Comprehensive planning is a process whereby a municipality works together to imagine an ideal future for the community. It focuses on the overall growth trajectory of the town as well as the vision and values of the people who live there.
Mountain View is an oasis in the Denver metro area. And it’s my belief that our residents wish this to continue. I hear frequently from community members who say they do not want traffic speeding through town, they do not want huge houses dominating the neighborhood, and they do not want to lose the peaceful, tranquil feel we all enjoy. What then, do we want?
It is critical that we come together to discuss and then strategically plan for our future.
The council plays the role in our town of the Planning and Zoning Commission. And in our Charter, the Planning and Zoning Commission, in addition to holding hearings relative to zoning and changes to zoning, is expressly given responsibility for preparing a Master Plan for the physical development of the town.
Any Master Plan (i.e., Comprehensive Plan) if it is to achieve its mission, must invite community input. That is a critical component of the process.
Community discussions of this nature are not always easy. People will have a variety of opinions and it is inevitable that these will conflict at times. But we must find the places where we largely agree, and work toward understanding, respect, and sometimes compromise where we do not largely agree.
In the first four months of my time as mayor, I have been impressed by this council’s ability to work out differences and to discuss complex topics. Each council member takes their role seriously. At this point in time, the council is discussing how best to move forward with the work of master planning. An outside consultant could be brought in, or we could do the work in meetings held for this express purpose. Regardless of how the council ultimately decides to go forward with updating the Master Plan for our town, community members will be given plenty of opportunities to share their input and comment on drafts of the plan.
Please watch for further announcements regarding community participation. We will need your voices and input! Thank you.
Contact Town of Mountain View mayor Emilie Mitcham at EMitcham@tomv.org.
