March 26, 2019
Council Passes Historic Preservation Regulations on First Reading
On March 19 the City Council passed an ordinance creating a new chapter in Greeley’s Land Use Code covering historic preservation regulations. Most of the ordinance is simply a reorganization of the existing requirements, which were originally passed in 2004. The new regulations do add accessory structures to the list of 40-year-old buildings that require a building permit review by the City.
Mayor John Gates pulled the ordinance off the consent agenda to discuss concerns listed by the Greeley Area REALTOR® Association (GARA) in a letter to the Council. Some of the issues raised by GARA related to the ability of the City to designate a building as historic over the objections of the owner, a delay in issuing building permits on any home or accessory structure 40 years of age or older, and the ability of the Historic Preservation Commission or the City Council to designate a building as historic over an owner’s objections without a supermajority vote.
The ordinance is scheduled for a public hearing on April 2. Representatives of GARA will be on hand to express the Association’s concerns related to ways in which the proposed legislation could violate property owner rights.
