7.16.140 Vested Property Right - CLEANOrdinance 25-06
7.16.140 Vested Property Right, Avon Municipal Code
7.16.140 Vested Property Right
The purpose of this Section is to provide procedures necessary to implement the provisions of Article
68 of Title 24, C.R.S., as amended.
(a) As used in this Section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) Community planning document means the Avon Comprehensive Plan, any other planning
documents adopted by the Town through a public hearing process and any planning document
adopted by other governmental and quasi-governmental entities that provide public services or
facilities to the Town or which include the Town within their service or planning boundaries.
(2) Site specific development plan means a planned unit development plan or any amendment
thereto, approved pursuant to Section 7.16.060, Planned Unit Developments, together with a
development agreement approved pursuant to Section 7.16.140 hereof. A site specific
development plan that creates vested property rights may also include other development
approvals if approved at the discretion of the Town Council upon request by a property owner;
however, such request shall not result in an application for a development approval other than a
planned unit development plan to be treated as a site specific development plan for the
purposes of Section 24-68-102.5(1), C.R.S.
(3) Vested property right means the right to undertake and complete the development and use of
property under the express terms and conditions of a site specific development plan.
(b) Vested Property Right Created.
(1) A vested property right shall be deemed to have been created only upon the approval of a site
specific development plan in accordance with this Chapter.
(2) A vested property right shall only be created if approved by ordinance which may be combined
with an ordinance approving a site specific development plan and an accompanying
development agreement. Amendments to any site specific development plan shall be subject to
this Chapter and shall have a new vested property right as determined by the Town Council. Any
approval of a site specific development plan or amendment to an existing site specific
development plan that creates vested property rights shall be adopted by ordinance as a
legislative act and shall be subject to referendum. When creating a vested property right, Town
Council may expressly exempt, in whole or in part, administrative amendments to site specific
development plans from additional review and approval by Town Council under this Chapter.
(3) The establishment of a vested property right shall not preclude the application of ordinances or
regulations which are general in nature and which are applicable to all properties or a similarly
situated class of properties subject to land use regulation by the Town, including but not limited
to the regulations contained in Title 15 of this Code, regulations concerning subdivision
improvements and right-of-way dedications and regulations establishing requirements and
specifications for any public infrastructure or public facility improvements. Ordinances or
regulations which are general in nature and which are applicable to all properties or a similarly
situated class of properties subject to land use regulation by the Town shall not be deemed to
alter, impair, prevent, diminish, impose a moratorium on development or otherwise delay the
development or use of a property with vested property rights regardless of the financial impact of
such ordinance or regulation.
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7.16.140 Vested Property Right, Avon Municipal Code
(4) The establishment of a vested property right shall not preclude the application of any
legislatively adopted fees which are general in nature, uniform in character and applicable to all
properties or a similarly situated class of properties.
(c) Notice and Hearing. No site specific development plan shall be approved until after providing notice
and conducting public hearings in compliance with Subsection 7.16.020(d).
(d) Notice of Approval.
(1) Each map, plat, site plan or other document constituting a site specific development plan shall
contain the following language:
(i) Approval of this plan constitutes a vested property right pursuant to Article 68 of Title 24,
C.R.S., as amended and Title 7, Chapter 16 of this Municipal Code, as amended.
(2) The failure of the document constituting a site specific development plan to contain the language
specified in Subparagraph (d)(1)(i) above shall invalidate and void the creation of the vested
property right. A notice stating that a vested property right has been created shall be published
once by the Town in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town not more than fourteen (14)
days after final adoption of the ordinance approving the site specific development plan. The
notice shall include the following information:
(i) A statement advising the public of the site specific development plan approval, including
the name of the project, the type and intensity of the use approved and the specific
property or development parcels affected;
(ii) A statement that a vested property right has been created in accordance with Article 68 of
Title 24, C.R.S., and Title 7, Chapter 16 of this Municipal Code, including the duration of
the vested property right; and
(iii) A statement that the citizen's rights of referendum shall run from the date of publication.
(e) Duration of Vested Right.
(1) A property right vested pursuant to this Chapter after June 1, 2006, shall remain vested for a
period of three (3) years. The Town Council may approve a period of vested property rights
exceeding three (3) years by approval of a development agreement, which shall be part of the
site specific development plan.
(2) The guidelines in this Paragraph 7.16.140(e)(2) shall be considered when determining whether
to grant vested property rights for a period greater than three (3) years, provided that site
specific development plans that are granted vested property rights for a period greater than
three (3) years because of the size, phasing or absorption rate of such site specific development
plan should have separate vesting created for the various phases of the development, as set
forth in Paragraph 7.16.140(e)(4). It shall be the burden of the applicant to propose appropriate
reasons for granting a vested property right that is greater than three (3) years.
