Montrose, CO — City Councilors, along with members of the city’s Planning Commission, met online Wednesday evening for a special joint work session to review and discuss the ongoing 2020 Comprehensive Plan development process. The public was invited to attend via the Zoom platform.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Comprehensive Plan’s goals and objectives, which were developed over the course of the past two years based on public comment and input from the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee.
Councilors Roy Anderson Dave Bowman, Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, and Doug Glaspell met with Planning Commission members Phoebe Benziger, Jan Chastain, Greg Easton, David Fishering, Chad Huffman, Anthony Russo, and Karen Vacca.
The meeting, held at 6 p.m., lasted two hours and 10 minutes. The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
WATCH Wednesday’s meeting here.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN GOALS & OBJECTIVES PRESENTATION
Senior Planner Amy Sharp started the meeting with a recap of the city’s ongoing Comprehensive Plan process. The Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan is slated for completion later this year and will serve as a roadmap for community development moving forward.
The City of Montrose adopted its first Master Plan in 1961, then 1978, 1998, and 2008, with map updates in 2012 and 2016. Municipalities typically update comprehensive plans every ten years.
The community engagement process provides an opportunity to re-evaluate the community’s vision, goals, and priorities and address current conditions and needs.
Sharp said the purpose of the plan is to establish a community vision, set goals, and identify opportunities for growth and development with a 20-year vision and 10-year focus.
In 2019 the city held numerous, bilingual public workshops designed to gather as much feedback from residents as possible on a wide range of local topics.
It was discussed early in the meeting that the city would continue to work with local partners like Montrose County, along with other local, state, and federal partners to make the process collaborative.
Meeting discussions focused on housing and neighborhood development; transportation and mobility; land use and growth; infrastructure; parks, trails, and open space; health environment and public safety; and economy and opportunity.
The final principle focused on downtown, placing an emphasis on a "vibrant downtown, maximizing opportunities for businesses, improved safety, and enhanced quality of life, while also maintaining its character and historic viability."
With a focus toward incentivizing business development, historic preservation, public places and plazas, housing, and entertainment, Montrose downtown would continue to grow as the cultural hub of the community.
More information about the city’s Comprehensive Plan can be found here.
The entire meeting can be watched via the city’s YouTube Channel. Subscribe the channel to receive alerts to new videos and public messages.
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All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via on the city’s website and cable channels 191 for Charter subscribers and 970 for Elevate subscribers. Replays of council meetings are also broadcast at 6 p.m. on the same channels on days that council is not in session.
In addition, each regular meeting is archived on the City of Montrose’s YouTube channel.
Residents can watch all regular City Council meetings and work sessions live through the city’s website at CityOfMontrose.org/Video.
For more city news visit CityOfMontrose.org.