Monument adopts growth and downtown plans in 4-3 vote

Monument Town Council adopted the Monument 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Master Plan on Nov. 2 in a 4-3 vote, setting policy direction for growth and downtown improvements over the next 10 to 15 years. The council approved Resolution No. 78-2026. Mayor Pro Tem Steve King and Councilmembers Sana Abbott and Kenneth Kimple voted against the plans.

Two community representatives, Haley Chapin of Tri-Lakes Cares and Terri Hayes of the Tri-Lakes Chamber, spoke in favor. Resident Danny Ours raised concerns about how public comments were solicited and about meetings being held in the downtown district on Monument’s west side rather than its east side. The meeting minutes summarize Ours as believing that the presence of two council members suppressed public participation. The council requested that his written testimony be included in the public record; his letter was attached to the meeting packet. Mayor Mitch LaKind asked staff to hear and take residents’ concerns seriously during the town’s review of Title 18.

The comprehensive plan sets broad direction for land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure and economic development. The downtown plan gives more specific guidance on development character, public spaces, circulation, parking, historic identity and phased improvements. The plans are policy guides, not approvals of specific projects or rezonings: illustrations do not authorize construction or change property zoning, and future code changes and development proposals require separate reviews. The comprehensive plan update must be adopted by Dec. 31 under the terms of its state grant, staff said in an October memo.

Planning Department staff recommended approval of both plans. The Planning Commission later recommended approval by a 6-0 vote on Oct. 14, the Town Manager’s October report says.

Earlier written feedback reflected 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 plans’ underlying approach and questioned higher-density housing and larger-scale redevelopment downtown. Commissioner Valerie Baumer questioned how higher-density housing recommendations fit with the plans’ growth goals and limits on building scale. Commissioner Daniel Tucker called for more attention to water-supply planning and the potential costs of infrastructure expansion. These were comments and recommendations, not council findings. The written feedback also includes Vice Chair Corey Petersen’s support for the plans.