Planning and Zoning Commission recommends Longmont Transportation Mobility Plan to City Council, 7-0

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend the general concept and intent of the City of Longmont's 2025 Transportation Mobility Plan to City Council.

The vote followed a presentation from Phil Greenwald, the city's transportation planning manager, who described the plan as a 25-year, policy-level document built from public engagement and earlier policy work such as Envision Longmont. Greenwald said the planning process included "1,350 touch points" with residents and stakeholders and a story map and a full plan PDF totaling more than 100 pages. He told the commission the plan prioritizes safety, improvements to walking and biking, and transit investments and that staff will present the TMP to council on March 4.

Why it matters: the TMP sets policy priorities and project lists that will guide the city's Capital Improvement Program, funding requests, and future code and design-standard updates. Commissioners said they supported the plan's goals but emphasized that policy adoption should be followed quickly by targeted code changes and implementation steps so the commission can properly evaluate projects that come before it.

Commissioners questioned staff about how the plan would translate to zoning and permitting. Greenwald said the TMP is intended as the policy umbrella: "this plan will focus on getting some of those design standards done as well," and acknowledged that additional code amendments and design standards will be needed to give the commission and staff "some teeth" when reviewing development proposals.

Key plan points presented by staff included: prioritizing sidewalk gap-filling and upgrades by tiers tied to transit access and proximity to destinations; expanding protected and buffered bike lanes and neighborhood bikeways; improving regional and local transit frequency and stops (including existing microtransit service, which Greenwald said has provided "over 10,000 trips since December 9"); and pursuing Vision Zero collision-reduction actions. Greenwald said bus rapid transit projects with funding are expected in 2027 and that the plan emphasizes using state and regional funding sources in the near term.

Commissioners raised implementation questions the plan does not itself resolve: how to reconcile existing municipal code with TMP aims (parking minimums, drive-throughs and similar uses), how to sequence code and CIP changes, and how to measure progress. Greenwald noted the TMP includes monitoring indicators and that additional, measurable targets (including crash reduction metrics) will be addressed through the upcoming Vision Zero work.

The commission's action and next steps: Commissioner Polan moved to recommend the TMP to City Council; the motion was seconded and adopted by roll call, 7-0. Greenwald confirmed staff will take the TMP to City Council on March 4. Commission members asked staff to return with follow-up items, including potential code amendments, design standards, and a dashboard to track plan implementation and project timing.

The commission's discussion also reiterated equity priorities in the plan: prioritizing projects in areas with higher concentrations of low-income and zero-car households and seeking to connect new development to the citywide multimodal network. Staff said the TMP includes recommendations on bicycle parking, wayfinding, curbside management for microtransit and pickups, and e-bike policies, and that implementation will rely on a mix of local budget and leveraged state/regional grants.

Votes at a glance: - Motion: "That the Planning and Zoning Commission formally recommend the general concept and intent of the 2025 Transportation Mobility Plan to City Council for adoption." Outcome: approved 7-0 (roll call). The plan is scheduled to be presented to City Council on March 4.

Commission members who spoke during the TMP discussion included Chair Hite; Commissioners Earl, Poland, Saunders, Jordan, Lang, Boone and Pollan. Phil Greenwald represented city staff.