regular meeting of the Town of Erie Pointing Commission.

1:03

The time is now 6 30 p.m.

1:05

and I'm calling this meeting to order.

1:07

Please join me for the Pudge of Allegiance.

1:17

For which it stands, one nation under God and visible liberty justice for all.

1:28

Will the Secretary please call roll?

1:31

Commissioner Booth.

1:32

Yeah.

1:33

Commissioner Sawbush.

1:35

Live from Tonma.

1:37

Commissioner Dreckman.

1:39

Here.

1:40

Commissioner Burns.

1:41

Here.

1:42

Commissioner Baham.

1:44

Here.

1:45

Vice Chair Brodus.

1:47

Here.

1:48

Chair Hempel.

1:49

Here.

1:49

We have a quorum.

1:51

Thank you.

1:52

We have an agenda before us this evening.

1:53

Does staff have any changes to the agenda?

1:55

No changes.

1:56

All right.

1:57

Does anyone want to request to make a motion to amend or approve?

2:01

Motion.

2:03

Direction.

2:04

Second.

2:19

Planning commission meeting minutes.

2:20

Do we have any changes or requests to make a motion?

2:24

Motion to approve.

2:25

Second.

2:26

Directman.

2:27

That was Brodus and Dreckman.

2:29

Motion and second.

2:30

All in favor say aye.

2:31

Aye.

2:32

All opposed say no.

2:33

Motion passes unanimously.

2:35

This brings us to the public comments portion of the meeting.

2:38

This is for public comments intended for items not already scheduled on the agenda to be discussed.

2:42

Is there anyone in the waiting room signed up or in the audience for general public comment?

2:46

We have four attendees in the virtual waiting room.

2:50

Please raise your hand if you'd like to speak at this time.

2:57

No hands raised virtually on the sign-up sheet.

3:00

We have four people.

5:04

This presentation was specifically to cover the residential and mixed use categories, as we have been hearing those were of some concern.

5:12

So we wanted to take this in front of council to get some understanding and direction of where we wanted to potentially go with either some needs for amendments or some clarification with comprehensive plan.

5:25

While we did present on every residential category as well as mixed use, in the end, the only concern really lie with the residential medium land use category, which you can see on the screen in front of you.

5:38

As it's presented and seen within the comprehensive plan, that density is between 8 to 18 dwelling units per acre.

5:45

Now, to provide some more context of this, I wanted to showcase what does that mean for the town of Erie and the planning boundary as a whole.

5:53

What you are seeing in front of you are only three parcels that are undeveloped or not entitled, meaning of all the parcels that are designated as this residential medium within the town town boundary as well as the planning boundary, only three of them were considered to be new or under this new residential medium category.

6:12

Now, with the direction of council and the conversation that happened on January 6th, there has been a discussion of exploring what a new or additional category of residential medium could look like.

6:24

Specifically, this is exploring what we're tentatively or draftly calling residential medium low.

6:30

That would have a density spread of 8 to 12 dwelling units per acre, but we would also still be keeping this residential medium.

6:39

Now, whether that name changes to residential medium, high or stays residential medium, we'll discover that later on.

6:45

But that categorization would still exist, but now under a 13 to 18 spread.

6:51

With that in mind, there is also some need to address what that land use looks like on these specific parcels.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning And Development█████████████████████████████████████████████68%
Procedural█████8%
Municipal Governance█████8%
Community Engagement█████7%
Historic Preservation██3%
Parks and Recreation██3%
Affordable Housing█1%
Transportation Safety█1%
Public Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Town of Erie Planning Commission Regular Meeting - February 18, 2026

[Introductory paragraph] The Town of Erie Planning Commission met on February 18, 2026, at 6:30 PM. The meeting included a presentation on comprehensive plan updates, a public hearing on a zoning amendment for Canyon Creek, and a resolution recommending reappointment of two commissioners. Key votes included unanimous recommendation to approve the Canyon Creek Plan Development Amendment No. 11 and approval of the reappointment resolution.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of agenda and meeting minutes: unanimous.

Presentation: Comprehensive Plan Update

  • Staff presented on potential changes to the residential medium land use category (8-18 du/ac), including a proposed “residential medium low” (8-12 du/ac) while keeping a high range (13-18 du/ac). Only three undeveloped parcels are affected. Staff also discussed Old Town neighborhood outreach (11 events, including coffee hours and ice cream socials) and identified quick-, medium-, and long-term goals. The Unified Development Code (UDC) update RFP is expected within months. Commissioners posed questions about density, zoning districts, and historic preservation.

