Severance lifts building-permit moratorium

SEVERANCE — One day after the North Weld County Water District approved an amendment to its water service agreement with the town of Severance, the Severance Town Board reciprocated, approving the amendment and subsequently lifting a building-permit moratorium stemming from its dispute with North Weld.

The actions pave the way for resumption of new building activity within the town. Both approval of the amendment and lifting of the moratorium came on 4-0 votes, with board member Tad Stout recusing himself from the discussion. Stout also serves on the board of the North Weld County Water District.

“I am glad we’ve made it to this point where we can lift this ordinance,” Severance mayor Matt Fries said during Tuesday’s town board meeting. “I wish I could say that this is what I would consider the end of this issue, but I think I can say that it’s the beginning of the end.”

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The amendment to the water service agreement provides for the district to sell 100 plant-investment taps to the town of Severance, enabling North Weld to increase the flow of water to the master meter that serves the town.

North Weld had imposed a moratorium on new taps in September 2021 over concerns about treatment and delivery capacity. That tap moratorium was eased in February, with the district board authorizing 120 taps to be issued in 2022.

Severance also in February lifted its building-permit moratorium in parts of the town served directly by North Weld but retained it in areas served by the town.

Tuesday’s action lifts the building-permit moratorium entirely.

“The primary justifications for imposing the moratorium were essentially to prevent the town from getting in a situation where it was approving the construction of new residential dwellings that would basically be uninhabitable because they would be unable to receive water service from the town’s water system,” town attorney Keith Martin said in a staff presentation. “We believe now that with the approval of the second amendment that does allow the purchase of those 100 additional plant-investment taps, that the town is no longer in a position where it needs to maintain the existing moratorium to prevent creating uninhabitable residential dwelling units.”

Fries noted the toll the moratorium has taken on home owners and developers, and praised town staff for helping navigate through the issue.

“We’ve learned an awful lot, and I think this is a great step to allow homeowners to continue to build their houses,” he said. “As the mayor, I appreciate everyone’s patience throughout this process. It has been very painful. I can’t imagine what some of the folks have gone through.”

The North Weld County Water District Monday also lifted its 120-tap limit for 2022, after concluding that capital improvements, including installation of a new one-mile stretch of pipeline, would enable it to increase flows for new developments.

But any new taps issued would fall within its more-restrictive Tap Criteria Policy, adopted in February. The tap moratorium continues for developments that do not meet the criteria.