Cottonwood Shores renews city development committee

By Phil Reynolds
Contributing Writer

With the approval of what may be a unique city agency Thursday, Cottonwood Shores city council members took another step toward what some city officials believe to be a path to development.

The council approved renewal of a city development committee, to be composed of some officials and some citizens at large. The committee’s charge will be to deal with potential developers and work out development agreements, and then make recommendations to the council, which has final approval authority.

Mayor Donald Orr agrees that he’s never heard of a similar city committee, but believes it to be the best way for Cottonwood Shores to handle potential developments.

At the same meeting, council members took steps to tighten up fencing regulations and code enforcement.

The fencing ordinance change will control fences built out to property lines. Those fences effectively block views of street traffic when drivres attempt to exit driveways onto streets, Orr explained.

It’s part of what has become a review of city ordinances to iron out discrepancies and take care of loopholes over the past few months.

The week before, the council gave final approval to a proposal by two men to put a wedding venue and resort deveopment on an 8.5-acre property in the 4300 block of Cottonwood Drive. The pair estimate complete buildout of the proposal could take two years, with most of the resort consisting of tents. Those will have a smaller environmental impact and can be moved around the property as needs dictate, developers explained. . . .

To read more on this story, pick up the Tuesday, March 26 issue of The Highlander, the newspaper of record for the Highland Lakes. To offer a comment or news tip, email lew@highlandernews.com.