Larimer commissioners approve Acott plat revision and partial Sunny Drive vacation

The Larimer County Board of County Commissioners voted 3-0 Monday to approve the Acott amended plat, boundary line adjustment and right-of-way vacation for four parcels near West County Road 38E and Sunny Drive. The action allows the properties to be reconfigured from four lots to three and vacates the southern 55 feet of Sunny Drive right-of-way while dedicating a new hammerhead turnaround in a different location.

The case, file no. 26-LAND-4538, covers about 8.25 acres at 4145 W. County Road 38E, 5900 Sunny Drive, 5901 Sunny Drive and one unaddressed parcel. County staff recommended approval subject to conditions, saying the application would formally recognize prior boundary changes that had occurred without a planning process, bring the lots into better conformity with county code and combine Lots 6 and 7 of Harrison's Sunny Slope Subdivision. Staff also found the vacation would still preserve access while creating what it called "a new, more sufficient turnaround for residential and emergency use."

Chair Jody Shadduck McNally focused her questions on fire access, noting that Poudre Fire had not raised objections and asking whether the proposed turnaround was enough for emergency vehicles. A staff planner said the road currently ends without a bulb for easy turnaround and that the hammerhead would create a better condition than what exists now by providing a formal turnaround.

Shadduck McNally said that clarification addressed her concern and later said the request met "the criteria or the intent of the code." Commissioner John Kefalas said he agreed with Commissioner Kristin Stephens' support for the application. Stephens then made the motion to approve the request subject to staff's recommended conditions.

Those conditions include a one-year expiration for the right-of-way vacation unless the applicant takes action consistent with the approval, a requirement that the final plat be recorded by Jan. 13, 2027, and any needed technical corrections before recordation. Staff reported no objections from referral agencies and said one nearby property owner who asked about the application had no further comment after the process was explained.