Westminster's city council introduced an ordinance on April 13 aimed at streamlining the process for downtown businesses proposing new uses or renovations, in a move council members described as a turning point for the city's commercial vitality.
Downtown property owners have faced significant obstacles when proposing new uses or changes to their businesses. Downtown property owners proposing a change of use have had to submit full site plans for city review and approval.
For many developed downtown properties with no approved site plan on file, this became a costly and time-consuming barrier. Even when the city created a "simplified site plan" option to reduce the burden, the private costs for preparing these plans ended up far exceeding what business owners expected.
After receiving complaints from multiple business owners and property owners, the city began reworking its site plan requirements. Staff presented draft ordinances across multiple work sessions in January and February, refining the approach based on council input.
Ordinance 2026-01 amends several sections of the Westminster City Code. Specifically, it amends Article 25 (Site Plans) to reorganize and clarify the distinction between site plans and simplified site plans. It also amends Article 16 (Off-Street Parking and Loading) and Article 21 (Administration and Enforcement) to align with the revised site plan requirements.
The ordinance establishes intake procedures, defines required contents for simplified site plans, creates exemptions for properties in the downtown parking area, and updates the associated fee schedule. The work sessions, held on January 20 and February 17, 2026, allowed city staff to present draft versions and incorporate council feedback based on community complaints and business owner feedback.
Council members praised the effort as essential to the city's future.
"I think you recognized some time ago that there was an opportunity to clean up a number of well-meaning things that crept into the code over time that were actually making it more difficult for small businesses to operate here in the city of Westminster," Council Member Gregory L. Pecoraro said during the April 13 meeting.
Council Member Daniel E. Hoff added, "We want to be a business-friendly city. We want to thrive in downtown, and I think this new ordinance helps us achieve that."
Council President Tony Chiavacci offered a broader reflection on how the city arrived at this moment. "For a number of years, [Director of Community Planning & Development] Mark Depo just was taken a beating at times from our business community. He was hamstrung by our code," Chiavacci said, referring to the Director of Community Planning and Development. "Finally, we reached almost a breaking point and realized the problem is the code. That's our problem, not your problem."
Chiavacci concluded: "I think this is a much bigger deal than people probably realize, and I think it's going to have lasting generational impact for the health and welfare of this community."
The ordinance was introduced unanimously on April 13 and will now be referred to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review and recommendation before returning to the council for final adoption.
Photo: Captured from April 13 livestream on YouTube