Severance

Severance approves zero-foot front setbacks for Town Core multifamily housing

October 28, 2026·Severance·Weld County

From the Severance Town Council meeting of October 27, 2026

Multifamily housing may have no front setback there. Nonresidential buildings with a shared party wall also may have no front setback.

The Severance Town Council approved an ordinance changing front setbacks in the Town Core district Oct. 27. Multifamily housing may have no front setback there. Nonresidential buildings with a shared party wall also may have no front setback.

Town Core townhomes have a 5-foot front setback. Multifamily housing in the Development Node district has a 10-foot front setback. Nonresidential buildings there also must sit 10 feet back.

Staff said the council approved multifamily setback changes in 2022 and nonresidential changes in 2023. The tables reverted to earlier versions during reorganization and codification, and the ordinance would “place those back into the code as were approved by Town Council,” a staff member said. The ordinance finds that applying Suburban Perimeter setbacks in the two districts conflicts with their stated intent and does not reflect the development pattern the town intended when it adopted the code.

Accessible elements may extend above building-height limits in both districts. Ramps, stairs and similar features may extend into required setbacks if they do not create sight-distance concerns or impede utility easements or safe pedestrian and vehicle movement. Garages with direct access from a public street must sit at least 20 feet behind the back edge of the adjacent sidewalk, or 25 feet from the back of the curb where there is no sidewalk. The ordinance says the changes are intended to accommodate accessible routes to buildings nearer the street and preserve safe pedestrian and vehicle movement.

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 C8Severance council allows itself to bypass planning panel on code text amendments
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.
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.