Sustainability Advisory Board Meeting, May 20, 2026

The City of Longmont Colorado's Sustainability Advisory Board met on May 20, 2026, focusing primarily on water conservation efforts, drought management, and sustainable land use planning. Presentations detailed the city's water conservation programs, rebate initiatives, and drought response plans, emphasizing voluntary water use reductions and the challenges of enforcement. The board discussed recent updates to the landscape code aimed at promoting drought-tolerant and pollinator-friendly plantings, as well as the Sustainability Evaluation System used to assess development impacts near riparian areas. A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to reviewing and debating draft recommendations related to building codes, open space agricultural programs, and zoning changes to encourage mixed-use neighborhoods and sustainable development. The board passed a motion to recommend that the city council direct staff to draft neighborly mixed-use zone districts and revisit definitions of secondary uses to support essential service businesses and limited industrial, retail, and farming activities within neighborhoods. There was also discussion about how to best communicate these recommendations to city council, with plans to submit memos and potentially present during council meetings. The meeting highlighted ongoing efforts to integrate sustainability into city planning and development processes, with attention to balancing environmental stewardship, community needs, and development interests.