Larimer planning panel delays LifeQuest rezone after hearing broad support and concerns over rural fit

The Larimer County Planning Commission voted June 17 to continue the proposed LifeQuest Campus and Retreat Center rezone to July 15 after a hearing marked by unusually broad public support for the project and lingering concern from commissioners about whether it fits the county’s mountain-foothills planning framework. The request, File No. 25-ZONE3797, would rezone about 235 acres north of Loveland Reservoir from O-Open to Rural Planned Development. Staff has recommended denial, arguing the proposal does not meet the land use code or comprehensive plan.

In public testimony, speaker after speaker urged commissioners to keep the proposal alive, describing it as a rare chance to create a community centered on wellness, elder living, education and innovation. More than 20 people spoke, and the comments in this stretch of the hearing were overwhelmingly supportive. Robert Hau, who said he has lined up investors for the project, told commissioners it was “not a pipe dream” and said he had heard from backers across the country who want to invest if the rezoning is approved.

Several supporters framed the project as a response to social isolation and a chance to build a healthier kind of community. Dr. Maria Zayas, a licensed psychologist who said she lives part-time at Sunrise Ranch, told commissioners that “community is good for you” and called loneliness and solitude an epidemic. Bill Becker, a former Sunrise Ranch resident, said the proposal carried forward values of stewardship and community care. Clayton Smith said he supported the project for its environmental sensitivity and community focus.

Other supporters used the hearing to make a broader case for flexibility in rural planning. Patrick Padden, a Fort Collins landscaper and permaculture teacher, said the county should embrace “innovative opportunities to experiment” rather than treat development and environmental protection as mutually exclusive. He argued that with the right design, a project could offer housing, jobs, food production and water protection in the same place, and said he did not want the site limited to “one expensive house on 35 acres.”

The applicant’s legal team made a similar argument in closing. Attorney Claire Havelda said the Rural Planned Development district exists for projects with “vision and public benefits” that do not fit neatly into standard zoning categories. She said supporters included many seniors and elders and pointed to 38 letters of support, while arguing the project’s housing, economic, educational and environmental benefits matched the purpose of the RPD tool.

Project designer Ed Goodman, who was repeatedly praised by supporters for his work in Fort Collins, urged commissioners to view the proposal as a potentially transformational model rather than a conventional subdivision. Goodman compared skepticism about LifeQuest to early resistance to changes in Old Town Fort Collins and said the proposal could become “a true new model, a first to the world experiential campus and community and retreat center.”

Even as Vice Chair Conor Duffy said he was “trying to get to yes” because he saw “very, very good benefits to the community,” he said he still had “very grave concerns” about whether the project could conform to the comprehensive plan. He also cited concerns about water issues, though he said he appreciated the applicant’s willingness to reconsider the amphitheater. Earlier in the hearing, a representative speaking on reservoir concerns warned that more intensive development next to Green Ridge Glade Reservoir would create permanent contamination risks from stormwater, traffic, wastewater and nutrient loading.

The commission ultimately chose not to vote on the merits of the rezone. Instead, members agreed to give the applicant time to return with more information and to try to address gaps raised during the hearing. Chair Lisa Chollet said the commission needed the application to be guided by the land use code and comprehensive plan, and the panel continued the matter to its July 15 meeting.