Arapahoe County planning staff presented an updated sub‑area plan for Byers, Colorado, during Tuesday’s study session. The briefing summarized background research, community outreach and draft recommendations; the presentation was informational and did not require board action.

Why it matters: The 2003 Byers sub‑area plan is more than two decades old; county planners revised the future land‑use map, updated goals and policies and added an implementation matrix designed to make the plan more actionable. The plan’s recommendations will guide rezonings, infrastructure referrals and project reviews in the Byers planning area.

Key findings and outreach: County staff said the plan update uses a 2045 planning horizon and relies heavily on community input. The project team ran three public surveys — including a youth and a Spanish‑language survey — and received 115 survey responses. Staff also held an open house at the Kelver Library (November 2023) and convened an advisory committee that included the Byers Water and Sanitation District, Byers School District and Byers Park and Recreation District. Planners said the community repeatedly asked that the town’s small‑town, rural character be preserved; staff used local history as a tool to better define that character in planning terms rather than rely on vague descriptions.

Problem parcels and zoning cleanup: Planners highlighted a subdivision called Byers Own (created 1970) of 347 lots that was platted as a mobile‑home park; only one mobile home is presently occupied. The parcels are largely outside the local water and sanitation district; planners are uncertain about current water rights for the parcels. A cluster of parcels in and near the subdivision still carry an obsolete flood‑plain (“F”) zoning designation even when much of that acreage is not in the current mapped 100‑year floodplain. Staff told the board the plan will provide alternatives for owners and begin a process to retire obsolete zoning districts across the county; planners emphasized rezoning would be a separate, owner‑by‑owner process after plan adoption.

Draft recommendations and schedule: The draft plan adds a new mixed‑use category and refines the future land‑use map, reorganizes the plan into ten chapters and appends a historical overview. Planners said the implementation chapter summarizes actions across transportation, utilities, housing, economic development, open space and parks, and identifies potential “champions” (county departments, districts or community groups) to carry actions forward.

Next steps: staff said the second open house will be held at the Kelver Library on Oct. 2, followed by a four‑week public review and referrals. The planning commission public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18 and the Board of County Commissioners public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 9. Staff will continue outreach to property owners (a trust owns roughly 92% of the 347 lots in Byers Own) and county departments to refine recommendations.

Ending: County planners said the draft plan is primarily a policy and implementation framework to guide future rezonings, infrastructure work and community‑led initiatives; adoption will not itself rezone parcels but will enable future, case‑by‑case rezoning work in coordination with property owners and district partners.