2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 31 - GOVERNMENT - MUNICIPAL (§§ 31-1-101 — 31-35-712) › POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF CITIES AND TOWNS (§§ 31-15-101 — 31-35-712) › Article 23 - PLANNING AND ZONING (§§ 31-23-101 — 31-23-316) › Part 2 - PLANNING COMMISSION (§§ 31-23-201 — 31-23-227) › Section 31-23-206 - Master plan

(1)
It is the duty of the commission to make and adopt a master plan for the physical development of the municipality, including any areas outside its boundaries, subject to the approval of the governmental body having jurisdiction thereof, that in the commission's judgment bear relation to the planning of the municipality. The master plan of a municipality is an advisory document to guide land development decisions; however, the master plan or any part thereof may be made binding by inclusion in the municipality's adopted subdivision, zoning, platting, planned unit development, or other similar land development regulations after satisfying notice, due process, and hearing requirements for legislative or quasi-judicial processes as appropriate. The master plan, with the accompanying maps, plats, charts, and descriptive matter, must show the commission's recommendations for the development of the municipality and outlying areas.
(1.3)
(a)
When a commission decides to adopt a master plan, The commission shall conduct public hearings, after notice of such public hearings has been published in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality in a manner sufficient to notify the public of the time, place, and nature of the public hearing, prior to final adoption of a master plan in order to encourage public participation in and awareness of the development of the master plan and shall accept and consider oral and written public comments throughout the process of developing the master plan.
(b)
The commission shall follow the procedures in section 24-32-3209. For purposes of this section, any special district that supplies water to the area covered by the master plan is a neighboring jurisdiction as defined in section 24-32-3209 (1)(h).
(c)
For any master plan adopted after January 1, 2026, the commission shall consider the following, where applicable or appropriate, and any other information deemed relevant by the commission:
(I)
The applicable housing needs assessments published pursuant to section 24-32-3702 (1)(b), 24-32-3703, or 24-32-3704;
(II)
The statewide strategic growth report created pursuant to section 24-32-3707;
(III)
The natural land and agricultural opportunities report published pursuant to section 24-32-3708; and
(IV)
The Colorado water plan adopted pursuant to section 37-60-106.3.
(1.5)
The master plan must include:
(a)
A narrative description of the procedure used for the development and adoption of the master plan, including a summary of any objections to the master plan made by neighboring jurisdictions pursuant to section 24-32-3209 and a description of the resolution or outcome of the objections;
(b)
The most recent version of the master plan required by section 31-12-105 (1)(e) or a similar master plan for areas of potential growth within three miles of the municipality's existing boundaries and a description of how the municipality intends to integrate that plan into The master plan;
(c)
(I)
A water supply element developed in consultation with entities that supply water for use within the municipality to ensure coordination on water supply and facility planning. Nothing in this section requires the public disclosure of confidential information related to water supply or facilities.
(II)
The water supply element must:
(A)
Estimate a range of water supplies and facilities needed to support the potential public and private development described in the master plan; and
(B)
Include water conservation policies, to be determined by the municipality, which may include goals specified in the Colorado water plan adopted pursuant to section 37-60-106.3 and policies to implement water conservation and other Colorado water plan goals as a condition of development approval, including subdivisions, planned unit developments, special use permits, and zoning changes.
(III)
A municipality with a master plan that includes a water supply element shall ensure that its master plan includes water conservation policies at the first amending of the master plan, but not later than July 1, 2025;
(IV)
Nothing in this subsection (1.5)(c) supersedes, abrogates, or otherwise impairs the allocation of water pursuant to the state constitution or any other provision of law, the right to beneficially use water pursuant to decrees, contracts, or other water use agreements, or the operation, maintenance, repair, replacement, or use of any water facility; and
(V)
The department of local affairs may hire and employ one full-time employee to provide educational resources and assistance to municipalities that include water conservation policies in the water supply elements of master plans as required by this subsection (1.5)(c).
