Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On June 23, 2020, at 6 p.m. Gilpin County conducted the second meeting in a series of virtual community workshops and surveys for the County’s first ever Comprehensive Plan. Upon completion, the Gilpin County Comprehensive Plan will replace the County’s existing Master Plan. Originally adopted in 1987, the current Master Plan has been updated three times over the past 30 years – in 1992, 2008 and minor changes in 2017.

The second community survey is available now to help develop a vision for Gilpin County’s future. The consultant team bringing these workshops to Gilpin County have experience in land use, research and public engagement. 

Phase 1 is project initiation, management and research. Phase 2 is “establishing a vision,” which began on May 5 and included a meeting with the commissioners and this workshop itself. Today, June 23, is Phase 3 and is meant for developing plan elements such as land use, transportation, capital improvements, with public engagement again. Phase 4 looks forward to grant money for the hazard mitigation plan, historic preservation plan and an update to the open space plan. Phase 5 includes more public engagement with a formal report and adoption by the board of commissioners.

In addition to the May 5th and June 23rd workshops, and the first of three community surveys, multiple additional meetings and other opportunities for engagement will be available throughout the effort. This comprehensive planning effort is made possible by a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Please visit www.GilpinCounty.org/CompPlan to learn more and get involved.

A comprehensive plan helps to create some predictability for business, transportation and land use through changing times. Analyzing existing conditions was done in the first step and from that the group helps form visions and goals. Finally, implementation of the plan is done with public participation as a top priority.

The first survey closed on June 1 and received 358 responses, a statistically significant number for the size of the county. The number one answer that people ranked as their priority was to “develop a clear land use plan for zoning and development.” 

The draft vision statement is: “Gilpin County aspires to sustain high-quality, mountain living through the preservation of natural resources and rural community values while intentionally balancing opportunities for economic diversification and resiliency.”

A live poll recommended further refinement of the vision statement. Questions from residents were fielded during the meeting using the easy “raise your hand” function on Zoom.

One question posed the concern that over half of the county is public land and is unmanageable and how that isn’t reflected in the plan. The consultants responded that the county could collaborate with government entities for the recreational access to these public lands.

There are three scenarios for socioeconomic development thus far, one being the “status quo,” which seeks to retain slow and limited commercial development but with basic services while maintaining low sales taxes. The second is the “middle path” with denser residential development and more commercial services. The third scenario relates to “substantial growth” with dense development but in the right places which allow for more business diversity. 

The second survey seeks to answer the question, “What does a diversified economy look like in Gilpin County? Is it more brick-and-mortar type businesses, offering more community services, or catering to home-based workers? Is it capitalizing the opportunities to monetize some of the outdoor recreation occurring here? Or is it maybe just attracting some essential businesses like banks, grocery and health care?”

The consultants emphasized that this plan needs to be reflective of what the community needs, and the more the public engages, the more suitable the plan.

The final workshop will be held online July 14, 2020, and can be accessed via Gilpin County’s website.

(Originally published in the July 2, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)