Planning and Zoning Commission recommends zoning code rewrite; resident email objects to short‑term rental distance and $500 fee

The Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously June 11 to recommend a comprehensive rewrite of the city’s zoning code to the Loveland City Council after opening and then closing a public hearing with no in‑person speakers.

A staff member told the commission the packet includes Exhibit A, the proposed zoning text amendment that reflects the draft the commission previously reviewed, and that a favorable recommendation would send the rewrite to city council, which would schedule its own public hearing and could adopt the new code.

The meeting’s only public comment on the record came by email from resident Brandt Fischer. Read aloud by staff, Fischer said the proposed 300‑foot separation for short‑term rentals in the Office residential (O) district would “instantly make the two on Main Street and one on Chestnut out of compliance.” He added that the proposed $500 annual application fee is “absurd” and called it a “money grab,” saying short‑term rentals bring downtown visitors and tax revenue.

Commissioners questioned staff whether the three properties referenced by Fischer appear in the department’s lists or maps; staff said they would need to check the records and acknowledged the commenter’s belief that three rentals are operating. Commissioners noted that whether those specific units are already on the city’s records was not central to the commenter’s broader point about how the proposed separation would affect existing properties.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend the proposed zoning text amendment to the city council; a second was recorded and the commission voted 5‑0 to approve the recommendation. The chair instructed staff to forward the commission’s recommendation to the Loveland City Council for its public hearing and further consideration.

The commission also approved the May 13, 2026 meeting minutes (one member recorded an abstention, citing absence at that meeting). Commissioners thanked staff and the project consultants (identified in the record as McBride Dale and staff members Chris, Eva and Dave) for their work on the draft.

The commission adjourned. Next steps: the rewrite will go to the Loveland City Council, which will schedule a public hearing and decide whether to adopt the proposed zoning code changes.