Park County is seeking input on an updated use plan, and it has recently launched a website for residents of the county to provide their input. 

The Park County Land Use Plan was adopted in September of 1998 and has been used ever since. In September 2021, the county began soliciting bids for a firm to help the county develop an updated, more relevant land use plan. 

The goal of the updated plan is to preserve the county’s historic background, while accommodating new growth and development. The expectation is the plan will be developed with as much input as possible from the community.  

The county is working with Clarion Associates, a national land use consulting firm. The firm will meet monthly with the county commissioners and planning and zoning committee to update them on the process. 

This month, the county put together a Land Use Plan Advisory Committee, and now the goal is to get community input.  

Darcie White, Clarion Associates director, said serving on the committee isn’t the only way community members can get involved. 

“There can be a sense of ‘If I’m not on a committee, how do I weigh in and where is my voice heard,’ and I think the answer is there are a lot of ways for folks to weigh into the process,” White said. 

White said Park County residents can take the Vision and Values Survey and participate in community and stakeholder meetings. 

Through April 30, residents can take the survey at the recently launched Plan Park County at www.planparkcounty.us. The site gives people the opportunity to learn more information and sign up for the newsletter. 

Through the survey the committee can determine who is and isn’t participating, resident concerns, what individuals value about Park County and people’s visions for Park County in the future. 

“This is really intended to be a broad sweep. We want everyone we can to participate to do so. This really will set the stage for the visions and goals of the updated land use plan,” White said.

The Plan Park County Process is broken up into five phases and is currently in phase 2, inventory and analysis. The goal of this phase, which began in March and will run through June, is to establish a baseline of the major trends and key issues that will influence Park County over the next 10 to 20 years. It also aims to assess the existing policy and regulatory basis for an updated use plan.