City staff and councilors spent substantial time on Sept. 29 discussing whether and when to update the city’s 2020 comprehensive plan. Staff recommended a full public refresh (the sort of multi‑month, community‑engagement process that produces a new future land‑use map) about five to seven years after adoption and told council the city does not have capacity to fund and execute a full update in 2026.

Council direction and timing: Several council members said a major update in 2027 would be appropriate. Council asked staff to prepare a prioritized list of narrow, short‑term amendments that should be considered before a full refresh—specifically those driven by newly mandated state requirements or by grant‑eligibility concerns. Staff highlighted three items likely to surface in the next year because of state law changes: a housing needs assessment/housing action plan (for which the city has grant funding), a required water‑supply element, and future guidance on a new state growth plan element. Staff said those elements will need to be folded into the comp plan to remain compliant with state requirements as guidance from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs becomes available.

Policy vs. code and budget connections: Council members asked whether policies in the comp plan were already effectively being implemented—or enforced—through more specific documents such as the land‑use code, transportation engineering standards, TEDS (transportation and engineering design standards), or master plans. Staff said the comp plan is aspirational and directional; policy becomes a requirement only when its language is translated into code, ordinances or engineering/design standards. Multiple councilors said they wanted clarity on where the comp plan’s language had created unexpected obligations or implied mandates that drive project cost increases, citing examples such as multimodal requirements and “complete streets” language that can affect project scopes and budgets.

Next steps requested by council:
- Staff should return with a short memo identifying any comp‑plan language that creates legal or grant eligibility problems (e.g., elements that risk making the city ineligible for specific grants), and with a prioritized list of items that could reasonably be amended before a full update.
- Staff should present the strategic plan and proposed 2026 budget next week; council and staff will use those priorities to narrow what to address ahead of a 2027 comprehensive update.

Why it matters: The comp plan shapes long‑range development expectations, the future land‑use map and the city’s policy direction. Council members emphasized that community engagement must be broad and intentional for any full update and that tactical clarifications now should avoid undercutting staff workload or creating unfunded mandates.

No formal amendments were approved at the Sept. 29 workshop; council members agreed to a process for more detailed review and to revisit edits once staff provides the requested memo and the council adopts the strategic priorities driving the 2026 budget.