Boards in Action: Land Use Review Committee

Posted in March 2026 

Who They Are

The Land Use Review Commission (LURC) is a quasi-judicial body of seven Broomfield residents and two alternates appointed by the Broomfield Council to review and render decisions on development applications that shape the physical future of Broomfield. Lynn Merwin, Deputy Director of Community Development and Branden Roe, Planning Manager, serve jointly as staff liaisons for the board.

While LURC commissioners bring a wide range of experiences to the board, many often bring professional backgrounds in engineering or architecture, giving the commission both technical depth and community perspective as they evaluate final plats, site development plans, planned unit development amendments, rezonings and more. They evaluate applications and make recommendations and decisions regarding those applications’ consistency with the Zoning and Subdivision regulations established in the Broomfield Municipal Code. Rezonings and zoning amendments are further reviewed for consistency with Broomfield policies and long-range vision adopted by Broomfield Council in the Comprehensive Plan and other area plans, making LURC a critical bridge between that vision and what actually gets built.

LURC typically meets twice monthly on the second and fourth Mondays, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers. Meetings are open to the public and agendas are posted in advance on the Land Use Review Commission web page. The commissioners are also involved in reviewing Concept Review applications through the Broomfield Voice website and are invited to attend in-person concept review meetings when held during council study sessions.

What They've Been Up To

In fall 2025, LURC handled a wide range of cases, including approving a new medical office site plan at CR 7 and CO 7, reviewing a MidCities Planned Unit Development amendment to allow for a hotel conversion to residential apartments, and evaluating industrial and commercial site plans in the Broomfield Industrial Park and along West 120th Avenue. A Commissioner has also been nominated as a representative to serve on the Comprehensive Plan Community Advisory Committee, directly connecting their work to Broomfield's long-range planning efforts. In 2025, the commission met 9 times and reviewed 14 staff memoranda. The commissioners also reviewed 14 concept reviews in 2025.

What many residents don't see is the preparation that makes those hearings possible. A week before each meeting, commissioners receive a detailed packet with staff memorandum, project plans and supporting materials that they review independently before arriving to hear from staff, the applicant and the public. It's a significant time commitment for volunteers and it is what allows LURC to deliberate with the depth and care these decisions deserve.

In the coming months, LURC will likely review the Ernst Rehabilitation Hospital proposal for Jeffco Airport Business Center East (generally located southwest of Wadsworth Pkwy and Metro Airport Ave) and Cobblestone Crossing Residential (generally located northwest of W. 136th Ave and Huron St) in the Lambertson Farms subdivision.  

Several years ago, the Broomfield Council made a deliberate decision to expand LURC's authority, empowering the commission to issue final decisions on qualifying applications, subject to council call-up. That change has reduced development review timelines by approximately six weeks for eligible projects, helping desirable development move forward sooner, reducing staff time at each stage of the process, and preserving council agenda time for the full range of issues residents bring to their elected officials. Analysis of development reviews processed in 2020 had found that the council was spending approximately three hours per year in meetings on reviews that now fall within LURC's final decision authority.

The People Behind the Work

We asked Chair Franz on what drew him to serve on LURC. Chair Franz stated that he wanted “to make a contribution to our wonderful city where I have lived, raised a family and thrived for 32 years.”  When asked what he wanted residents to know about LURC’s role in shaping the community he said, “This committee is instrumental in reviewing proposals in light of their benefit to Broomfield; how they fit in with our priorities - including affordable housing and various housing types (for builder proposals) and whether other businesses abide by CCOB codes for open space, parking, traffic, trails, landscaping, sustainability, amenities and fulfilling a need we have in Broomfield.”

When asked what she finds most meaningful about serving on LURC, Vice Chair Jennifer Mickelsen shared, “As a member of LURC I have the opportunity to look at development proposals from the perspective of a resident that loves living in this community where thoughtful decisions made in the past have created a community that strives for quality of life for all residents. My contributions reflect my desire to help Broomfield to grow while listening to the residents and helping the developer to see opportunities that improve compatibility with neighbors. I want to enjoy living in Broomfield now and I look forward to the Broomfield in the future.” 

When we asked her about what residents should know about LURC's role in shaping the community, she stated, “LURC members have a threefold responsibility. We listen to the community members and their concerns and interests related to development projects. We also review the information presented to us through the lens of the Broomfield Comprehensive Plan. The final third is to bridge the community members and the developer so that the end result is positive for Broomfield.”

Just like with the Broomfield council, if residents want to share their thoughts on development applications they are welcome to attend LURC meetings to provide comments verbally during the meeting or they can submit their comments in advance either by email to planning@broomfield.org or through the Broomfield Voice project pages.