Carbon County adopts comprehensive plan and Greenways Trails and Open Space Plan

The Carbon County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt the Carbon County Comprehensive Plan and the Greenways, Trails and Open Space Plan following a presentation by the plan project manager.

Tim Staub, the project manager for the planning effort, told commissioners the two documents were developed in parallel over a 16-month process that began in January 2024 and included targeted outreach outside traditional public meetings. "This process started back in January 24. It was a 16 month process, and, hey. We're right on schedule," Staub said during the presentation.

The plans organize priorities into theme chapters rather than long statutory text, Staub said. The comprehensive plan highlights four primary themes — housing, outdoor economy, infrastructure and placemaking — and the greenways document emphasizes goals such as connectedness and protecting recreation assets. Both documents include implementation tables that list suggested lead organizations, priority levels, timelines and potential grant or loan funding sources to help move recommendations into action.

Staub said outreach included pop-up events at fairs and targeted meetings because traditional public meeting attendance is lower than before the pandemic. He also said the county and local municipalities were provided copies for review and that the plans were advertised and posted on the county website "as required by the municipal planning code." He told the board the county planning commission has reviewed the documents and recommended they move forward to adoption.

Commissioners moved and seconded two adoption motions and recorded affirmative votes for both actions. The county will now move toward implementation steps identified in the plans and to the grant and funding leads listed in each implementation table. The documents remain available on the county website for public review, Staub said.

The presentation and adoption followed findings discussed by the consultant that included localized housing demand differences across the county, a net loss of housing stock in some areas after outside buyers purchased properties, and rising childcare costs — Staub said childcare costs increased about 12% for typical families and up to 40% for single parents over five years. The consultant also noted that tracking of cell-phone data showed about 60% of people using county recreational amenities live within about 50 miles, indicating heavy local use of tourism and recreation resources.

Next steps identified in the presentation include using the implementation tables to prioritize actions, seeking identified grants and loans, and designating lead agencies or municipalities to begin projects. The consultant said suggested timelines and funding sources are included in the plans to support early implementation.

Votes at a glance: The board adopted two motions to approve the Comprehensive Plan and the Greenways, Trails and Open Space Plan; both motions were recorded as approved by the commissioners present.