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Colorado Sprawl
Action Center's A Project of CoPIRG Written
by: Unless otherwise credited, photos taken by John Fielder, courtesy of the Sprawl Action Center. Table
of Contents |
Comprehensive
Planning - 1
Comprehensive Plans are long-term county and city plans that state goals,
designate land uses, and may delineate future growth areas. Plans should be
developed with citizen involvement and incorporation of citizen input. Once
approved, plans should be binding with force of law and changeable only under
specified criteria.
Impact
Fees - 2
Allowing municipalities and counties to use impact fees to offset impacts
and costs of development (ie. utility, water, and school services) that would
otherwise be shouldered on the taxpayers. In other words, growth pays its
own way.
Open
Space Protection and Funding - 3
Various private and public entities, such as land trusts, or tools, such as
tax referendums, can be used to protect open space. Strategies include, purchasing
the fee title to the land, purchasing the development rights, or negotiating
conservation easements.
Affordable
Housing - 4
Smart growth should also include programs that promote the availability of
viable housing options for moderate, low, and very low-income residents.
Planning
Future Growth Areas: Urban Growth Boundaries and Contiguity - 5
Urban Growth Boundaries delineate areas within which urban level development
would be allowed, outside of which it would not. Contiguity requires that
communities grow from the center out.
Designing
Livable Communities - 6
Setting specific deign criteria for future developments can impact the way
a community functions and grows. Such criteria can include pedestrian walkways,
minimizing building setbacks, curbside parking, smaller driveways, etc.
Directing
Growth Through Incentives - 7
Local government can encourage development in certain target areas through
a number of incentives such as, expedited processing of applications, reduced
or waived fees, more flexible zoning, etc.
Intergovernmental
Agreements (IGA), Regional Planning - 8
Agreements between neighboring local governments on development and growth
plans can result in a better planned region and better planned communities.
Rural
Lands Protection - 9
Protecting rural lands can be achieved through several measures. Several of
the more common measures include "clustering" developments or the use of transferable
development rights.
Planning
for Public Services- Concurrency – 10
Concurrency is the requirement that public facilities be provided at the time
of completion of a planned development. It encourages development in areas
with existing utilities and alleviates the tax burden of providing services
to new developments.
Transportation
Planning - 11
Comprehensive transportation planning that includes multi-modal transportation
options creates a better community. Plans would include stated vision goals,
have demonstrated citizen involvement and incorporation of citizen input,
set priorities, and provide guidance for funding mechanisms.
Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
