HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Estes Park Board of Appeals 2019-05-09RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Estes Park Board of Appeals
May 9, 2019 Board Room, Estes Park Town Hall
Commission: Chair Joe Calvin, Amy Plummer, Brad Klein, Don Darling, Tony Schiaffo
Attending: Members Calvin, Plummer, Klein, Darling
Also Attending: Interim Chief Building Official Randy Hunt, Code Compliance Officer Hardin,
Building Plans Examiner Charlie Phillips, Recording Secretary Karin Swanlund
Absent: Schiaffo
Chair Calvin called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Board members introduced themselves and
provided their area of expertise.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
It was moved and seconded (Plummer/Klein) to approve the agenda as presented and the motion
passed 4-0.
CONSENT AGENDA
Minutes from May 2, 2019
It was moved and seconded (Klein/Plummer) to approve the minutes as presented and the motion
passed 3-0, with Darling abstaining.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
None
PURPOSE OF MEETING
The Board of Appeals meets as needed regarding matters of the Town of Estes Park's Division of
Building Safety. They are not a decision -making board but act as a Recommending Body to the Town
Board. They assist with the adoption of the new International Building Codes and local amendments
to those codes.
VACATION HOME LIFE SAFETY SURVEY (LSS) APPEAL, 140 Willowstone Drive
continued from May 2, 2019
Code Compliance Officer Hardin reviewed the appeal as presented in the staff report. The owner did
not get his Life Safety Survey application in by the March 31 deadline, thereby making his Vacation
Home registration unable to be renewed. He has continued to rent his vacation home. Greg Rosener,
representative for the owner, could not be here today, nor could the owner. The property manager
did not show up. This appeal was continued to today due to the owner and representative not being
present on May 2.
Board/Staff Discussion:
Comments are summarized:
The email address could have been better inspected, therefore Mr. Lee would have received his
notifications. This meeting was a special meeting called on behalf of the applicant. There are
currently 30 applications on the Vacation Home waitlist. This property will go to the end of the list if
the appeal is denied. This process is relatively new, not yet "habit". The property owner should have
been aware of both the Vacation Home registration and the Life Safety Survey deadline, with or
without any notifications. There would be a different feeling if a representative was in attendance.
The owner had at least 3 weeks to get a representative to the May 2 meeting. Granting a stay to this
request sets a precedent for future cases.
It was moved and seconded (Darling/Klein) to deny the appeal and uphold the decision of the Chief
Building Official and the motion passed 4-0.
DISCUSSION: CONSTRUCTION WITHOUT A PERMIT
continued from May 2, 2019
Building Plans Examiner Charlie Phillips explained the process of work done without a permit, but with
plans and a finished project. Current policy is to do some demolition in order to inspect the work that
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Estes Park Board of Appeals 2
May 9, 2019 Board Room, Estes Park Town Hall
has been done. Larimer County has had a procedure for situations like this since 1999, known as a
Certificate of Observable Compliance; if the homeowner chooses, they can hire professionals to
document and approve what was built without permits, per current codes, and the permit is issued.
Having this procedure available would lighten the workload for the Building Department. This is a
Policy change, not a Code Amendment for Larimer County.
Board Discussion:
Darling stated he has been involved with the Larimer County process and it has worked well. If the
professional is not able to approve, they will not sign the certificate. Hunt stated he does not object
to the policy change. 80-90% of homes in Larimer County have done work without a permit. This
process has been used successfully on the vast majority of these cases. Hunt suggested bringing this
back to the Board later in the year as a possible Code Amendment.
Board Member Tony Shiaffo's seat is open for a new member, preferably a Plumbing specialist.
There being no additional business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:51 p.m.
_Joe Calvin, Chair
Karin Swanlund, Recording Secretary