DENVER — Denver City Council approved two citywide plans Monday night that focus on creating a more inclusive, connected and healthy Mile High City.
Both Comprehensive Plan 2040 and Blueprint Denver were approved by city council.
Comprehensive Plan 2040 is a set of goals and recommendations that reflects the voice of thousands of Denver residents who shared their hopes, concerns and dreams for the city’s future. The plan sums up residents’ answers to the question, “What’s your vision for Denver?”
This document will serve as a guide to ensure that the community’s long-term vision will help inform decisions as budget season approaches.
The second approved plan, Blueprint Denver, is an integrated land use and transportation plan that focuses on creating complete neighborhoods and networks across the city. It also offers a measured approach for where growth should go and how it should fit.
Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department has started to implement recommendations from these plans. So far, that has included:
· Using zoning to improve residential design, protect historic neighborhoods and integrate cultural heritage and movements into the city’s preservation program
· Supporting the public works department in its updates to street-design standards for safer, greener and higher-quality streets and sidewalks
· Creating a citywide incentive for building affordable housing near transit
Mayor Michael B. Hancock said these plans will promote and ensure responsible and equitable growth in Denver.
“Tonight’s vote is the result of years of work and thousands of people getting involved to shape and create a more inclusive, connected and healthy city,” he said Monday. “These plans reflect the type of city our residents want Denver to be today and in the future. This is the community’s vision, and we look forward to continuing to partner with the community to implement their vision.”
City council’s action on Monday was the culmination of the Denveright planning process, a three-year effort involving extensive community engagement and feedback that challenged residents, organizations and local business owners to shape Denver’s future progress. The result of that was five interconnected citywide plans, which included both Comprehensive Plan 2040 and Blueprint Denver. These plans will guide the city for the next 20 years.
The other three plans include:
· Game Plan for a Healthy City (city’s parks and recreation plan, which requires city council adoption and will be reviewed in the coming weeks)
· Denver Moves: Transit (city’s first-ever transit plan)
· Denver Moves: Pedestrians and Trails (city’s plan for completing and improving sidewalks, street crossings and trails)
“Community Planning and Development is grateful to the thousands of community members who shared their voices and ideas, as well as the volunteers and staff who dedicated the last three years to creating this vision for the city,” said Jill Jennings Golich, interim executive director of Community Planning and Development. “We look forward to beginning the work of implementing these plans and continuing to work with the community to make this vision a reality.”
Prior to their approval, Comprehensive Plan 2040 and Blueprint Denver were unanimously approved by the Denver Planning Board and reviewed by City Council’s Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
