BizWest’s Ken Amundson reports the Fort Collins City Council failed to pass new climate-driven Building Performance Standards for large commercial buildings after a split 3–3 vote. Supporters called the ordinance the city’s “most powerful lever” to hit climate targets, but the council could not agree on the details. Council member Susan Gutowsky was absent.
The draft would have steered about 6.25 million dollars over five years to retrofit buildings 10,000 square feet and up, mixing incentives with fines up to 3,000 dollars per infraction, assessed quarterly. Staff estimated 4 to 6 dollars per square foot to comply. About 730 buildings would be covered, roughly a third already compliant. Multifamily and 5,000–10,000 square foot properties were excluded in the latest version.
Debate lines were sharp. Some members wanted to pass now and tweak later; others balked at unclear costs and enforcement. Outgoing member Kelly Ohlson slammed the softened draft as “near meaningless” and pushed to include smaller and multifamily buildings with a faster timeline, while Mayor Jeni Arndt favored incentives over regulation and Mayor Pro Tem Emily Francis asked for more cost clarity. The tie sends the measure back to staff with no clear timetable.
The Bullet Point Brief
- The ordinance tied 3–3, stalling climate-mandated retrofits for commercial buildings 10,000 square feet and larger.
- Carrots and sticks: 6.25 million dollars in incentives plus civil fines up to 3,000 dollars, repeatable quarterly for noncompliance.
- Cost guess: 4 to 6 dollars per square foot; 730 buildings impacted, about one-third already compliant.
- Scope shrank: multifamily and 5,000–10,000 square foot buildings dropped to avoid rent shocks and capacity strains.
- Split council: Ohlson wanted stricter rules; Arndt leaned incentive-only; Francis said the plan wasn’t ready; measure heads back to staff.
My Bottom Line
Building codes are where the green grift and the green mafia really dig in. If you are wondering why “affordability” is a punchline along the Front Range, look at the code book. Fort Collins just hit pause on a pricey mandate that would have soaked tenants and small businesses while City Hall guessed at costs. That is a glimmer of common sense.
Meanwhile, Weld County keeps adding homes and jobs because we let builders build and businesses breathe. Larimer keeps driving out working families so it can green virtue signal. There is a reason Greeley will soon outpace Fort Collins in size: people can actually afford to live and work here.
Here is my simple test. If it cuts real emissions and the numbers pencil for owners and tenants without quarterly fine farming, let’s talk. If it is another code-layer that drives up rents and construction costs while the city shrugs at workforce capacity, hard pass. Markets can innovate faster than mandates can punish. Fort Collins should copy what works in Weld: predictable rules, fewer gotchas, and a bias for growth over grandstanding.
Credit to the council members who tapped the brakes. Now fix the math, publish the costs, and stop pretending that affordability and compliance can both go up at the same time. Pick. And pick the people who pay the bills.
Source: BizWest
