SUPERIOR, Colo. (KDVR) — As people impacted by the Marshall Fire work to rebuild, some homeowners are trying to figure out if they can live on their own property.
The Problem Solvers found that the Town of Superior municipal code might be getting in the way of some rebuilding efforts.
About 15 people met with a town planner on Monday, all of them concerned about whether they can live in a modular home or even an RV on their own fire-damaged property.
Lecia Gibson Hupfer attended this meeting with her elderly parents who call Superior home.
“My parents lost their home in Old Town,” Gibson Hupfer said. “We’re all invested because this was our home. So, you know, we’re concerned and trying to help them navigate because they want to go home.”
Advocating for her parents, she wanted to know their options.
“They’ve only ever lived here. This is what’s comfortable to them. They want to come back,” Gibson Hupfer said. “And I think some of them are in an age where they feel like maybe their time is limited.”
Homeowners with rebuilding questions can also get those answered in a special virtual meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 9, from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Will Superior allow exceptions to the code?
Superior Mayor Clint Folsom told the Problem Solvers the town’s municipal code allows modular homes to be built as long as it’s on a permanent foundation.
“These are factory-built structures that can be brought in, in pieces and put together in a much faster fashion,” Folsom said.
The mayor said in some parts of town, modular homes are not allowed, nor is living in a mobile home or an RV during a possible rebuild.
“That’s nothing new. That’s always been the code, that those are not permitted,” Folsom said.
A meeting with other board trustees will take place on Thursday. One of those topics would be discussing if a possible emergency amendment to that code should be made.
“We absolutely hear people loud and clear, when they say they want to be back in their homes as quickly as possible,” Folsom said. “We on the town board share that goal and that concern, and we are we’re doing everything that we can to make that happen. But we also have to balance that with the safety and security of everyone involved.”.