The Frisco Town Council voted unanimously at its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 14, to approve the first reading of an ordinance that would give the town more ability to regulate specialized areas such as public utilities and highway interchanges.

The town council discussed the specialized regulations — known as 1041 regulations after House Bill 1041 which was passed by the Colorado legislature in 1974 — during three work sessions over the past few months.

At the time House Bill 1041 was passed, the legislature was particularly concerned with the effects of growth and development on the physical environment of the state and its residents, according to Frisco’s Nov. 14 Catchup with Council newsletter.

In particular, the state legislature was concerned that the traditional zoning and subdivision tools used by local governments might not be fully adequate to address the impacts caused by a few specific development activities or to protect or plan for development in certain areas, according to the newsletter.

House Bill 1041 gave local governments more ability to regulate specialized activities ranging from the site selection of airports, highways, major utility facilities and new communities to the conduct of nuclear detonations.

The ordinance passed on first reading Tuesday, Nov. 14, designating four distinct activities of town interest including the site selection of major new domestic sewage treatment systems, major facilities of a public utility, arterial highways and interchanges, and mass transit facilities.