Longmont commission recommends contractor shops in two employment districts

Longmont’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 on Oct. 21 to recommend allowing contractor shops in two employment districts, subject to added review near some residential areas. City Council has not yet decided whether to adopt the change.

Contractor shops include plumbing, electrical, carpentry and roofing businesses that may keep work vehicles, equipment and materials at a site. The recommendation would allow them in mixed-use employment and non-residential primary employment districts. Shops in the mixed-use district within 250 feet of a residential use would require conditional-use review. The draft standards also call for that review when a shop proposes outdoor storage within 250 feet of a residential use or a residential-zoned lot.

Commissioners recommended two changes to the draft operating standards: removing employee vehicles from the on-site vehicle requirement while retaining it for commercial vehicles, and replacing a proposed eight-foot masonry wall for outdoor-storage screening with the city’s existing screening standard.

The city’s staff report and meeting materials describe potential concerns near homes, including fleet activity, loading, noise, outdoor storage and early- or late-hour operations. The draft standards would keep trade work indoors and limit certain outdoor activity near residences during evening and early-morning hours. Staff described the non-residential primary employment district as a better general fit for contractor shops because it does not allow residential uses, while noting that sites in either district can be near homes.

Whether the recommendation would apply to a property depends on its zoning, distance from residential uses and, for the separate outdoor-storage review, whether storage is proposed. Staff said the proposal was scheduled for a City Council “zero reading” on Dec. 1, an introductory step rather than a Council decision.