Commissioners adopt Carbon County comprehensive plan and greenways/trails plan

The Carbon County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt two planning documents prepared for the county: the Carbon County Comprehensive Plan and the Carbon County Greenways, Trails and Open Space Plan.

The plans, prepared through a 16-month process that began in January 2024, were presented to the commissioners by Tim Staub, the project manager for the effort. Staub said the work included a discovery and outreach phase, envisioning, development of implementation guidance and an implementation table listing funding sources and suggested leads for each action. "We prepared 2 planning documents for the county...we're right on schedule," Staub said during a summary presentation to the board.

The plans identify four priority themes for the comprehensive plan—housing, outdoor economy, infrastructure and placemaking—and corresponding goals and objectives. Staub said the Greenways and Trails plan frames its themes as connected, protected, plentiful and celebratory of the county's recreational assets. He told commissioners the documents include implementation tables, timelines, suggested lead organizations, and lists of potential grants and loans to help start projects.

Key findings Staub highlighted: housing demand varies by geography and the county has lost housing stock in parts of the last decade; childcare costs have increased (he summarized recent local tracking as roughly 12 percent for some families and up to 40 percent for some single parents over five years); and recreational amenities see heavy local use, with his team’s cell‑phone data indicating about 60 percent of visitors come from within 50 miles.

Staub said the plans were advertised and posted on the county website as required by the Municipalities Planning Code, reviewed and recommended by the county planning commission, and distributed to adjoining counties and local municipalities for comment. He also said implemention guidance includes model approaches and examples from other counties and municipalities.

After the presentation the board moved and approved two separate adoption motions: one to adopt the Comprehensive Plan and one to adopt the Greenways, Trails and Open Space Plan. Commissioners recorded affirmative votes and the documents move into the implementation phase as the board and staff pursue prioritized actions and grant opportunities.

The plans’ implementation tables assign suggested lead entities and identify near‑term funding opportunities; Staub said the documents are intended as actionable roadmaps rather than solely regulatory texts. The county website hosts the full drafts and staff encouraged public review and comment as the county moves to implementation.

The board’s action formally places both documents into the county’s planning record and authorizes staff to begin the recommended implementation steps and grant pursuits listed in the plans.