ORDINANCE NO. 907
AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE CREATION OF A CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO:
WHEREAS, Article 59 of Chapter 139 of Colorado Revised Statutes 1953, provides that a City may create a Planning Commission with powers and duties therein set forth; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Grand Junction desires to create a Planning Commission in accordance with the provisions of such article with powers and duties as set forth in such article, except as otherwise herein provided.
THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION:
Section 1. There is hereby created a Planning Commission for the City of Grand Junction, to be known as the "Grand Junction Planning Commission," and hereinafter referred to in this ordinance as the "Commission." The Commission shall consist of five members, and the members of such Commission shall be appointed by the President of the Council. The fact that a person is a Council member, a municipal officer or municipal employee shall not prevent such person from being a member of the Commission. All members of such Commission shall be bona fide residents of the City and if a member ceases to reside in the City his membership on the Commission shall immediately terminate. All members of the Commission shall serve as such without compensation. The term of each appointed member shall be six years or until his successor takes office, except that the respective terms of one of the members first appointed shall be two years, two members shall be four years and two members shall be six years. Members may be removed after public hearing, by the President of the Council for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. The President of the Council shall file a written statement of reasons for such removal. Vacancies shall be filled by the President of the Council.
Section 2. The President of the City Council shall appoint an advisory board composed of five members whose qualifications and terms of office shall be the same as provided in Section 1. Such Board shall act as an advisor to the Commission and shall be permitted to participate in all meetings of the Commission, except that the members of the advisory board shall have no right to vote upon questions decided by the Commission.
Section 3. Except as otherwise provided in this ordinance, the Commission shall be governed by the provisions of Article 59, Chapter 139, Colorado Revised Statutes 1953 and the Commission and other City officials mentioned in said Article 59 shall have all of the powers provided for in said Article 59 and shall exercise all of the functions and be governed by the procedures therein set forth.
Section 4. Sections 1, 2, and 3 of this ordinance shall be known respectively as Sections 1, 2, and 3 of Chapter 88, 1953, Compiled Ordinances of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado.
Adopted and approved this 16th day of March, 1955.
/s/ C. A. Walt
President of the City Council
ATTEST:
/s/ Helen C. Tomlinson
City Clerk
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance, being Ordinance No. 907 was introduced, read and ordered published by the City Council of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, at a regular meeting of said body held on the 2nd day of March, 1955, and that the same was published in The Daily Sentinel, a newspaper published and in general circulation in said City at least ten days before its final passage.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of said City this 17th day of March, 1955.
/s/ Helen C. Tomlinson
City Clerk
First Pub March 5, 1955
Final Pub March 21, 1955
[Zoning and Development Code adopted April 5, 2006 and effective May 7, 2006]
1.12 PLANNING COMMISSION
A. Membership and Meetings. The Planning Commission for the City shall consist of seven (7) regular members and two (2) alternate members. The alternate members shall otherwise have the qualification of regular members of the Commission. At the time of appointment, the City Council shall designate one (1) alternate member as the first alternate and the other as second alternate. Each alternate member shall attend all meetings and shall serve during the temporary unavailability, including recusal, of any regular Commission member as may be required. Alternate members, in addition to other duties prescribed by this Code, shall be allowed to vote in the absence of regular members according to their priority: the first alternate shall fill the first vacancy and both alternates shall vote in the absence of two (2) regular members. When a regular member resigns, is removed or is no longer eligible to hold a seat on the Commission, the first alternate shall fill the vacancy and the second alternate shall be designated as the first alternate. The City Council shall then name a replacement second alternate. The Planning Commission Alternates, the Chairman and two (2) other persons to serve at-large, shall serve as the Zoning Board of Appeals and shall discharge the duties of the Board as described and provided for in this Code. The Director of the Grand Junction Community Development Department and/or his appointed representative shall serve as staff to the Commission.
B. Identity of Members. The members shall be residents of the City of Grand Junction and shall represent the interests of the City as a whole. No member shall be employed by the City, hold any other City office nor be a contractor with the City. The Commission members shall be selected from the fields of engineering, planning, architecture construction trades, and law and citizens-at-large.
C. Term. Members of the Commission shall serve terms of four (4) years. Members are limited to two (2) consecutive terms.
D. Vacancies. All vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the City Council. If a Commission member ceases to reside in the City, his membership on the Commission shall immediately terminate and an appointment made to fill the unexpired term.
E. Removal. Members of the Commission may be removed after public hearing by the City Council. Removal may be for inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance or misfeasance in office. The City Council shall make public a written statement of reasons for removal prior to any public hearing seeking removal of a member.
F. Meetings/Voting. Planning Commission meetings shall be regularly scheduled not less than once a month, provided there are pending items or matters to be brought before the Commission, at a time and place designated annually by resolution of the Council. Special meetings may be held as provided by rules of procedure adopted by the Commission and/or this Code or law. The presence of four (4) voting members is necessary to constitute a quorum.
G. Compensation. All members of the Commission shall be compensated, as the City Council deems appropriate by resolution.
H. Commission Powers and Duties. Except as otherwise provided by the Code, ordinance, rule, policy or regulation of the City Council, the Commission shall be governed by 31-23-201, et seq., C.R.S. The Commission and other city officials mentioned in 31-23-201, et seq., C.R.S. shall have all the powers provided for therein and shall be governed by the procedures set forth by this Code and/or law, ordinance, rule regulation or policy of the City Council. The Planning Commission’s powers and duties include, but are not limited to:
1. Recommend to the City Council all requests for adoption or amendments to:
a. The Growth Plan and Future Land Use Map;
b. Special area plans, corridor plans and neighborhood plans;
c. The Grand Valley Circulation Plan;
d. The text of this Code and the Zoning Map, including zoning for newly annexed territory;
e. Review fees and impact fees;
2. Hear and recommend to the City Council all requests for:
a. Vacating public right-of-way and easements pursuant to 43-2-301, et seq., C.R.S.;
b. Zoning changes, including rezonings and zoning of planned developments;
c. Planned development outline development plan approvals and amendments;
d. Planned development preliminary plans, if no previous valid outline development plan;
e. A vested right as a part of any site specific development plan; and
f. Sewer variances.
3. Decide all requests for:
a. Concept plan review;
b. Major subdivision preliminary plan approval;
c. Condominium and leaseholding plan approvals;
d. Vacating any plat;
e. Preliminary plan approvals of planned developments and major amendments that are subsequent to an approved outline development plan;
f. Conditional use permits;
g. Appeals of Director’s decisions pertaining to the Use/Zone Matrix Table 3.5 of this Code;
h. Appeals of decisions by the Director on administrative development permits;
i. Variances to the landscape, buffering, and screening requirements;
j. Variances in planned developments; and
k. Variances to the 24 Road Corridor Design Standards and Guidelines.
4. Other tasks as assigned by the City Council.