Summary: Land Use Code Updates for Commercial Corridors and Centers

In 2025 the City of Fort Collins worked on improving future development outcomes within the city’s commercial corridors and centers by updating the City's Land Use Code. The updates now help remove barriers to the creation of vibrant, resilient commercial areas that support local businesses and are adaptable to future community needs. This work was a part of the larger effort to modernize the City's Land Use Code, which governs how land is used and developed in our community.

The Future of Commercial Corridors and Centers focused on updating the Land Use Code governing commercial zone districts, corridors and development standards to ensure they align with current city policies and community needs, paying specific attention to:

Creating a more intuitive, easy-to-use Land Use Code
Enabling the creation of resilient commercial centers that support local business and are adaptable to future community needs
Enabling more mixed-use development, especially along transit corridors and within commercial centers

Building on the foundation of the City’s first round of Land Use Code updates, which were adopted by the City Council in May 2024 and focused on housing-related updates, The Future of Commercial Corridors and Centers: Land Use Code Updates explored a broader range of topics focused on commercial areas:

Advancing the City’s 15-Minute City goals: How can we use the Land Use Code to create neighborhoods where residents can access essential services, jobs, and recreation within a 15-minute walk or bike ride?
Aligning with existing City policy plans: How can the Land Use Code be more aligned with our policy plans to ensure consistency and effectiveness in urban development?
Balancing desired outcomes: How do we balance multiple desired outcomes, such as economic growth, environmental sustainability and community well-being through our development standards?
Adding clarity to the City's Development Review Process: Are there opportunities to clarify and add predictability to the development review process?

See past updates about how this project was completed under "Project Updates" on this webpage. View the latest Land Use Code here.