The Planning Commission meets on the second and fourth Monday of every month at 6:00 pm in the City Council Chambers, 500 East Third Street, Loveland, CO (unless noted on the meeting agenda).

Planning Commission agendas, packet information, and minutes are available on Civic Web.

Archived information is available via the Commission Secretary at 970-962-2523 or lisa.rye@cityofloveland.org.

What kinds of decision does the Planning Commission make?

• Decisions made by a public body can usually be classified into one of the following three categories:
  • Legislative;
  • Administrative; or
  • Quasi-judicial

• Legislative decisions are those decisions which are of a permanent or general character, constitute a declaration of public policy, are not normally restricted to a specific person or group, and are prospective in nature, examples of which include:
  • Adoption of a new land use or zoning code;
  • Amendment or approval of a comprehensive plan;
  • Vacating a roadway;
  • Approval of an annexation; and
  • Enactment of any new law in the exercise of the City’s general police powers.

• Administrative decisions are those decisions which are temporary in operation and relate to acts necessary to carry out the City’s existing legislative policies, examples of which include:
  • Asking staff to provide information on a topic;
  • Setting or revising meeting times or dates.

• Quasi-judicial decisions are those decisions which generally involve the determination of the rights, duties and obligations of a specific individual or entity on the basis of the application of existing law or policy to past or present facts developed at a noticed hearing conducted for the purpose of resolving the particular interests in question, examples of which include:
  • Appeals to the Planning Commission of a ZBA or administrative decision;
  • Public hearings regarding zoning or rezoning of a property;
  • Approving a PUD Zoning Document; and
  • Approval of a “site-specific development plan” to establish a “vested property right” under City Code Chapter 18.72.

 What differences, if any, are there in how a Commissioner can decide legislative, administrative and quasi-judicial matters?

• A Commissioner has much more latitude in deciding legislative and administrative matters than he or she does in deciding quasi-judicial matters. Commissioners are given broad discretion and are free at any time to discuss these matters with constituents and citizens and to consider and rely on information received outside of the Planning Commission meeting at which the matter is being considered.

• Administrative Matters & Decisions
  • Require no notice
  • Generally relate to the conduct of general Commission business, and may be handled in an informal matter, unless a formal vote is desired to provide for clear decision-making
  • Commissioners are not limited or restricted in discussing such matters with other Commissioners, City staff, or the public (Note: Discussions of three or more Commissioners may be considered a “meeting” under the Open Meetings Law, so such discussions should be reserved for a public meeting)

     

• Legislative Matters & Decisions
  • Require public notice and public comment; may require a public hearing
  • Generally involve policy recommendations that are forwarded to the City Council for final action
  • Commissioners may discuss such applications with other Commissioners, City staff, or the public (but see Note above)
  • Example: Review of the Comprehensive Plan or proposed Code amendments

• Quasi-Judicial Matters & Decisions
  • Require public notice and a public hearing
  • Generally involve specific project-related or development-related applications where the Commission may make recommendations to the City Council or where the Commission has final, binding decision-making authority (barring appeal)
  • In deciding quasi-judicial matters, Commissioners are constrained in several respects because they are, in effect, acting as the judge and jury in deciding the matter and, as such, should make their decisions like a judge and jury would, which means in making their decision Commissioners should:
    • Only consider and rely on the information and evidence presented as part of the record at the quasi-judicial hearing, which includes the staff report and materials, and, therefore, not consider or rely on information or evidence outside the record;
    • Not have off-the-record (ex parte) communications with parties and City staff involved in a quasi-judicial matter, which would mean in the appeal of a land use matter no off-the-record communications concerning the merits of the matter with the land use applicant, opponents of the land use application or City staff;
    • Not rely on their specific personal knowledge of a fact relating to the matter unless there is independent evidence presented at the hearing which confirms the Commissioner’s personal knowledge of that fact; and
    • Decide the matter in a fair and impartial manner by applying the applicable City Code provisions and standards to the evidence presented at the hearing.
    • Example: The Commission has final authority to approve Preliminary Plats and Preliminary Development Plans, but makes recommendations to the City Council on General Development Plans and zoning changes.

In what ways can the Planning Commission make its decisions or act formally?

• The Planning Commission can only make its decisions or take formal action by using one of the following two forms of action;
  • Resolution; or
  • Motion
• To adopt a resolution or motion, only a majority of the quorum present must vote in favor of the resolution or motion.

Are there any matters on which a Commissioner cannot vote?

• A Commissioner cannot vote on any matter concerning that Commissioner’s own conduct.
• A Commissioner cannot vote on any matter in which the Commissioner has a “conflict of interest,” as defined in the Charter (for a detailed description of what “conflict of interest” is under the Charter, see the section on “Ethics and Conflicts of Interest”).

Does the Planning Commission have specific rules of procedure it follows in conducting its meetings?

City Council has adopted a Handbook for Boards and Commissions, which states that meetings of City boards and commissions may be held in any manner that assures an orderly and focused discussion, and facilitates the input of all members of the board. The Handbook provides that when necessary, in order to effectively conduct business, as determined by a majority vote of those present, Robert’s Rules of Order shall be in effect.

Chairwoman Lori Goebel

Vice Chair Olesia Paul

Commissioner Sarah McKeen

Commissioner Geoff Frahm - Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) Hearing Officer

Commissioner Sarah Warnock

Commissioner Curtis Miller

Commissioner Greg Dewey

Commissioner David Herrera - ZBA Hearing Officer - Alternate

Commissioner Kiel Schuett

Robert Paulsen, Staff Liaison

970-962-2670

robert.paulsen@cityofloveland.org

Lisa Rye, Commission Secretary

970-962-2663

lisa.rye@cityofloveland.org

Live Video Streams: 

• Planning Commission meetings can be watched via the following options:
  • Live Video Stream
  • PulseTV channel 16
  • Comcast channel 16/880 

Archived Meetings:

• Visit the Video Archive to view past Planning Commission meetings.
  • View Planning Commission meetings
  • View Planning Commission meetings through 2021

• PulseTV channel 16 and Comcast channel 16/880 will replay the current Planning Commission meeting throughout the week on these days:
  • Dates Pending

How can citizens participate in Planning Commission meetings?

• Attend Planning Commission meetings in person
• Watch the meetings on Loveland TV, the City of Loveland's pubic information channel.
  • PulseTV Channel 16
  • Comcast Channel 16 and 880
  • Watch Loveland TV online at lovgov.org/tv

How can citizens make Public Comment at a Planning Commission meeting?

• During the Citizen Comment portion of the meeting (re: items not on the agenda)
• During the Public Comment portion of the Regular Agenda public hearings  - Please refer to Planning Commission Public Hearing Procedures