Fort Collins Eyes Faster Code Updates to Address Business Concerns

Fort Collins will consider resuming annual or biannual land use code updates starting in 2026, marking a significant shift from the city's historical approach of conducting major code revisions only once every decade or longer.

The change would come after years of mounting frustration from businesses and developers who faced extended waits for clarification on regulatory ambiguities, with some issues taking up to four years to resolve under the previous system.

"We are really looking to kind of restart our annual land use code updates beginning in 2026," said Ryan Mount, city planner, during an October 16 Planning and Zoning Commission hearing. "This would be a relatively short time frame that we could then bring something back for the commission and council to discuss."

The announcement came as commissioners deliberated on commercial corridor code updates that left several regulatory questions unresolved, including rules governing outdoor storage for businesses in employment and commercial zones.

Historical Update Patterns Created Delays

Fort Collins has conducted major land use code updates approximately every 10 to 15 years since adopting its baseline code in 1997, according to city council records. Between comprehensive revisions, the city typically made only minor annual amendments to address urgent regulatory issues.

The infrequent update cycle contrasted sharply with peer Colorado municipalities that have maintained more responsive amendment schedules. Boulder mandates annual code reviews, Denver implemented continuous annual amendments following a comprehensive 2010 overhaul, and Loveland requires biennial code reviews with additional amendments as warranted.

City council minutes from 2019 explicitly reference challenges with the long-cycle approach, noting that intensive public outreach requirements, staff allocation constraints, and bundled code packages led to years between substantial changes.

Business Community Documented Code Gaps

Multiple regulatory ambiguities emerged between 2020 and 2025 that highlighted problems with the extended update cycle, according to planning department records and correspondence from business advocacy groups.

The Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce submitted formal complaints in May 2022 and December 2023 stating that "delayed code responses are impeding local business expansion and new investment," according to chamber records.

David Katz, speaking during the October 16 hearing, identified ongoing confusion about outdoor storage regulations in the employment district that the current code update did not address.

"There are other uses, secondary uses in employment that allow some subordinate outdoor use," Katz said. "So I ask with the cost of everything rising, water permits, employment materials, these business owners have to reduce their cost."

Planning board records from 2021 through 2024 show a spike in variance and modification requests, particularly from businesses seeking clarity on outdoor storage, signage, and change-of-use processes.

The outdoor storage definition ambiguity was first flagged by businesses in early 2021 but remains unresolved as of October 2025, representing nearly a four-year delay. Change-of-use process confusion identified by developers in late 2022 was only recently addressed in the current code update phase, a lag of approximately 2.5 years.

Annual Cycle Will Increase Short-Term Costs

The transition to annual or biannual updates will require additional planning department resources, according to budget projections and staffing plans.

Fort Collins' proposed 2026 budget projects annual update cycle costs will rise by 20 to 30 percent compared to the prior model, largely due to year-round code drafting, public engagement, and staff training requirements. The 2025-26 staffing plan includes hiring one to two additional planners, increasing the department from eight to 10 full-time employees, along with a public engagement coordinator and occasional outside legal consultants.

These staffing increases mirror what Boulder and Denver experienced after shifting to annual code amendment schedules.

Mount emphasized that more frequent updates will allow quicker responses to emerging regulatory problems. "When we're talking about bringing something back in 2026, we're really focused on the concept of what does accessory outdoor storage look like for the employment and Harmony corridor zone districts," he said.

Peer Cities Report Improved Development Review

Boulder and Denver both realized markedly reduced variance requests after moving to annual update cycles, attributed to cleaner and more responsive code language, according to municipal planning records from those cities.

Boulder's annual amendment cycle increased engagement costs by approximately 15 percent but allowed issues to be resolved in months rather than years. Denver reported improved predictability for developers and businesses following its shift to continuous annual amendments.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 on October 16 to recommend City Council adopt comprehensive commercial corridor code updates, with outdoor storage and related issues deferred to the 2026 annual update cycle.

Fort Collins City Council will consider the current phase of land use code amendments at first reading October 21, with second reading potentially scheduled for December 2.

For more information about the planned annual update cycle, contact Ryan Mount through the Fort Collins Planning Department at fcgov.com/planning.