(d)
A strategic growth element that integrates elements of the master plan to discourage sprawl and promote the development or redevelopment of vacant and underutilized parcels in urban areas to address the municipality's demonstrated housing needs and mitigate the need for extension of infrastructure and public services to develop natural and agricultural lands for residential uses. The strategic growth element must include:
(I)
A description of existing and potential policies and tools to promote strategic growth and prevent sprawl;
(II)
An analysis of vacant and underutilized sites that:
(A)
Identifies vacant, partially vacant, and underutilized land near existing or planned transit or job centers that could be used for infill development, redevelopment, and new development of housing;
(B)
Assesses the general feasibility of the development or redevelopment of such sites for residential use based on existing and needed infrastructure, transportation capacity, access to public transit, and public facilities and services to serve such sites;
(C)
Describes the public benefits of the development or redevelopment of such sites to the municipality as an alternative to the development of previously undeveloped natural or agricultural land; and
(D)
In a manner that is consistent with the master plan, designates such sites for which development or redevelopment is deemed to be generally feasible for future uses that include residential uses in a manner that addresses the municipality's demonstrated housing needs at all income levels; and
(III)
An analysis of undeveloped sites that:
(A)
Identifies previously undeveloped parcels that are not adjacent to developed land, including existing natural and agricultural land, under consideration for future development, and, for a municipality in a metropolitan planning organization established under the "Federal Transit Act of 1998," 49 U.S.C. sec. 5301 et seq., as amended, land outside of census urban areas as defined by the United States bureau of the census;
(B)
Assesses the general feasibility of the development of such sites for residential use based on existing and needed infrastructure, transportation capacity, access to public transit, and public facilities and services to serve such sites; and
(C)
Describes the long-term fiscal impact to the municipality of the construction, ownership, maintenance, and replacement of infrastructure and public facilities and the provision of public services to serve development of such sites; and
(e)
The most recent housing action plan adopted by the municipality pursuant to section 24-32-3705.
(1.7)
(a)
A municipality with a master plan shall ensure that its master plan includes a water supply element and strategic growth element as required by subsection (1.5) of this section at the first amending of the master plan that occurs on or after January 1, 2026, but not later than December 31, 2026. The master plan of a municipality adopted or amended after December 31, 2026, must include a water supply element and strategic growth element as required by subsection (1.5) of this section. A municipality shall update the water supply element and strategic growth element as required by subsection (1.5) of this section no less frequently than every five years.
(b)
A municipality with a master plan is not required to include a strategic growth element if the municipality has not received funding to include the strategic growth element pursuant to section 24-32-3710 and either:
(I)
Has a population of twenty thousand or less and has experienced negative population change in the most recent decennial census; or
(II)
Has a population of two thousand or less.
(1.9)
The master plan may include, where applicable or appropriate:
(a)
The general location, character, and extent of existing, proposed, or projected streets, roads, rights-of-way, bridges, waterways, waterfronts, parkways, highways, mass transit routes and corridors, and any transportation plan prepared by any metropolitan planning organization that covers all or a portion of the municipality and that the municipality has received notification of or, if the municipality is not located in an area covered by a metropolitan planning organization, any transportation plan prepared by the department of transportation that the municipality has received notification of and that covers all or a portion of the municipality;
(b)
The general location of public places or facilities, including public schools, culturally, historically, or archaeologically significant buildings, sites, and objects, playgrounds, squares, parks, airports, aviation fields, military installations, and other public ways, grounds, open spaces, trails, and designated federal, state, and local wildlife areas. For purposes of this section, "military installation" has the same meaning as specified in section 29-20-105.6 (2)(b).
(c)
The general location and extent of public utilities terminals, capital facilities, and transfer facilities, whether publicly or privately owned or operated, for water, light, sanitation, transportation, communication, power, and other purposes and any proposed or projected needs for capital facilities and utilities, including the priorities, anticipated costs, and funding proposals for such facilities and utilities;
(d)
The acceptance, removal, relocation, widening, narrowing, vacating, abandonment, modification, change of use, or extension of any of the public ways, rights-of-way, including the coordination of such rights-of-way with the rights-of-way of other municipalities, counties, or regions, grounds, open spaces, buildings, property, utility, or terminals referred to in subsections (1.5)(c), (1.7)(a), and (1.7)(b) of this section;
(e)
A zoning plan for the control of the height, area, bulk, location, and use of buildings and premises. Such a zoning plan may protect and assure access to appropriate conditions for solar, wind, or other alternative energy sources, including geothermal energy used for water heating or space heating or cooling in a single building, for space heating for more than one building through a pipeline network, or for electricity generation; however, regulations and restrictions of the height, number of stories, size of buildings and other structures, and the height and location of trees and other vegetation shall not apply to existing buildings, structures, trees, or vegetation except for new growth on such vegetation;
(f)
The general character, location, and extent of community centers, housing developments, whether public or private; the existing, proposed, or projected location of residential neighborhoods and sufficient land for future housing development for the existing and projected economic and other needs of all current and anticipated residents of the municipality; and redevelopment areas. If a municipality has entered into a regional planning agreement, the agreement may be incorporated by reference into the master plan.
