Wellington sets hearing on draft growth plan

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

The Wellington Planning Commission will host an open house and public hearing on a draft of the town's updated comprehensive plan April 7, allowing both town residents and their rural neighbors to comment on where and how Wellington might grow.

The open house starts at 6:30 p.m. and a formal public hearing begins at 7:30 p.m. The planning commission meets in the Leeper Center at 3800 Wilson Ave.

The comprehensive plan sets boundaries for the town's growth management area and its community influence area, along with guidelines for future development.

About every five years, town leaders rewrite the plan - a document that attempts to forecast what the town could look like in 10 to 20 years in terms of residential and commercial development and other land uses. Wellington's current municipal boundaries encompass 3.6 square miles and the proposed growth management area takes in an additional 15 square miles. The draft plan, with color maps, is available online at www.townofwellington.com.

After adoption by the town board, the updated plan will be used by Wellington and Larimer County to put together an IGA (intergovernmental agreement), which will help the two entities work cooperatively on land-use issues in coming years.

Town Administrator Larry Lorentzen said the planning commission will collect both verbal and written comments on April 7 and then vote on adopting the plan May 5, unless commissioners call a special meeting in April.

Also in the draft stage is a parks and trails master plan prepared by a consultant over the past year. The planning commission will likely begin discussion of that plan in May.