Opportunity for Public Opinion: The Salida work Session on Land Use Code Explores New Affordable Housing Opportunities and Parking Regulations. – by…

At 6 p.m. on Monday April 6, Salida City Council, joined by the Salida planning commission, did a virtual sit down via GoToMeeting to discuss an update on the Land Use Code. The overall goal of the Land Code Use plan is to make it easier to develop what the Salida community wants. The key theme within the project is to improve user friendliness.

City Council, coupled with the Salida Planning Commission, discussed the intricacies of the new Land Use Code (LUC).

A wide variety of housing opportunities for affordable housing was presented. The team hopes to further explore Co-housing, live-work units, dormitory-style, and boarding house buildings, options that would lend themselves to the seasonal nature of workforce housing within Salida. These options would increase flexibility and coincide with the communitys concerns. There is no quick solution for affordable and workforce housing, however a more flexible use of the new code is the first step to improving the shortage.

An architectural rendering shows the view of the proposed Salida Crossings condominium development as seen by west-bound traffic on U.S. Highway 50 (courtesy image).

Parking standards were also a main point of discussion, specifically making sure standards dont prevent desirable growth. The team says that it hopes to implement parking that is sufficient without being overly restrictive. This might be achieved by looking at maximum number of parking spaces and limiting huge parking lots that would affect aesthetics and walk-ability of the community. The goal is to not create too much parking that sits empty much of the time.

By updating the zoning districts, the LUC will streamline existing zoning and could create new districts for agriculture, parks and open space and community facilities. The changes made to the new code will allow manufactured homes within certain locations, the example given was R3 and R4 zones. A question was raised if the community would consider allowing manufactured housing in an manufactured housing park. Manufactured housing is a possible solution for affordable housing. Distinctions were also made for modular housing, making definitions and semantics important for each.

The meeting went in depth on the LUC Assessment report, which is the second step in the project scope and timeline. The assessment report documents whats working well, what regulations need to be improved, potential solutions and options, an outline to organize the new land use code, and identifying future additional implementation issues. It is organized by six key recommendations:

There are many ways to make the new code a clear, more user-friendly document. By improving the code, it will make it easier for the public, creating standard procedures. The overall goal is to simplify the process. By reorganizing the use regulations, it will become the standard, therefore streamlining the process, saving time for staff, developers and the Planning Commission. Expanding the household dwelling types (specifically housing with multiple units scattered throughout the community) is perceived as a key outcome.

For next steps, the first draft of the code will be done in late April. The public draft is expected to follow in June. For more information follow the link to the Land Use Code Rewrite packet. To contact the team email:

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Opportunity for Public Opinion: The Salida work Session on Land Use Code Explores New Affordable Housing Opportunities and Parking Regulations. - by...