By Kevin Curry, president of FoF
El Paso County’s Land Development Code (LDC) governs virtually every aspect of development and land use, but the current version is out of date and does not reflect the county’s growth or the recently adopted county Master Plan. As a result, the county has embarked on an effort to update the code and make it more relevant and useful. The LDC impacts everyone from individual property owners to large project developers; it is very important that Falcon residents make their voices heard to help ensure the updates reflect the Falcon area’s unique mix of urban and rural development. The county is soliciting such inputs through stakeholder meetings and through direct public involvement.
The LDC impacts everyone from individual property owners to large project developers; it is very important that Falcon residents make their voices heard to help ensure the updates reflect the Falcon area’s unique mix of urban and rural development.
Starting with the stakeholder meetings, Friends of Falcon (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on promoting the Falcon area and preserving its unique identity) earned a seat at the table to help represent the area, and attended a meeting on Sept. 24. Other stakeholders at the meeting were representatives from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Friends of Black Forest, Scenic Colorado and a resident, who is also a local realtor.
The meeting started with a brief introduction to the project by the county’s consultants leading the effort. Using a community-based process, they aim in part to create effective standards, simplify the code and make it more user-friendly, and tailor it to work across rural, suburban and urban settings. They stressed that the effort will take many months, with many current and future opportunities for public comment, with an eye toward implementation in early 2026. Stakeholder input to the consultants (including that from Friends of Falcon) was generally consistent, especially with respect to “encroachment.” There is a concern that the code contributes to Planned Unit Development zoning that skirts the intent and allows development incompatible with existing uses and zoning, while ignoring input from existing homeowners and residents. Stakeholders agreed the updated LDC needed to be one with “teeth.” Friends of Falcon went one step further by making several specific recommendations related to infrastructure, density transitions and community outreach. Consultants seemed generally receptive to all the provided inputs.
But as important as the stakeholder inputs are, the direct public input will arguably have a larger impact. The first thing to do is visit the county’s project website at https://www.elpasocountyldc.com/event-list. While there, review the posted documents to learn more about the project and opportunities to participate, and consider joining the mailing list to be the first to hear about updates. Importantly, review the Code Assessment document that outlines areas identified for code changes, and provide input to it directly.
Finally, visit the Friends of Falcon website (https://www.TheFriendsOfFalcon.org) for updates, and consider joining the Friends of Falcon mailing list. The larger the group the organization represents, the more effective the communications will be and the greater impact the community will have in working to ensure the code helps preserve the Falcon area and its unique identity.
