Sunday, 01 May 2011 05:17
The Pitkin County Commissioners hold weekly work sessions on Tuesdays and bi-monthly public hearings on Wednesdays in the Plaza One building (next to the Courthouse) in Aspen. Both meetings are televised live and repeated on locater CG12 TV. Agendas are posted in the Aspen/Glenwood newspapers and on-line at www.aspenpitkin.com. In this column, your District 5 Commissioner, George Newman offers his take on current matters. You can reach him at
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Greenhouses
As I wrote a few months ago regarding code changes/exemptions to agricultural structures, part of that discussion was also to view greenhouses as separate from agricultural buildings. At present, greenhouses are treated like barns in the County’s Land Use Code. They count as part of the total allowed floor area for properties less than 20 acres and are included in the extra square footage allowed for barns on lots of 20 acres or more. The current notion is to ease up on our regulations for greenhouses, allowing exemptions from the current FAR maximum (floor to area ratio) to help and encourage citizens who wish to grow their own food. To go a step further, the BOCC is also looking at differentiating between private and commercial greenhouses.
Last year, planning staff held a public meeting in Basalt to garner ideas from residents and also received input from several greenhouse “experts.” The definition of greenhouse includes a detached building where trees, fruit, vegetables, flowers, grain and other crops are grown. Staff recommends excluding “row covers” which are laid directly over plants or over supports, and have limited height (less than 4 feet). Greenhouses may be attached to a home but in that case would be included in the calculation of residential square footage.
The Code currently allows a property owner to build up to 5750 SF of total improvements (FAR) so exemptions are necessary only if the total exceeds that size. Based on current dome style models, exemptions for private greenhouses may run from 250 SF to 350 SF depending on the underlying zoning (residential vs. agricultural). Similar to agricultural buildings, an owner may use allowable FAR to accommodate a larger greenhouse, or can request additional SF via the administrative review process.
Other suggestions include “sunsetting” the greenhouse provision after 2-3 years to re-evaluate; demonstrating appropriate water rights; and posting signs for public notice. Staff also recommends all greenhouses be subject to energy use restrictions, requiring passive solar heat storage and insulating systems as well as automated controls to monitor and manage the indoor climate for the health of the plants, all with minimal outside energy inputs.
Commercial greenhouse exemptions pose another set of challenges. Because of their larger potential size and accompanying impacts, the BOCC is considering requiring both special review and site plan approvals for commercial greenhouses. Primary use may be limited to food production and impact fees may also apply in the same manner as with other commercial operations.
The balance between regulation, conservation and life cycle cost is a delicate one, warranting further analysis. If there is one unifying theme that ties together all our various master plans into a single comprehensive planning concept it is as follows: “This is a plan intended to sustain the existing rural character of Pitkin County.” Between agricultural buildings and greenhouses, how much exempt square footage should be allowed and on what size property is one important consideration. The other is supporting agriculture and food production without impinging so much on the land that the rural feeling of our County is lost.
As always, your comments and feedback are welcome.
George Newman writes a monthly column for the Crystal Valley Echo. He welcomes citizen input.
