Montrose, CO — In an effort to ensure the Montrose community's physical growth, development, and essential public services are strengthened for generations to come, City Councilors formally adopted the city's Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan Tuesday evening, setting in motion a community vision for the next 20 years.
The Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan serves as the city's guide for local decision-making on long-range planning, land use, development, policy, and capital improvements. This community vision sets goals and opportunities for growth and development with a 20-year vision and a 10-year focus on setting the groundwork to meet these goals.
The city began the Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan process in the spring of 2019 with the Existing Conditions Report.
In June 2019, the city hosted two community kick-off meetings, one in English and another in Spanish, to gather public input to help develop a shared vision for the future of Montrose. Residents who were not able to attend were given the option to submit feedback via online surveys.
Over the course of the summer and fall of 2019, eight community workshops were held, along with online surveys and an interactive online map, to gather additional public input and involve as many people as possible throughout this process. With the combination of public meetings and online input, the city collected a record amount of public feedback to use in the plan.
(Residents attend a community workshop at Columbine Middle School in June 2019.)
Topics included land use, transportation, housing, economic development, capital improvements, downtown, recreation and tourism, parks and open space, environmental concerns, and intergovernmental agreements with key local government and public services partners.
“Community members shared essential insights during the outreach process including what they love about Montrose, what they want to see change, and what the most important opportunities will be over the next 20 years. This public input is the foundation of the Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan, and we are looking forward to implementing these community goals, ” said Ann Morgenthaler, Deputy City Manager.
Following the public meetings, city staff worked with the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee to develop guiding principles, goals, objectives, and an implementation plan based upon input received from the community. This committee consisted of local residents, city staff, Planning Commission, and City Council. Over the course of the past year, city staff has worked on compiling all of this information and drafting the Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
"The Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan has been an exciting and rewarding project," said City of Montrose Senior Planner Amy Sharp. "The city would like to thank the many individuals who participated in the public process to help make this project a success. City staff, Planning Commission and City Council will use the Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan to help guide decisions for the future growth of Montrose for the next 20 years."
The City of Montrose adopted its first Comprehensive Plan in 1998 and then completed an update in 2008, with map revisions in 2012 and 2016. Municipalities typically update comprehensive plans every ten years.
According to data by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the population of the City of Montrose is expected to rise from 20,090 in 2018 to 32,420 in 2050. In comparison, the overall population of Montrose County is projected at 68,780 in 2050, up from 43,336 in 2018.
The Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan is available for download at CityofMontrose.org/CompPlan.
For other city news visit: CityofMontrose.org.