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CHAPTER
II
INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE
AND INTENT
FUNCTION
The primary purpose of this document is to function as
the overall guidance document of the County Master Plan
for the Tri-Lakes Planning Area. It should be relied on
by the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners
for guidance, direction and expectations concerning broader
land use planning issues including growth management,
compatibility, land use equity, property rights, and service
standards. A secondary purpose of this Plan is to provide
a framework to take into account the individual character
of the Sub-Areas within the overall context of the Plan.
It
is intended, where possible, that this Plan balance various
interests within the overall boundaries of the Planning
Area. Interplay between the Town of Monument and the Town
of Palmer Lake are key to a balanced community. Transitions
to the areas bordering the Planning Area, including the
Pike National Forest, the United States Air Force Academy,
the City of Colorado Springs, the Black Forest Preservation
Area, and Douglas County, also play an important role
in the balance between community expectations and future
land use.
APPLICABILITY
This Plan will apply primarily to those unincorporated
areas where the County has land use authority. However,
it should also serve to enhance cooperative planning processes
and decision-making between the aforementioned municipalities
and federal installations, and neighboring counties.
EFFECT
Upon adoption of the 2000 Tri-Lakes Comprehensive Plan
Update by the El Paso County Planning Commission, the
effect of this document is to supersede The Tri-Lakes
Comprehensive Plan (which was adopted in 1983) as
an element of the El Paso County Master Plan.
LEGAL
AUTHORITY
Pursuant to state statute (C.R.S. 30-28-101 et. seq.),
it is the duty of the County Planning Commission to make
and adopt a comprehensive for the unincorporated County.
While the statutes clearly recognize the essential role
of the master plan, it is considered advisory and not
legally binding upon the land use decisions of the County.
PROCESS
AND APPROACH
COMMITTEE
AND SUBCOMMITTEE
The process and approach used to develop this plan were
comprehensive and participatory. They are summarized in
Figure I-1 below. The Board of County Commissioners began
this process in 1996 by advertising for and appointing
a broadly representative 44-member Citizen's Advisory
Committee ("CAC Committee") to actively assist
in the preparation of this Plan. One of the Committee's
first actions was to appoint a number of working subcommittees
to do much of the initial drafting in collaboration with
staff. The Subcommittees were comprised of volunteer Committee
members along with one or two County representatives.
Throughout the planning process, the Board of County Commissioners
and Planning Commissioners were provided with quarterly
reports concerning progress and key issues. Their basic
direction was to take as much time as needed to do a thorough
job, including addressing potentially controversial subjects.
MEETING
AND INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS
The Committee generally met twice each month throughout
the two and a half-year period, culminating in the approval
of a final draft in 1999. An overall vision statement
was adopted, the 1983 Plan was review, maps were updated,
and issues of concern were identified and mapped. The
issues and Plan organization was further refined as the
process moved forward. The Committee realized early in
the process the necessity of several working Subcommittees
to examine in more detail some of the more complex and
controversial issues. The Subcommittees met weekly over
the period necessary to consider the topics and associated
issues. They reported back to the Committee for input
and consensus while drafting the topical sections. Draft
topical sections were then provided to the Committee for
final comments.
While
some meetings focused on Committee education and establishment
of a working schedule and format with which to address
pertinent issues, the majority of meetings were devoted
to developing the Tri-Lakes Plan. Staff provided background
and preliminary issue identification for each topic. Often
outside specialists were brought in to share their expertise
and perspectives. Staff then prepared an initial draft
of each policy section for the committees to review. Meetings
were devoted to considering the issues, formulating goals
and objectives, and developing consensus. Each section
included components addressing background, issues, goals,
and objectives. More complete topical sections were brought
forward from the Subcommittee to the Committee for discussion
and eventually given interim approval. Often, the sections
went back and forth between the Committee and Subcommittee
several times as input was received. In many cases, draft
sections were also provided to outside individuals, interested
residents, agencies, and Planning Division staff for
their review and comment which were then considered by
the Committee for incorporation into the Policy Plan.
The
12 individual Sub-Area of the Tri-lakes Plan were written
by the Committee members that represented that area. The
Sub-Area are unique and the corresponding Sections are
intended to represent the individual character and more
singular opportunities and constraints of these areas.
In the two area were there was no representation, (Smith
Creek and West Monument Creek) the Planning Division
staff updated the Sub-Areas from the 1983 Plan.
