What is C3 Vision? Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Comprehensive Plan?
A Comprehensive Plan is truly a “blueprint” that provides guidance on where and how the community will grow in the next 20 years. Comprehensive Plans typically consist of maps, policy statements, and goals and objectives addressing a number of issues relating to growth, housing, economic development, transportation, environment, parks and open space, aesthetics, community character, and historic preservation and conservation.
The primary emphasis of the document is to provide long-range guidance to property owners, citizens and decision makers on land use issues, such as where residential, commercial and industrial development should occur in the future, and at what densities.
What is this plan about?
The “C3 Vision” plan will be the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Commerce City and will consist of maps, policies, goals, and strategies. It will be a “blueprint” for how the city should grow and build its future over the next 20 years.
The plan will address a wide range of topics to plan for the future relating to:
- Community Sustainability
- Land Use
- Healthy Community
- Housing
- Transportation and Circulation (general policies, with link to Transportation Plan)
- Community and Cultural Facilities/Tourism
- Community Appearance and Design
- Economic Development
- Community Fiscal Sustainability
- Redevelopment
- Public Services, Facilities, and Infrastructure
- Natural Resources
- Open Space and Recreation
Once adopted, the city will use the C3 Vision Plan as a guide for their land use and public investment decisions.
Who is leading the effort?
The planning team consists of city staff from various departments and consultants.
Consultant Team: Through a competitive bid process, the city hired a consultant team to help work with the community, provide maps and materials, and assemble the draft plan. The lead consultant for the comprehensive plan is Clarion Associates, located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Clarion is a firm that works with local governments to prepare community plans. Also part of the team is BBC Research in Denver Colorado, to prepare economic development analysis, and FHU, to prepare the transportation plan.
See Project Contacts on the website for more information.
Why is Commerce City doing this plan?
This plan will help us grow into the future we want and thoughtfully address future needs for housing, economic development, transportation, commercial and retail development, parks and open space, and other community benefits.
This plan allows the city to coordinate to plan for efficient services and development.
This plan will help to ensure that existing taxpayers (you) do not foot the entire bill in the future for unplanned growth.
How can you get involved?
The planning team, consisting of consultants and staff, will guide development of the plan. We can not do it without the help and feedback and ideas from a variety of sources, including:
- Property owners and residents,
- Interested stakeholder groups,
- Business owners,
- City Council and Planning Commission,
- The county and other agencies,
- Service providers (safety, water, sewer, energy, schools, etc),
- Neighborhoods,
- Youth, and
- All others who participate in this process.
Meetings and other events will happen throughout the project. Please read more under the Get Involved section and check the Events Calendar for upcoming meetings. Send us comments by mail or through this website.
How long will it take to create the C3 Vision plan?
The planning process for C3 Vision is beginning in August 2008 and is expected to be completed in fall 2009 for the Comprehensive Plan (with the Transportation Plan completed in February 2010).
Community involvement is crucial to the development of the C3 Vision plan, particularly in assessing future goals, policies, and land use choices. Providing ample time for community involvement and review of different stages of the plan is a reason why this project will continue through 2010.
Is this plan regulatory?
No, the Future Land Use Plan map, which will be a major component of the C3 Vision plan, is not the same as zoning regulations and does not change existing zoning or standards. The Land Use Plan map can be a “blueprint” for future development decisions and looks at the big picture of how land uses should be mixed and located.
While the Future Land Use Plan is not a regulatory document, in order for it to be effective, future zoning and re-zoning should be amended to be consistent.
After adoption of the C3 Vision Plan, the city will consider whether codes and criteria and the zoning ordinance need to be amended.