Northglenn council reviews draft Climate Action and Resilience Plan, seeks implementation feedback

Northglenn city council reviewed a draft Climate Action and Resilience Plan on March 3, with Sustainability Coordinator Mara Owen and consultant Sarah Kaye of Bridal Group presenting the plan, implementation priorities and public engagement results.

The plan sets a 25-year horizon with a net‑zero by 2050 goal and a five‑year implementation cycle. Kaye said staff and department focus groups narrowed more than 80 candidate actions to a “manageable” list of 20 priority actions that will be advanced over the next five years, and that staff assigned lead departments for each priority to avoid ambiguity about responsibilities.

The plan includes an equity commitment to allocate roughly 40% of plan benefits to disproportionately impacted communities, using Colorado EnviroScreen as the screening tool. Kaye described “benefits” broadly — staff time, program participation and funding — and said Colorado EnviroScreen was chosen because it is a state‑sponsored, multi‑metric indicator used by other regional organizations.

Council members asked for clarifications about public outreach and links to other city plans. Council member Kondo asked how many people attended the public open house; Kaye said seven people attended in person and three comments were submitted online. Council member Nowicki urged stronger emphasis on using existing light‑rail access in Ward 2 as part of mobility and first/last‑mile strategies. Several council members praised the cross‑check with the city’s strategic plan and suggested overlaying the Climate Action Plan with other city plans such as parks and rec materials to find synergies.

Kaye walked council through an implementation timeline: year one would focus on audits and laying foundations, years two and three on budgeting and pilots, years three and four on construction and larger projects, and year five on evaluation and course correction. She identified a shorter list of seven priority actions that are feasible to begin in year one and said most would not require major new budget allocations immediately.

Kaye named likely regional partners and funding sources for implementation, including the Regional Transportation District (RTD), Adams County, Xcel Energy, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). She urged council members to consider their role as connectors between staff and community during implementation and noted that the plan will include outreach materials for residents and businesses.

No formal action or vote was taken; staff said they will return in April to discuss adoption.

Ending — Next steps: Staff will refine the draft with council feedback and return in April for a formal adoption discussion. The plan’s implementation will rely on departmental leads, external partners and grant funding sources identified in the presentation.