SOURCE
MATERIALS
The existing Tri-Lakes Comprehensive Plan (1983) and 1997
El Paso County-wide Land Use Policy Plan were the primary
sources upon which this document is based. Other documents
referenced in drafting the goals in objectives of the
Plan include the Black Forest Preservation Plan, the 1992
Douglas County Mater Plan, the 1997 Monument Open Space
Implementation Plan (US Forest Service), The El Paso County
Parks, Trails and Open Space Master Plan, and the USAFA
AICUZ Plan.
PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION
The Committee itself was structured to be representative
of Tri-lakes. Public input and participation was identified
as being critical to the process. There were a number
of attempts at general public outreach during the Plan's
formulation. These included periodic progress reports
to the local media. All committee meetings were open to
the general public. A more concerted public outreach effort
was undertaken once a draft of the Plan's executive summary
was completed. As part of this effort the Committee conducted
a general public meeting on January 14, 1999. Numerous
copies of the Plan were made available in several locations
within the Planning Area, the Plan was posted on the County's
Internet Web Page, and copies were made available to the
individual public for a nominal fee. There was a 45-day
public review period at which time comments were received
by the Planning Division. These comments and the Committee's
recommended changes to the Plan will be included in an
appendix.
APPROVAL
PROCESS
In the end, most of the draft language was agreed to by
consensus. Final editing and proof reading of the interim
draft was accomplished by a special subcommittee and a
consultant hired for this purpose.
PLAN
ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
MISSION
STATEMENT
The operative part of this Plan begins with a Vision,
Citizen Goals, and Plan Mission. These operating principles
are intended to represent the basic underpinnings of the
Plan. The Committee periodically referred back to these
essential points for guidance and to verify their continuing
viability.
DEFINITIONS
In recognition of the fact that policy interpretation
will present a difficult challenge in future situations,
a great deal of emphasis was placed upon defining terms
for use in this document. These terms are all included
in the Glossary of Terms and noted as they appear in this
Plan.
PLAN
SECTIONS
The ten topical sections identify their interrelationship
within the overall land use planning process. Each of
the sections begins with a vision statement, guiding principals,
a brief background summary followed by issue statements
and corresponding goals and objectives. It should be recognized
that some overlap is unavoidable when this kind of organizational
approach is applied as land use issues do not always neatly
fall within one discrete category. The twelve Sub-Areas
then internalize the topical sections and identify any
individual issues, opportunities or constraints particular
to them.
HOW
THE PLAN SHOULD BE USED
MARKET-ORIENTED
APPROACH
This Plan was developed with the expectation that it will
be used actively and continuously. However, it is important
to understand that many of the actual applications of
this Plan will be tied to actions initiated through the
private market. It will be largely up to developers and
property owners to come up with the land use ideas and
proposals which can then be evaluated against this document.
However, there will be many instances where the County
may more proactively go about implementing this Plan.
For example, this Plan will be relied upon for guidance
in decisions concerning County land uses and infrastructure
as well as the development of new and amended regulations.
RELATIONSHIP
TO OTHER PLAN ELEMENTS
This document is meant to be used in conjunction with
the El Paso County-wide Land Use Policy Plan. They
should be relied upon for specific land use guidance or
direction within the context of the subjects they address.
The 2000 Tri-Lakes Comprehensive Plan Update should
be used for more specific guidance, to ensure equity and
consistency across the Planning Area and as a source of
direction for land use decisions. In some cases, there
will be a challenge involved in reconciling the community's
planning expectations included in this document with the
more region-wide but equally important perspectives contained
in the County-wide Land Use Policy Plan. In such cases,
the 2000 Tri-Lakes Plan Update, as stated in the
County's Master Plan, shall take precedence.
HOLISTIC
APPLICATION
The applicable objectives in this document should be considered
and applied comprehensively rather than singularly. Most
development proposals will naturally be consistent with
some objectives while inconsistent with others. The appropriate
approach is to evaluate all of the relevant objectives
and then make a land use decision with respect to overall
vision and consistency based upon a preponderance of the
objectives within this Plan. It is not the intent of this
Plan to prescribe a hierarchy of objective statements.
Rather, the significance of particular goals and objectives
derives from their utilization as part of the land use
decision-making process and their application to specific
land use proposals and issues.
AMENDMENTS
This Plan cannot address all possible land use eventualities.
As areas of oversight or confusion are identified, or
parts of the Plan become dated, it should be amended.
However, amendments should not be taken lightly or accomplished
in isolation. The amendment process should be careful,
inclusive, and comprehensive enough so that the basic
integrity of this product and process is preserved. The
implementation section of this document contains the recommendation
that this Plan be comprehensively reviewed and updated
every five years. The expectation is that this process
of comprehensive updating will be both intensive and extensive.
However, the hope is that this Plan will have served well
enough to make updates a limited effort when compared
with the scope of preparing this effort.
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