(g)
A plan for the extraction of commercial mineral deposits pursuant to section 34-1-304;
(h)
A plan for the location and placement of public utilities that facilitates the provision of such utilities to all existing, proposed, or projected developments in the municipality;
(i)
Projections of population change and housing needs to accommodate the projected population for specified increments of time. The municipality may base these projections upon data from the department of local affairs and upon the municipality's local objectives;
(j)
The areas containing steep slopes, geological hazards, endangered or threatened species, wetlands, floodplains, floodways, and flood risk zones, highly erodible land or unstable soils, and wildfire hazards. For purposes of determining the location of such areas, the planning commission should consider the following sources for guidance:
(I)
The Colorado geological survey for defining and mapping geological hazards;
(II)
The United States fish and wildlife service of the United States department of the interior and the parks and wildlife commission created in section 33-9-101 for locating areas inhabited by endangered or threatened species;
(III)
The Unites States army corps of engineers and the United States fish and wildlife service national wetlands inventory for defining and mapping wetlands;
(IV)
The federal emergency management agency for defining and mapping floodplains, floodways, and flood risk zones;
(V)
The natural resources conservation service of the United States department of agriculture for defining and mapping unstable soils and highly erodible land; and
(VI)
The Colorado state forest service for locating wildfire hazard areas.
(2)
As the work of making the whole master plan progresses, the commission may from time to time adopt and publish a part thereof. Any such part shall cover one or more major sections or divisions of the municipality or one or more of the foregoing or other functional matters to be included in the plan. The commission may amend, extend, or add to the plan from time to time.
(3)
(Deleted by amendment, L. 2007, p. 613, § 2, effective August 3, 2007.)
(4)
(a)
Each municipality that has a population of two thousand persons or more and that is wholly or partially located in a county that is subject to the requirements of section
30-28-106 (4)
, C.R.S., shall adopt a master plan within two years after January 8, 2002.
(b)
The department of local affairs shall annually determine, based on the population statistics maintained by said department, whether a municipality is subject to the requirements of this subsection (4), and shall notify any municipality that is newly identified as being subject to said requirements. Any such municipality shall have two years following receipt of notification from the department to adopt a master plan.
(c)
Once a municipality is identified as being subject to the requirements of this subsection (4), the municipality shall at all times thereafter remain subject to the requirements of this subsection (4), regardless of whether it continues to meet the criteria specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection (4).
(5)
A master plan adopted in accordance with the requirements of subsection (4) of this section shall contain a recreational and tourism uses element pursuant to which the municipality shall indicate how it intends to provide for the recreational and tourism needs of residents of the municipality and visitors to the municipality through delineated areas dedicated to, without limitation, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, cross country skiing, rafting, fishing, boating, hunting, and shooting, or any other form of sports or other recreational activity, as applicable, and commercial facilities supporting such uses.
(6)
The master plan of any municipality adopted or amended in accordance with the requirements of this section on and after August 8, 2005, shall satisfy the requirements of section
29-20-105.6
, C.R.S., as applicable.
(7)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no master plan originally adopted or amended in accordance with the requirements of this section shall conflict with a master plan for the extraction of commercial mineral deposits adopted by the municipality pursuant to section
34-1-304
, C.R.S.
(8)
The commission shall submit the master plan and any separately approved water supply element and strategic growth element to the division of local government in the department of local affairs. The division of local government shall review master plans and may provide comments to the commission.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 290,§ 3, eff. 5/30/2024.
Amended by 2022 Ch. 335, § 9, eff. 8/10/2022.
Amended by 2020 Ch. 82, § 2, eff. 9/14/2020.
L. 75: Entire title R&RE, p. 1147, § 1, effective July 1. L. 79: (1)(d) amended, p. 1162, § 10, effective 1/1/1980. L. 97: (3) added, p. 414, § 2, effective April 24. L. 2000: (1) amended, p. 874, § 2, effective August 2. L. 2001, 2nd Ex. Sess.: (4) and (5) added, p. 22, § 2, effective 1/8/2002. L. 2002: (5) amended, p. 1036, § 84, effective June 1. L. 2005: (6) added, p. 223, § 3, effective August 8. L. 2007: IP(1) and (3) amended and (7) added, p. 613, § 2, effective August 3. L. 2010: (1)(b) and (6) amended, (HB 10-1205), ch. 1078, p. 1078, § 3, effective August 11. L. 2012: IP(1) and (1)(k)(II) amended, (HB 12-1317), ch. 1206, p. 1206, § 13, effective June 4. L. 2020: IP(1) and (1)(d) amended, (HB 20-1095), ch. 332, p. 332, § 2, effective September 14.
This section is similar to former § 31-23-106 as it existed prior to 1975.
2022 Ch. 335, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).