Elbert County launches Comprehensive Plan 2045 with emphasis on community engagement

Consultants from Kimley‑Horn and county staff introduced the Elbert County Comprehensive Plan 2045 to the Planning Commission, outlining an 11‑month process centered on community engagement.

The presentation said the plan will be a guiding, non‑regulatory document that frames land‑use policy and county priorities for the next 20 years and that community input will shape the final recommendations according to Colorado state statute requirements for documented outreach.

Blake Young of Kimley‑Horn described the schedule and public‑engagement approach. Young said the project team is 3–4 months into work and will use a project website, a public survey, pop‑up events (including the county fair and Elbert Day festival), a series of open houses and roughly 10 steering‑committee working sessions. Inez Galmish was identified as deputy project manager for the contract team.

Young said the consultative role is to advise county staff and the Board of County Commissioners and to consolidate residents’ input into a draft vision, goals and future land‑use plan. He called the plan a living guide and said it will be finalized as the Elbert County Comprehensive Plan 2045.

Commissioners asked about steering‑committee membership, survey safeguards, youth participation and whether consultants can preserve a rural character while allowing targeted growth. The consultants said commissioners each recommended up to five members to the steering committee with a goal of keeping the committee to about 15 members to avoid unwieldy meetings; the team recommended that roughly 40 percent or more be county residents and said survey questions will ask respondents to identify whether they are residents, visitors or other categories.

On survey integrity, Kimley‑Horn said IP addresses would be used to identify potential repeat submissions but that the survey would not restrict responses by IP address because multiple household members may legitimately respond. Young said the team recommends allowing teens to participate (15 or older), and the team will publicize events at libraries and to school boards to reach younger participants.

Commissioners asked for examples of comparable rural comprehensive plans; Young cited recent work in Fernley, Nevada, and Kiowa (a nearby town) as examples of planning that identified growth areas while seeking to preserve community character.

Young said the first full draft of the comprehensive plan is expected in early 2026; the consultants said updates to zoning or development regulations would be a separate, later effort decided by the Board of County Commissioners and could involve additional firms with zoning or form‑based code expertise.

The presentation closed with a request for ongoing commissioner and staff participation in outreach and steering‑committee activities.