About the Plan

Planning Process Diagram

PURPOSE OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:

The Lyons Comprehensive Plan will provide the framework for decisions that affect the Town's physical, social and economic realm. Because the plan represents the goals of the majority of Lyons' citizens, rather than those of individuals or special interest groups, it provides a strong foundation for policy direction, land use decisions and public investments. It can also help the Town prioritize and direct resources to specific actions that will help achieve the community's goals.

THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WILL:

• Incorporate citizen views into a shared vision of the future
• Help us arrive at a future of our own choosing
• Provide policy direction and guide land use decisions
• Coordinate Town functions that are interrelated
• Help balance competing interests
• Promote orderly growth and economic health and
• Encourage regional cooperation and consideration of both the built and natural environment

WHO IS DOING THE UPDATE?

The six members of the Board-appointed Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC) are responsible for creating and adopting a Comprehensive Plan to guide the physical development of the community in a way that promotes the Town’s prosperity and well-being.  The PCDC is working with the Comprehensive Planning Team, which consists of the planning and engineering firm Civil Resources and the non-profit PlaceMatters to devise the plan.  Civil Resources will identify the community’s needs, integrate all of Lyons’ existing reports and plans (such as the Downtown Improvement Plan and the Sustainable Energy Plan) into the Comprehensive Plan, help devise strategies to implement the Plan.  PlaceMatters will facilitate the public input process and strive to ensure that the vision set forth in the Comprehensive Plan celebrates the diversity of our residents’ opinions and backgrounds.

THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROCESS

Strategic Planning

The Planning Team met with Town of Lyons Staff and the PCDC to gather background information and discuss their goals for the process.  The Team then analyzed existing Town documents for inclusion into the Comprehensive Plan (such as the Economic Development Council’s Report to the Board of Trustees, the Sustainable Energy Plan and the Parks Trails and Open Space Master Plan).  The Team is developing a “community portrait” to describe Lyons’ existing conditions and characteristics.

Community Input

Members of the Planning Team will:

• Facilitate three public workshops to learn what citizens want to see included in a roadmap for Lyons.  For example, how much should we encourage growth?  Where should we put housing?  How should we pursue strategies to put a brake on growth?  Would you like to see the Town identify more strategies for encouraging economic development?  If so, should the strategies focus on making downtown more of a stopping place for residents and visitors?  Would you like the Town to identify strategies for making walking, driving, biking or taking the bus easier?  These are all important questions that require public input to pursue the right path.
• Engage local school children and their parents in project to describe what makes Lyons special and unique.
• Distribute a community survey.
• Collect written stories, poems, songs, videos and photographs via the website and submissions to Town Hall to learn what makes Lyons vibrant and unique.

Writing the Comprehensive Plan

Civil Resources will compile all of the public input and information gleaned from existing documents and create goals, objectives, implementation strategies and maps.  They will also create a Comprehensive Plan Workbook that explains the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan; details how to implement the plan and measure the community’s progress; and designates responsibilities and key priorities.

Reviewing the Comprehensive Plan with Town Staff, the PCDC and Board of Trustees

Around the end of June, Civil Resources will post the draft Plan on the Comprehensive Plan website so that residents may review and e-mail comments on the Plan.  They will also facilitate two joint public workshops with the PCDC and Board of Trustees (tentatively scheduled for August 10th and August 24th) to review the draft Plan.  They will then revise the plan per the community’s comments.  The PCDC is tentatively scheduled to adopt the Comprehensive Plan on September 14th and the Board is tentative scheduled to ratify the Plan on September 21st.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

Why does Lyons have to do a Comprehensive Plan? The Colorado Revised Statutes states, "it is the duty and responsibility of the (planning) commission to make and adopt a master plan for the physical development of the municipality (C.R.S. 31-23-206)." The statue further states, "the plan shall be made with the general purpose of guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the municipality and its environs which will, in accordance with present and future needs best promote health, safety, order, convenience, prosperity and general welfare (C.R.S. 31-23-207)."

DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL AFFAIRS:
Please click below to read the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Master Plan Primer to learn more about Comprehensive Planning.