Public comment open for trailhead restroom

The Boulder County Land Use department is accepting public comment on a requested land use variance for a restroom to be built on N. 83rd Street.

The variance would allow for permanent restrooms to be built 71 feet from the roadway, while the current setback is 90 feet. The restrooms are part of LoBo trail improvements and an expanded parking lot at Left Hand Valley Grange Park in Niwot.

Jennifer Severson with the Boulder County Planning Department said that while the location is owned by Parks and Open Space, the variance request will ultimately be decided by the Board of Adjustment.

“By our regulations they have to get approved for a zoning variance,” Severson said. “We make recommendations to the board of adjustment, but they are the ones that will review that and make the decision.”

She said that the supplemental setbacks were approved by previous county commissioners. Current commissioners will have no say on the decision.

“Our evaluation is tied to the code and the code criteria,” Severson said. “So we include all of the comments we get with the staff recommendations so the Board of Adjustment does have access to those and they can see the concerns. But our evaluation has to be based on the code criteria.”

Natural resource planner Ron West said that there are no natural resource concerns, but that standard revegetation requirements need to be in place.

Many of the comments that have been posted on the county’s website have been in favor of the permanent restrooms as opposed to using portable ones for games or other events, which Niwot Youth Sports has been required to do since 1984 when the ballfield was built.

“Really, this is the only place for the restroom because of the floodplain and there are ballfields established that requires them to put it within the setback that is on N. 83rd,” Severson said.

Public comments can be made via email to jseverson@bouldercouty.org, online at www.luprod.bouldercounty.org with application number VAR-18-0002 or in-person.

Phone comments will not be accepted. The deadline for comments is September 25.