Monument staff recommends approval of growth and downtown plans
The plans would guide growth and downtown improvements over the next 10 to 15 years, but would not approve projects or rezone property. Commissioners are scheduled to consider them Oct. 14.
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Monument planning staff is recommending approval of two plans to guide the town’s growth and downtown planning over the next 10 to 15 years. The Planning Commission is scheduled to consider them at a continued public hearing Oct. 14, before a planned Town Council review Nov. 2.
The current drafts are dated Oct. 9 for the Monument 2040 Comprehensive Plan update and Oct. 8 for the Downtown Master Plan. The comprehensive plan would set broad direction for land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure, economic development and other town priorities. The downtown plan offers more specific guidance on development character, public spaces, circulation, parking, historic identity and phased improvements. Staff says the drafts incorporate technical, mapping, terminology and graphic revisions made after earlier feedback, and recommends approval of both plans.
The plans are policy guides, not approvals of specific projects or rezonings. Concepts in the drafts—including illustrations of possible downtown redevelopment—would not authorize construction or change property zoning. Later code changes, development proposals and public investments would require their own reviews. The draft materials in the meeting packet describe future work such as density standards and downtown design guidance.
Written comments in the packet reflect disagreement over how to balance redevelopment with Monument’s historic, small-town character. Resident and downtown business owner Jodie Bliss argued that preservation should shape the plan’s underlying approach, not just its renderings, and questioned whether higher density and larger-scale redevelopment belong downtown. Commissioner Valerie Baumer raised concerns about reconciling higher-density housing recommendations with the plans’ goals for lower-to-mid-density growth and limits on building scale. Commissioner Daniel Tucker called for more attention to water supply planning and the potential costs of infrastructure expansion. These are comments and recommendations, not Commission findings or decisions. The written feedback also includes Vice Chair Corey Petersen’s support for the plans as presented in September.
At the Sept. 9 hearing, the Commission voted 7–0 to continue consideration to Oct. 14 and asked commissioners to submit comments; it did not recommend approval or rejection at that hearing. The draft minutes record the continuation vote.
Staff expects the Commission’s recommendation and related materials to go to the Town Council on Nov. 2. The comprehensive plan update must be adopted by Dec. 31 under the terms of its state grant.