(i) The size and phasing of the development, specifically, but not limited to, whether the
development can be reasonably completed within the vested rights period;
(ii) Economic cycles and specifically but not limited to resort community economic cycles,
regional and state economic cycles and national economic cycles;
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7.16.140 Vested Property Right, Avon Municipal Code
(iii) Market conditions and specifically but not limited to absorption rates for leasing and sales
of similar development projects;
(iv) Compliance with the Avon Comprehensive Plan and other community planning documents;
(v) Proposed public amenities and benefits that enhance the project and the overall
attractiveness of the Avon community, including the degree to which such public amenities
and benefits are defined in terms of design, timeframe and phasing with development;
(vi) Projected public financial benefits or costs estimated to be caused by the development
project, including the timeframe for realization by the Town or other public entities and
potential costs for operation and maintenance of any new public amenities or infrastructure
dedicated to the Town or other public entities;
(vii) The breadth and scope of the requested vested property right, including but not limited to
the extent to which such vested property right restricts the Town's ability to apply future
legislatively adopted fees and regulations for the purpose of providing public infrastructure,
public services and public facilities and for the purpose of meeting evolving community
needs;
(viii) The terms of any existing site specific development plans with development agreements
for the applicant's property that specify the duration of vested property rights;
(ix) Any proposed modifications to previously approved vested property rights to address
changed conditions within the Avon community, compliance with the Comprehensive Plan
and other community planning documents or performance of previously approved site
specific development plans; and
(x) Any other factors deemed relevant by the Council when determining to grant a vested
property right for a period greater than three (3) years.
(3) The Town may approve a site specific development plan subject to such terms and conditions
as may reasonably be necessary to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the Avon
community.
(4) Any site specific development plan for a multiple-phase development approved after June 1,
2006, may have separate vesting created for each phase. The vesting for any subsequent
phase may be contingent upon completion of the preceding phase and review by the Town
Council. Such review shall include but not be limited to whether the landowner, developer,
successors or assigns are in compliance with its obligations to the Town, including but not
limited to the terms and conditions of a site specific development plan, a development
agreement and any other agreements between the landowner, developer, successor and
assigns and the Town, as they may have been amended from time to time.
(f) Extension of Vested Property Rights. A landowner may request an extension of vested property rights
by submitting an application for extension of vested property rights no more than twelve (12) months
prior to the expiration of the vested property rights. No application for extension of a vested property
right shall be approved until after providing notice and conducting public hearings in compliance with
Subsection 7.16.020(d). The guidelines in Paragraph 7.16.140(e)(2) shall be considered when
determining whether to grant an extension to a vested property right. An extension of a vested
property right shall be approved by ordinance. The notice of approval provisions in Paragraph
7.16.140(d)(1) above shall apply to any approval for extension of vested property rights.
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7.16.140 Vested Property Right, Avon Municipal Code
(g) Forfeiture of Vested Property Rights.
(1) Failure to abide by the terms and conditions of a vested property right will result in a forfeiture of
the vested property rights in accordance with the procedures set forth herein.
(2) The process to consider forfeiture of vested property rights shall be initiated by passage of a
resolution by the Town Council stating the grounds therefore.
(3) No vested property right shall be deemed forfeited until after providing notice and conducting a
public hearing. Notice shall be provided by publishing notice in a newspaper of general
circulation, posting notice in the designated official places of posting and mailing notice to the
property owner sent to the address of record according to the County Assessor's records via
first-class United States mail at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of a hearing. A copy of the
resolution initiating the process to consider forfeiture of the vested property right shall be
included with the mailed notice to the property owner.
(4) At the hearing, the Town Council shall consider all evidence and testimony presented
concerning any failure to abide by the terms and conditions of a vested property right. The Town
Council may continue the public hearing to allow additional evidence to be gathered and
presented.
(5) If the Town Council finds a failure to abide by the terms and conditions of the vested property right,
the Town Council may take action by ordinance to declare the vested property rights forfeited. The
forfeiture of a vested property right shall have no effect upon public streets, alleys, rights-of-way or other
lands or easements previously dedicated or conveyed to the Town or other public entities pursuant to the
terms of a site specific development plan. Upon forfeiture of vested property rights, the site specific
development plan shall be subject to all zoning, land use and general regulations in effect at the time of
forfeiture and as such may be amended from time to time thereafter.