Comprehensive Plan

The 2040 Plan 

An update of the current Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted in 2013, is underway.

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan (Plan) will outline the community's vision for the future through a framework of goals and policies that support a thriving and healthy community comprised of great neighborhoods. The Plan is meant to be a living document that is updated over time to respond to changing conditions and the evolving needs of the community.

The Plan is one of a group of long-term planning efforts to create the framework for the future of Westminster. Five plans were developed in association with the Plan and are integral to achieve the City's Vision: Parks, Recreation and Libraries Plan; Transportation and Mobility Plan; Sustainability Plan; Water Supply Plan; and a sixth project - Code Forward - to update municipal codes relative to development to ensure the goals and policies of the Westminster Forward plans are actionable relative to land development. All parts of the Plan, in conjunction with partner plans, work together towards the realization of the City's vision for the future.

A report was provided to City Council on the new Plan on June 1, 2020 to include an outline of the new Plan. A presentation was also provided to the Westminster Planning Commission on July 14, 2020. A progress report was presented to City Council on November 23, 2020. 

The Process

A community-focused process engaged the public through 2019 to solicit ideas and comments from Westminster residents and businesses. To read the summary of 2019 public engagement click here. To review the results of previous engagement in 2018 click here. 

Technical working groups will develop Plan content and periodic community engagement efforts will be held to get feedback on the draft Plan. Additional outreach in 2020 will be coordinated in consideration of COVID-19 protocols.

A meeting-in-a-box is currently available as an alternative. To request one, please email westminsterforward@cityofwestminster.us. Upcoming tasks include a fiscal impact analysis to inform the draft land use plan. The city will continue to review input from meeting-in-the-box participants while the fiscal impact analysis is underway. A subsequent round of community engagement is planned for Spring 2021 with the opportunity to review the draft plan. Once the draft has been refined, City Council will review the Plan and then formally adopt it. 

Guiding Principles

1. Thriving Community
   1. Distinctive city with a strong identity/Be bold, innovative, and different/Promote diversity and inclusiveness/Promote culture and the arts
   2. Vibrant community with a diverse, healthy economy/Resilient local economy/Financial sustainability
   3. Regionalism and changing trends/tech
2. Healthy Community
   1. Integrated parks and open space system/Embrace the outdoors
   2. Safe and healthy community/Be one of the most sustainable cities
3. Great Neighborhoods
   1. Well-designed, attractive neighborhoods/Distinct neighborhood pride
   2. Balanced housing mix/Leader in affordable housing
4. Managed Growth
   1. Strategically located mixed-use and transit-oriented development
   2. Multimodal transportation system/Connectivity, accessibility and safety
   3. Environmental stewardship and water resource management/Feasibility of infrastructure and service costs (water and sewer)
   4. Mature city/Infill and redevelopment opportunities

Neighborhood Units

The remaining land inventory in the city is dominated by smaller parcels bypassed by previous developments. New development typically begins with the initial site planning and subdivision design with cost and unit yield being critical considerations. The Neighborhood Unit concept provides a context for considering the appropriateness of new development within the existing neighborhood fabric. Neighborhood Units are primarily low density housing with a park or similar civic space as a focal point. Certain key edge locations may also support a mix of uses in cases where neighborhood services, infrastructure, and transit is available.

Plan Structure

The guiding principles of Thriving City, Healthy City, Great Neighborhoods and Managed Growth inform development of the entire plan with long term aspirations. Westminster Forward themes are the basis for the plan chapters. Under each theme are goals with broad statements to help realize the guiding principles and then under each goal are policies to establish direction to carry out the goals. Land use is just one policy within the plan to inform future decisions on growth. Actions to implement the plan are being identified through development of the plan but will reside in a separate implementation work program that can be revised and updated on a more regular basis. 

Involvement

The first phase of Westminster Forward kicked off with a series of events focused on the Comprehensive Plan from summer through winter of 2018. Key themes, findings and visual preferences identified by the public are reviewed in the Phase 1 and 2 Outreach Summary. Additional outreach activity from 2019 is summarized in the Phase 3 Outreach Summary.

Two reference maps have been drafted for the People, Places & Plans events in September and October 2019. These include a preliminary "Areas of Change" map that delineates nine "opportunity areas" in the city where most new development and redevelopment is anticipated to occur as well as identifying potential other locations of future change and current development projects already under going city review. A second map is a generalized framework for the next phase which is land use mapping. The generalized framework is meant to identify concepts for the future land use plan at a high level.

To view exhibits from the People, Places & Plans events in September and October 2019, click here.

To request a meeting-in-the-box, to host a small group exercise in your home or business or to provide input on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, please email westminsterforward@cityofwestminster.us.