Horse business rules still in flux

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

July could be the month Larimer County Commissioners wrap up more than a year of work on new regulations for horse business facilities, provided a few remaining contentious issues can be resolved.

Commissioners continued their May 24 hearing to July 19 at 6:30 p.m. and asked volunteers on a horse facilities working group to lend some more ideas to issues raised by horse owners.

In particular, citizens at the public hearing wanted the county to allow higher numbers of horses on large acreages with equine businesses before those owners would fall under review regulations.

Some citizens also commented that the number of horses allowed for small-acreage businesses, in comparison, were too lenient.

"Let's ask the working group to rework the formula," commissioner Steve Johnson said. "I think we're very close."

Regulations on horse businesses have been part of the county's land-use code for more than 20 years, but they are enforced only when the county gets a complaint, usually from a disgruntled neighbor. It is commonly believed that some owners of horse businesses never apply for appropriate county permits because the current system is too onerous and too expensive.

In an opening comment, commissioner Tom Donnelly noted that former commissioner Kathay Rennels started the rewrite of horse regulations to fix existing problems. "She wanted to protect this industry; she didn't want to shut it down," Donnelly said.

The proposed revisions are based on a scalable system, which matches the rigor of the county review process for horse businesses with the size of the equestrian operation. The working group and county staff have also proposed a one-year transition period, starting Aug. 2, that would let existing businesses apply for their reviews at lower fees.

The land-use code affects horse business facilities such as boarding stables, riding academies, riding arenas and equine event venues. Under the proposed rules, many existing businesses would be considered a use by right (no regulations) or require a simplified review. The latter, during the transition period, would cost $150. The fee could increase to $300 after the transition period.

The county would retain its current special review process for the largest equine businesses.

Much of the four-hour hearing focused on a recent addition to the debate – collection of traffic impact fees. Such fees are intended to help the county maintain its roads as development and traffic increase in rural areas.

Working group members said they had never discussed transportation fees during their many months of meetings and were "blindsided" to hear about them now. The three commissioners agreed the fees should not be charged during the transition period. Johnson said he wanted to discuss on July 19 whether the fees should be applied to horse facilities and other rural businesses in the future.

More information about the tiers for review, transition program and other proposed rule changes is available online at www.larimer.org/horses. Those interested may also call Linda Hoffmann, county planning and building services division director, at 498-7681.