Land Use Code Update

The Town of Basalt is updating its Land Use Code to align with the community’s vision and the 2020 Master Plan. The Land Use Code is incorporated into the Town's Municipal Code and is currently represented in Chapters 15-17.

Shaping Basalt's Future Together

In 2020, the Town of Basalt adopted a Master Plan that outlines a long-term vision and priorities based on community input. One key outcome of that process was the need to update the Town’s Land Use Code to better reflect community values and address current challenges.

The Land Use Code guides how land is used and developed in the Town, including zoning, design standards, and subdivision processes. The current regulations have been updated over time, resulting in regulatory gaps, redundancies, and outdated language.

The Town of Basalt is now working to create a clearer, more consistent, and user-friendly Land Use Code. The update will consolidate past amendments, improve organization, and establish straightforward procedures for both applicants and decision-makers. The goal is to support the Town’s long-term vision while making day-to-day development processes easier to understand and navigate.

A Phased Process

The Land Use Code update will consist of three phases focused on right-sizing recommendations from the Master Plan into succinct code amendments:

• Phase One - Existing Code Analysis. Kicked off in Summer 2025 Phase One focused on a deep-dive into existing planning documents including the 2020 Master Plan, Eagle County Climate Action Plan, Basalt Strategic Framework, Roaring Fork Stewardship Master Plan, Eagle County 2018 Mid-Valley Community Plan, and the Basalt Area Parks, Open Space and Trails Master Plan, and review of the existing Town of Basalt Land Use Code.
• Phase Two – Proposed Code Changes. Phase Two will focus on the development of proposed code changes based on findings from Phase One. An initial draft of recommended changes will guide further discussions with the community on targeted topic areas within the Land Use Code. Feedback from this phase will be incorporated into the next round of proposed code amendments, further refining ideas for presentation and discussion in Phase Three.
• Phase Three – Draft Code Review. Phase Three will present proposed code amendments for final feedback prior to moving into discussions with Town leadership and ultimately an adoption process.

Phase One: Land Use Code Analysis (Completed)

Design Workshop completed a review of the Land Use Code and identified potential amendments based on the incorporation of policies from recent planning efforts, in addition to recommendations for improved structure and usability for the general public, applicants, and decision makers. This review is intended to inform how the Town of Basalt should update the code and how certain ideas and policies described in the 2020 Master Plan can be incorporated into the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations.

To learn more about the completed list of priority areas for potential amendment visit this link in the document tab.

Phase Two: Proposed Code Changes (In Progress)

Design Workshop has completed an initial 50% draft of proposed code amendments based on Phase One findings and input from staff and the project Working Group. (These draft documents are available in the document library for review and are annotated with major changes flagged.) The drafting structure is based on a framework that focuses on identifying what kind of changes are proposed.

To learn more about the complete list of proposed changes visit this link in the document tab.

The project team will be conducting community engagement throughout spring / summer 2026 to gather community feedback on proposed code amendments. Please sign up to " Follow Project" on the right to stay updated on opportunities to connect with our team and to learn about upcoming engagement events!

Phase Three: Coming Late Summer 2026