The Erie Town Council during an April 7 special meeting appointed three members \u2014 Sherri Booth, Paul Leef and Alex Schatz \u2014 to the town\u2019s Planning Commission from a pool of 11 applicants.\n<\/p>\n
The Planning Commission advises the council on land use and development matters, such as rezonings, site plans and updates to the town\u2019s development code.<\/p>\n
Council members narrowed their decision to five candidate interviews before voting by paper ballot during the special meeting. The council passed over incumbent Tim Burns after his four years of service on the commission. Booth, also an incumbent, has served on the commission since 2022.<\/p>\n
Schatz and Leef in their interviews with the council highlighted priorities including infrastructure capacity and managing growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s a real opportunity for this commission to address, in a proactive way, some of the bigger picture issues around infrastructure,\u201d said Leef, who has worked as the campus architect for both the Colorado School of Mines and CU Boulder.\n<\/p>\n
When asked about the biggest struggle Erie will face over the next five to 10 years, Schatz told the council: \u201cI think it\u2019s easy to say water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of strains on transportation infrastructure as well,\u201d added Schatz, who works as a regulatory and legal affairs manager for a company in the construction industry.<\/p>\n
Booth, who works as a manager in the finance sector, also stressed continued implementation of the town\u2019s comprehensive plan.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still some work that we can do with the comprehensive plan to make sure that all of our planning is working around that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Erie\u2019s comprehensive plan, last updated in 2024, is a document that can inform the town\u2019s decisions on land use and development. The plan is a guiding document and does not by itself establish zoning, or the rules for what types of properties can be built in different areas around town, but the council and planning commission can refer to it when making decisions.<\/p>\n