The HBA Advocate Newsletter | April 2, 2024
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April 2, 2024 |
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In this edition:
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Larimer County to Consider City of Thornton's 1041 Water Pipeline Permit Application On November 20, 2023, the City of Thornton formally submitted a new application asking Larimer County to approve a permit to build a buried water pipeline for transporting water to Thornton. The Thornton Water Project will deliver an average of 14,000 acre-feet of high-quality water that Thornton owns in the Water Supply and Storage Company System (WSSC) to its residents. This project is critical to ensure water supply reliability and drought resiliency; provide drinking water that is protective of public health, safety and welfare; support the availability of housing; and meet municipal water demands in the city through 2065. The City of Thornton has just confirmed the following dates have been set for the public hearings in Larimer County for consideration of its 1041 Permit application:
This project is critical to ensuring our industry’s ability to meet the long-term housing needs of Colorado’s growing population for decades to come. The HBA will be actively participating in the hearing process, and we are encouraging our active builders and developers in Thornton to do the same. You can sign up to testify for the county Planning Commission hearing here. |
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City of Denver Appoints New CPD Director Seven month after taking office, Denver Mayor Mike Johnson has appointed Manish Kumar to lead the City’s Community Planning and Development Department. The HBA of Metro Denver will be submitting a letter regarding the planning and review process to the Mayor’s office, City Council, and CPD that outlines our interest in engaging with the City on improving the development process. We will also be hosting a working lunch meeting with Mr. Kumar at our June 4 Denver JTF meeting to give our members a chance to formally meet the mayor’s newest cabinet member and provide input on our ideas on improving efficiencies within the department. If any board members are interested in participating, please let me know at mcullen@hbadenver.com. |
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Xcel Energy Revises Transformer Setback Policy Over the past three months, the HBA of Metro Denver and Xcel Energy have been meeting to work through challenges with the utility’s updated 20-foot setback policy for transformers that significantly restricted developable land within new communities. This week, Xcel announced that it would be revising the policy with a clear delineation between single-phase and three-phase units following the robust advocacy work of our membership. The new policy will now only require a 20-foot setback for three-phase transformers and will maintain a 10-foot setback for single-phase transformers going forward. This will significantly increase the amount of developable property for almost all new residential development and provide more flexibility going forward. A written memo from Xcel outlining its new policy will be forthcoming within the next couple of weeks and the HBA will share it as soon as it is made available. |
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CORE Electric Cooperative to Initiate New Plant Investment Fee (PIF) As of March 1, CORE Electric Cooperative will charge a non-refundable Plant Investment Fee (PIF) for each application for new service or increase in service to an existing location. This PIF will help CORE pay for the planning, construction and maintenance of transmission lines, substations and other assets necessary to provide safe, reliable electricity to the thousands of new homes added to CORE’s system each year. The PIF will be $2.50 per amp, per phase, and will apply uniformly to all new or expanded Permanent or Indeterminate services up to 3,000 kilovolt-amps (kVA) at a single location. The PIF for services requiring more than 3,000 kVA of capacity will be determined case-by-case, based on the upgrades necessary to serve the location. For example, a standard new home with a 200A service is going to be 200A x $2.50, adding $500 to the construction contract. If they have an existing 200A home that needs to go to 400A because of final home options, that is a 200A increase, so it will be an additional 200A x $2.50, adding $500. A new 400A home will be 400A x $2.50, or $1,000. CORE Electric Cooperative is the former Intermountain Rural Electric Association that serves nearly 170,000 members inside a 5,000-square-mile service territory in central Colorado, including Sedalia, Bennett, Conifer and Woodland Park. |
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HBA of Metro Denver Issue Tracker |
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HBA is looking for Members to Participate in Advocacy, Regulatory and Technical Committees in 2024 As a volunteer-driven organization, the HBA's Jobsite Safety Committee, Permitting Committee, Regulated Utilities Committee and Stormwater Management Committee help guide the HBA's events and activities throughout the year. Consider joining one, or more, if you want to build strong, long-lasting relationships and make a difference to your fellow HBA members, while sharpening your leadership skills. Please visit the HBA website for more information or reach out to Morgan Cullen if you are ready to participate. |
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Thank you to HBA's 2024 Organizational Partner: |
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Corporate Partners: |
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Contact Connie Dahl for more info on becoming an HBA Sponsor, or visit hbadenver.com/sponsorships for more information! |