Colorado Office of Smart Growth

Master Plan and Land Use Code Update:
Strategies and Resources

Thinking about updating your master plan (sometimes called a comprehensive plan)? Considering updating your land use code?  Updating a land use plan and/or regulations takes a great deal of information, careful consideration, persistence, and focus.  The information below is designed to provide a sketch of the kinds of things you may want to consider, and direct you to a few resources.  In an effort to be brief, we have left out many of the explanatory details. Please feel free to call our office for additional information or advice.

Orientation and Overview

  • What is a master plan?

  • Where is your jurisdiction in the planning process?  What is driving the update? Growth? Economic development concerns?

  • What needs to be updated?  Master plan?  Land use code (i.e., the regulations that implement the plan)?  Ideally, a jurisdiction will update both documents simultaneously to ensure compatibility, although limited resources may prohibit this broader approach.

  • Ten Questions to Ask When Adopting or Revising a Master Plan
  • Legal requirements (e.g., compliance with recreation and tourism uses element mandated by HB 01S2-1006, notification requirements under HB 01S2-1020)
  • Related plans:  Three mile plan (C.R.S. 31-12-105(1)(e))? Annexation plan and/or policies? Capital improvement plan? Are there detailed elements you would like to focus on at the same time, such as an economic development plan, or a transportation plan?
  • Who are your partners?  Municipalities? County(ies)? School district? Federal landowner agencies? Chamber of commerce and local businesses? Neighborhood groups? Local special interest groups? Important community facilities (e.g., airport, hospital)? Others?
  • Funding issues:   How much does your jurisdiction have to spend on the update?  If you have little or no funding, what resources do you have? Prioritize what has to be done (e.g., you can adopt your plan in part, by area or district, or by taking on one or two elements at a time). 
  • Using Economic and Population Forecasts for Community Planning
Contracting w/ a Consultant
Resources Available from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA)

Demography Section
This section of DOLA tracks population trends around the state, information that is vital when attempting to plan for a community's infrastructure capacity and housing needs.  The section also provides economic base industry analyses for all areas of the state.

Technical Assistance Section, Local Government Services
This section of DOLA can provide reports for individual jurisdictions showing revenue and expenditure trends and other data sets useful for planning purposes.

State GIS Coordination
This section of DOLA coordinates GIS data.

Office of Smart Growth (OSG)
OSG acts as a clearinghouse for information and resources on a variety of land use issues. Staff is available to provide technical assistance to local governments and planning commissions, including Planning 101 workshops and other types of outreach training.

Community/Citizen Group Involvement

Paying for Growth in Your Jurisdiction

  • How do you want your community to grow?  How can you assist in that development? How will the development pattern of desired growth affect the community's infrastructure (e.g., water/sewer, roads, schools, etc.)?

  • Utilizing data provided from DOLA and others

  • Analyzing Financial Trends and Assessing the Impacts of Growth

  • Impact fees vs. excise taxes

  • School district approval of development

Best Practices Reports
Miscellaneous