Severance

Severance council allows itself to bypass planning panel on code text amendments

October 28, 2026·Severance·Weld County

From the Severance Town Council meeting of October 27, 2026

The ordinance lets the council skip commission review after a motion at or before introduction, but it must still apply code criteria and hold its own public hearing with at least 15 days’ notice.

The Severance Town Council approved an ordinance Oct. 27 allowing it to waive Planning Commission hearings and recommendations before acting on land-development code text amendments.

To skip commission review under Ordinance 2026-16, the council must adopt a motion at or before introducing an ordinance proposing a text amendment. It can then act without a commission hearing or recommendation, but must review the amendment under the code’s criteria and hold its own public hearing. Notice of that hearing must be published at least 15 calendar days beforehand.

A staff member said the council previously chose to send text amendments to the Planning Commission even when it did not have to, but recent code changes made commission review mandatory. Changes in state law, court rulings or public-health and safety needs can require quicker action when deadlines or funding are at stake, the staff member said. The staff member cited state-required accessory dwelling unit amendments at the end of 2024, saying that if the town missed the deadline, “we would have lost several funding grants,” and its 2025 grants could have been affected. A council member said the commission meets monthly and a possible three-week lag before council consideration could determine whether the town meets a deadline.

The town has applied for extensions to deadlines for comprehensive-plan changes but has not received them, the staff member said; staff hope the extensions will avoid using the waiver for two amendments. Staff hope to use the waiver rarely and prefer commission review first, the staff member said. A council member said the council wants to include the commission in as many decisions as possible; the waiver would help it meet higher-government deadlines, not exclude the commission from policy decisions. If the state denies the extension request, the council could bypass the commission if necessary, the member said.

More from this meeting

Severance Town Council work Session/Regular, Oct. 27, 2026
Severance proposes 6% wastewater rate increase, 1.5% for water; Severance starts annexation process for 3.668 acres of Berrado land; Severance sets Dec. 8 hearing on Buffalo Creek annexation; Council appoints Knott to Planning Commission, 6-1; 5 consent items adopted.
Item A1Severance proposes 6% wastewater rate increase, 1.5% for water
The proposed bills set a $38.15 water base fee plus $8.88 per 1,000 gallons, and $39.81 for the first 5,000 gallons of wastewater. A public budget hearing is set for Nov. 10.
Item C2Severance starts annexation process for 3.668 acres of Berrado land
A public hearing is set for Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. to consider whether the proposal meets state and constitutional requirements. Reviews by special districts and local governments would follow before a final council vote.
Item C3Severance sets Dec. 8 hearing on Buffalo Creek annexation
The hearing is set for 6 p.m. at the Severance Town Council Chambers, 3 S. Timber Ridge Pkwy. The council will determine whether the proposed annexation meets constitutional and state-law requirements.
Item C4Severance starts Ridgegate annexation process, sets Dec. 8 hearing
The hearing will determine whether the proposal meets state constitutional and statutory eligibility requirements, not whether to annex the land.
Item C5Severance restores permits to grade land before final plat approval
A $2,000-per-disturbed-acre bond and town engineer approval are required. The permits cover preliminary grading only, not building or infrastructure work, and do not guarantee final plat approval.
Item C6Severance raises lot, street setbacks near plugged, abandoned and reclaimed wells to 75 feet
Future plats must place plugged and abandoned wells and production facilities in separate non-buildable tracts with access. Existing wells retain a 350-foot lot setback, while streets may not be platted within 150 feet.
Item C7Severance approves zero-foot front setbacks for Town Core multifamily housing
Multifamily housing may have no front setback there. Nonresidential buildings with a shared party wall also may have no front setback.
Item C9Severance sets 30-day restart window for paused land-use applications
Only applications already on hold at an applicant’s request and not already void are covered; they must be restarted in writing after the ordinance takes effect or become void, requiring a new filing and applicable review fees to proceed.
Item C11Severance council directs search for outside legal counsel
The town has an interim attorney, and the council was asked to guide management on what to do next, the town manager said. An outside firm could offer attorneys with different specialties for work a single in-house attorney would handle, a council member said.