Public Hearing: Canyon Creek Plan Development Amendment No. 11

  • Application: Emerald Development seeks a PD amendment to allow neighborhood commercial uses (e.g., retail, restaurant, office, daycare) on a 1.3-acre site at the southeast corner of Erie Parkway and Mellor, currently zoned for residential/daycare. The PD amendment includes a 20-foot landscaped buffer, 25-foot height limit, no minimum parking, and a prohibited uses list (e.g., drive-throughs, auto repair, marijuana businesses).
  • Staff Presentation: Staff (Steph) detailed changes from the January 7 hearing: increased buffer, reduced height, updated use table. Staff recommended approval.
  • Applicant Presentation: Dominic Schwartz emphasized design guardrails and flexibility for future tenants. He noted the site plan is conceptual only.
  • Public Comments (all opposed):
    • Chris Joseph (resident for 20 years): cited traffic, safety for children walking to Red Hawk Elementary, insufficient buffer, noise from HVAC/grease traps, and light pollution.
    • Ryan Durfee (adjacent resident): noted all neighboring homeowners opposed; traffic would increase from ~60 to ~600 cars/day; developer should accept loss.
    • Ray Miller (resident 12-13 years): concerned about pedestrian safety, increased speeds, and conflict points; urged meaningful traffic calming.
    • Jennifer Barry (resident): worried about children crossing streets and potential crime if buildings sit vacant.
    • Jeremy Tieber (18-year resident): opposed to late-night uses (restaurants, urgent care); noted kids walk to school; questioned need for commercial when Erie Town Center is nearby.
  • Commissioner Questions: Clarified that this is only a zoning decision; site plan and traffic study would come later. Discussed dumpster placement, lighting, and the buffer’s effectiveness. Staff noted that the director can refer site plans to the commission if needed.
  • Deliberation: Commissioners acknowledged substantial changes made by the applicant and expressed empathy for resident concerns. Some saw potential benefit as a walkable amenity, while others remained torn. The motion to recommend approval was made and seconded.

Reappointment of Commissioners

  • Resolution P2604 recommending reappointment of Commissioners Booth and Burns to Town Council. Discussion centered on communication between boards and council, and the effective start date (removed “beginning March 3, 2026” as terms expire May 17, 2026). Motion passed 5-0-2 (Commissioners Booth and Burns recused).

Key Outcomes

  • Canyon Creek PD Amendment No. 11: Recommended for approval to Town Council (unanimous). Staff will forward resolution with conditions.
  • Reappointment Resolution: Approved, to be sent to Town Council for consideration.
  • March 4 Meeting: Cancelled due to lack of agenda items.
  • Security Training: Commissioners reminded to complete online training by March 4.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the February 18th, 2026 regular meeting of the Town of Erie Pointing Commission. The time is now 6 30 p.m. and I'm calling this meeting to order. Please join me for the Pudge of Allegiance. For which it stands, one nation under God and visible liberty justice for all. Will the Secretary please call roll? Commissioner Booth. Yeah. Commissioner Sawbush. Live from Tonma. Commissioner Dreckman. Here. Commissioner Burns. Here. Commissioner Baham. Here. Vice Chair Brodus. Here. Chair Hempel. Here. We have a quorum. Thank you. We have an agenda before us this evening. Does staff have any changes to the agenda? No changes. All right. Does anyone want to request to make a motion to amend or approve? Motion. Direction. Second. Planning commission meeting minutes. Do we have any changes or requests to make a motion? Motion to approve. Second. Directman. That was Brodus and Dreckman. Motion and second. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion passes unanimously. This brings us to the public comments portion of the meeting. This is for public comments intended for items not already scheduled on the agenda to be discussed. Is there anyone in the waiting room signed up or in the audience for general public comment? We have four attendees in the virtual waiting room. Please raise your hand if you'd like to speak at this time. No hands raised virtually on the sign-up sheet. We have four people. This presentation was specifically to cover the residential and mixed use categories, as we have been hearing those were of some concern. So we wanted to take this in front of council to get some understanding and direction of where we wanted to potentially go with either some needs for amendments or some clarification with comprehensive plan.

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