With only one item on its agenda, the Woodland Park Planning Commission made short work of its Aug. 11 meeting.

Mark McNab, applicant-owner of the Homes at Brecken Heights multifamily suburban property at the intersection of US 24 and Morning Sun Drive, requested the vacation of 1,000 square feet of right of way on an unimproved section of Alpine Meadows Drive.

This right of way overlaps a portion of Brecken Heights Lot 1A and needs to be vacated to make the lot more usable, he said. The rest of the right of way will be used in conjunction with Brecken Court Drive.

City Planning Director Karen Schminke introduced Will Charles, of Baseline Engineering Corp. He has a contract to help with planning until the city can hire a new senior planner. “We’re still advertising but, until we hire someone, we need the help,” Schminke said.

Charles went over the criteria used to determine whether a right of way can be vacated and the next steps.

The land belongs to Woodland Park, which has the right to vacate it. If vacated, the land will be deeded over to the closest property owner, which in this case is McNab. Utility and drainage easements will remain in place.

The request was referred to various city departments and outside agencies, but planners received no concerns or objections. There will be no financial exchange.

Diana Hartnet, McNab’s assistant, fielded questions about signage and traffic flow. “Everything is in place as agreed to by the Colorado Department of Transportation,” she said.

The development consists of 32 multifamily units in 16 buildings.

The commissioners voted unanimously to recommend approval of this vacation ordinance. It will move on to city council on initial posting and public hearing. If it is approved, the vacation will be recorded with Teller County.

At 5 p.m. on Aug. 18, the planning commission and city council will meet in a joint work session to continue discussions on short-term rentals. The draft of an ordinance regulating these rentals will likely be presented at this time, Schminke said. This work session will be followed by the regular council meeting at 7 p.m.

There is one planning case on the commission’s Aug. 25 agenda, and there will be no planning commission meeting on Sept. 8.

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