The updates also include additional water quality and quantity compliance and review for all new developments.

County Commissioners approved updates to Routt County’s Unified Development Code on Tuesday that will make way for the anticipated development application for Stagecoach Mountain Ranch, a private ski and golf community that will mostly include second homes targeting the ultra-wealthy.

The changes allow for certain homes to be built larger than the county’s new building size cap, reduce requirements for golf course safety setbacks and add language requiring an additional water quality and quantity review for all development. Commissioners unanimously approved the updates.

While the golf course safety setbacks directly relate to the pending application for Stagecoach Mountain Ranch — Commissioner Sonja Macys referred to them as the “spicy item” on Tuesday — each of these updates will likely factor in to that process.

Commissioners said they were comfortable reducing this requirement to 225-feet, as it serves as a minimum requirement and could be increased by commissioners as they consider development applications. Macys did suggest setting a higher standard, but was unable to get a second commissioner to join her.

“In terms of public safety, I just don’t think that a 225-foot setback somehow represents some clear and present danger to the public’s health, safety and welfare,” Commissioner Tim Corrigan said. “We have the ability to extend that if necessary.”

Commissioners also created a workaround for people looking to build housing larger than the county’s 7,500 square foot limit if part of a Land Preservation Subdivision and able to meet a yet-to-be-defined set of net zero energy standards. The house size limitation actually already allowed for houses much larger than 7,500 square feet, as that limit doesn’t include basement or garage square footage.

There is no limit under the updated code approved Tuesday if a house is part of a new land preservation subdivision is able to achieve net zero standards that commissioners will need to draft and approve before this takes effect on Jan. 1 in the form of an update to the building code.

Lastly, Commissioners added language to the development code requiring all new development to comply with the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments’ 208 Plans and Policies, which are regulations that stem from the federal Clean Water Act. The council of governments’ Water Quality and Quantity program will review development applications and ensure they comply with the 208 Plan at the expense of the developer.

“This is one I felt strongly about including,” Macys said of the new 208 requirements. “They do have legal expertise, they have technical expertise, they have all of the things that we need to fully analyze anything — any development project that is related to or adjacent to or in proximity to a drinking water source, a river, anything that we would want to protect.”