FORT COLLINS, Colorado -- The Larimer County Planning Commission put off a vote on new land use rules for horse stables at its meeting Wednesday night, citing concerns that proposed rules needed more development.
"You have to have some way to judge it. You have to have some way to enforce it. You have to have some penalty," said commissioner Roger Morgan.
Commissioners also said they wanted some way for neighbors to be notified that a horse business was up for approval. The county has pointed to about 25 complaints from neighbors over four years as the spark that set off the quest for stable land use rules.
Wendy Chase, a member of the working group assigned to develop the rules for stables, cited more than 100 pages of recent comments from county staff and advisory boards seeking much stronger regulations than those proposed. "I hope budget cuts take care of some of the people making uninformed comments," said Chase.
"If you want to have a rural community, you need to do something to try to help the people that are subsidizing your rural vistas," said Chase. "Right now we’re doing all the subsidizing on our own, plus paying for it in our taxes."
"The county is supportive of the horse industry, and recognizes its contributions to quality of life," said Linda Hoffman, director of the county's rural land use center in her initial presentation of the working group's plan to commissioners.
About 60 people attended Wednesday's hearing, and the majority of the public comment supported the working group's proposal, which has been in development for 10 months. Earlier this month, at the last of many public feedback meetings, sentiment had shifted from strong opposition to a spirit of compromise regarding the working group's plan.
A minority proposal by two dissenting members of the working group, Sonja Craighead and Lisa Oppenheimer, supports geographic boundaries for horse business approval and a points system that would make it harder for a stable to get approved.
Accusations of working group policy development based on self-serving interests, and an alleged conspiracy by current permitted stable owners to turn non-compliant stables in to the county for investigation peppered both sides of the debate.
Opponents of new rules have said they would hurt horse businesses and destroy a way of life. "This is just absolutely ludicrous," said large stable owner Gary Gadsby. "This is not just a set of rules. This is a way of life for us."
Previously, horse businesses, if they sought county approval, have had to apply for special review, which including fees and associated consultant costs, could approach $7,000 - $10,000. Historically however, enforcement of the special review requirement was inconsistent. The county typically investigated stables and enforced the process only if somebody made a complaint.
The working group has proposed a scalable points system based on a stable's size and impact that would determine its required review level. The group combined several horse business services to fall under one definition.
Under the proposed rules, an "equestrian operation" would include: "a facility or place used for boarding (including equestrian pasture boarding), equestrian events and/or activities for remuneration and/or fee. Activities of an equestrian operation may include: horse boarding, riding lessons, horse training, competitions and exhibition events."
Larimer County Commissioners had been scheduled to review the planning commissioners' recommendation and make a final vote on stable land use rules in December. There was no date set for further action on the rules, but Hoffman told the planning commissioners she hoped they would give the working group a chance to address concerns.
Both sides jockey for position ... Loveland Reporter Herald
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