La Kitchen Parking Variance

At a glance

• What: Non-use variance (NVAR-26-0005) to City Code section 7.4.1003.A allowing one off-street parking space for a restaurant with outdoor seating at 2001 West Colorado Avenue (Council District 3), where seven are required. Quasi-judicial; the applicants plan a cafe in a converted 1901 house in Old Colorado City.
• Outcome: Approved 8-1 by the City Planning Commission on August 12, 2026, with a condition that outdoor seating not exceed 20 percent of the indoor seating area.
• Next step: A full development plan review is still required for the change from residence to restaurant.

Detail

• William Gray, Senior Planner, presented. The property is zoned NX-M, about 3,600 square feet, at 20th Street and Colorado Avenue. The detached garage would be demolished and replaced by one ADA-accessible space off the alley. Staff found the small lot an extraordinary physical condition supporting the variance. Public comments raised insufficient parking, traffic on 20th Street and alley congestion.
• Applicants Ben Guzman and Angela Wood said seven spaces would mean paving nearly the whole yard, destroying the cherry tree and historic well, and proposed relying on on-street parking, bike routes and transit. They said they were negotiating with Sacred Heart Church across the street for employee parking and expect five or six staff in total, not all at once.
• Public comment: Robert Bronte, whose business faces the site, opposed the variance, fearing employee and customer spillover onto streets and into his private lot.
• Staff answers: no historic overlay applies; no setback changes; outdoor seating is capped at 20 percent of indoor seating to avoid extra parking; hours of operation are generally not regulated; bars would need conditional use approval in the MX-N zone; signs need separate permits; the development plan review covers landscaping, buffering, lighting, odor and noise.
• Egbert urged that the development plan capture the Colorado Avenue corridor vision (bump-outs, shorter crossings); Chair Hensler said that is outside this application. Robbins worried about future changes of use.
• Motion by Willoughby, seconded by Clements, to approve on the finding that the request meets the criteria in City Code section 7.5.526, with the 20 percent outdoor seating condition. Passed 8-1: Hensler, Robbins, Clements, Gigiano (joined online during this item), Willoughby, Case, Cecil and Egbert aye; Engel no.

Postponement (July 8, 2026)

• At the July 8 Planning Commission meeting (2026-07-08 - City Planning Commission) William Gray announced that the applicant could not attend for medical reasons and asked to postpone to August 12 because neighbors were interested. Motion by Robbins, seconded by Vice Chair Slattery, to postpone to the August 12 meeting passed unanimously (9-0).
• Source: City Planning Commission minutes, July 8, 2026: https://legistar2.granicus.com/coloradosprings/meetings/2026/7/2757_M_City_Planning_Commission_26-07-08_Meeting_Minutes.pdf

Sources

• City Planning Commission minutes, August 12, 2026: https://legistar2.granicus.com/coloradosprings/meetings/2026/8/2759_M_City_Planning_Commission_26-08-12_Meeting_Minutes.pdf
• Attachments to item 7.A: staff report, plans, project statement, maps.

Log

2026-08-12 - City Planning Commission

Heard as unfinished business; approved 8-1 with the 20 percent outdoor seating condition.

2026-08-06 - City Planning Commission Work Session

William Gray briefed the Commission: continued from July, staff report and exhibits unchanged (including earlier public comments), the variance covers only parking and a full development plan is still required.

2026-07-08 - City Planning Commission

Postponed to August 12 at the applicant's request (9-0).

2026-07-02 - City Planning Commission Work Session

William Gray briefed the request for one space where seven are required, the development plan needed for the residential-to-commercial conversion, and one written comment in opposition.