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Carbon County adopts updated comprehensive plan and greenways, trails and open-space plan
Summary
The Carbon County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a 16-month comprehensive plan and a parallel Greenways, Trails and Open Space plan after a presentation from the plan project manager; the documents were advertised and cleared by the county planning commission and will move to implementation.
The Carbon County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted to adopt two planning documents shaping housing, outdoor recreation, infrastructure and placemaking across the county.
Tim Staub, project manager for the county’s comprehensive plan and the Greenways, Trails and Open Space plan, told commissioners the 16-month process included discovery, outreach at pop-up events and a planning commission review. Staub said the documents were advertised and posted on the county website as required by the Municipalities Planning Code and that adjoining counties and local municipalities were provided copies for review.
“The plans have an overarching vision and theme chapters with goals and objectives, plus implementation tables and suggested grant and loan sources,” Staub said. He summarized key findings: housing stock loss in some areas as second‑home purchases pushed prices up; childcare costs that have risen (Staub reported a 12 percent increase overall and up to 40 percent for single parents over five years); and strong local use of recreational assets — about 60 percent of facility users come from within 50 miles, the presentation found.
Commissioners said the implementation tables and suggested leads for projects will help prioritize limited county staff and funding. The board recorded two motions to adopt the comprehensive plan and the greenways plan and approved both.
The plans include implementation guides, an implementation table with priorities and timelines, and a suggested list of grants and agencies to lead tasks. Staub said the Greenways and Trails plan emphasizes being connected, protected and plentiful and seeks to link recreation goals to tourism and local quality of life.
The commissioners noted the plans’ focus on regional coordination for infrastructure and on tools to kick‑start implementation rather than simply producing another advisory document.
The measures were adopted by roll call: Commissioner Arner, Commissioner Notestein and Commissioner DeFranco voted yes on both adoption motions.
The county planning commission had reviewed and recommended forwarding the documents for adoption. Next steps identified in the meeting include preparing final contract and implementation steps and continuing targeted outreach with municipalities and fire companies where respondents asked for regional approaches.
