Approval and Adoption
On Dec. 13, 2018, the Board of County Commissioners approved the amendments to the Land Use Code in docket DC-18-0003, effective Feb. 1, 2019. View the text amendments in Resolution 2018-136 or a summary of the changes.
Verified Established Farm Use (VEFU)
Verified Established Farm Use (VEFU) was introduced in 2019 by Land Use Code Update DC-18-0003. VEFU provides an administrative process that enables staff to recognize existing producing farms. When a farm with VEFU designation applies for a Land Use review process such as Site Plan Review (SPR), staff will process the application with the understanding that a verified agricultural use is in place, reducing the need for the farm owner/operator to produce additional narratives and other forms of use verification. View more information and the VEFU application form, or submit a question via the Ask a Planner page.
Past Public Meetings
Board of County Commissioners Public Hearing, Dec. 13, 2018
Staff presented proposed text amendments to the Land Use Code pertaining to agricultural uses and definitions. The amendments reflect input from a multi-departmental Agriculture Outreach Project effort, a Planning Commission study session, and from a public referral process. Following the staff presentation the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) heard public comment on this item, and then approved the text amendments. Primary areas of focus for the amendments include farm events, farm sales, structures to extend the growing season, and potential changes to Land Use review processes for producing farms. A motion to approve the proposed amendments, was made by Commissioner Elise Jones, seconded by Commissioner Gardner, and passed by a 3-0 vote.
Documents:
- DC-18-0003 public hearing summary, Dec. 13, 2018
- DC-18-0003 staff report for Dec. 13, 2018
- DC-18-0003 staff presentation, Dec. 13, 2018
- DC-18-0003 revised proposed text amendments, Dec. 13, 2018
Planning Commission Public Hearing, Nov. 28, 2018
Staff presented proposed text amendments to the Land Use Code pertaining to agricultural uses and definitions. The proposed amendments reflect input from a multi-departmental Agriculture Outreach Project effort, from Planning Commission during a study session on Aug. 15, 2018, and from a public referral process. Primary areas of focus for the amendments include farm events, farm sales, structures to extend the growing season, and potential changes to Land Use review processes for producing farms. Following the staff presentation, public comment, and board deliberation, the Planning Commission voted (8-0) to recommend the proposed text amendments for approval by the Board of County Commissioners.
Documents: Staff report to Planning Commission for Nov. 28, 2018
Planning Commission Public Meeting, August 15, 2018
At the Planning Commission meeting on Aug. 15, 2018, staff presented findings from the recent multi-departmental Agriculture Outreach Project effort, as well as initial suggested changes to the Code, informed by that outreach project and additional staff analysis. Staff requested Planning Commission feedback on focus questions. Primary areas of focus for the amendments include farm events, farm sales, structures to extend the growing season, and potential changes to Land Use review processes for producing farms.
Action Requested: None. Information item only. Public testimony was not taken.
Staff Planner: Nicole Wobus
Documents:
Background
The Board of County Commissioners authorized staff to pursue text amendments to the Boulder County Land Use Code related to agricultural uses and definitions on May 10, 2018. View the referral packet and draft proposed text amendments as of Oct. 10, 2018.