City staff and consultants presented the East Greeley Community Subarea Plan kickoff to the Planning Commission on July 22, outlining a public engagement program, an expected 12-month schedule and planning topics including river-corridor recreation, transportation connectivity, housing diversity and infrastructure capacity.

Doug May, Planner III with the City of Greeley, introduced the project and said the city contracted Rick Engineering to lead the planning work. Britt Palmberg of Rick Engineering described the public outreach approach, which includes an online Speak Up Greeley project page, a community open house on August 7, targeted stakeholder meetings, pop-up events in neighborhood commercial areas and a design work session in August. Palmberg said the team will run multiple engagement rounds through late 2025 and aim for final plan adoption around July 2026.

Palmberg and the consultant team described the subarea’s geography: it stretches from State Highway 392 to the South Platte River and from roughly Eighth Avenue to Weld County Parkway, incorporating the river corridors, areas east of downtown and near the UNC campus, the airport, and a mix of industrial, residential and semi-rural parcels. The current comprehensive-plan guidance largely designates much of the area as urban reserve; staff said the subarea plan will refine land-use guidance, look at placemaking near Eighteenth Street and First Avenue, and examine opportunities for employment near the airport.

The presentation flagged several planning priorities: exploring diverse housing types, identifying park and trail connections along the Poudre and South Platte rivers, improving east-west street connectivity and active-transportation infrastructure, evaluating utilities and service capacity for long-term growth, and engaging Spanish-language and youth audiences through community ambassadors. Palmberg noted the plan would consider agricultural preservation as one of several options for the northern portions of the subarea.

Commissioners asked about implementation tools and incentives for housing; staff said the planning department will coordinate with the housing and community services department to identify incentive tools, but formal incentive programs would be addressed later in the plan’s implementation stage. Commissioner comments emphasized that agricultural preservation and clear outreach about annexation rights would be important topics for residents in semi-rural parts of the study area.

Staff and consultants invited commissioners and the public to participate in the August engagement events and to use the project website to submit input.