Englewood council to consider scope of comprehensive plan update

Englewood City Council will consider three approaches Nov. 2 to update its 2017 comprehensive plan, including how to add water-supply and strategic-growth elements required by state law by Dec. 31, 2026. Staff recommends completing at least the required elements and is asking whether the council wants a broader update, the staff memo and options comparison say.

The lowest-scope option would add the two required elements as appendices without revising the rest of the plan. The comparison table lists no additional cost and estimates four to six months to adoption. Staff says the city’s existing Water Efficiency Plan could support the water-supply element.

A targeted supplemental update would resume work begun in 2024, add selected updates and include public outreach. The table estimates 12 to 18 months; outreach and engagement could cost up to $35,000, depending on scope. A full replacement would create a new plan with broader engagement and is estimated to cost $150,000 to $200,000. The packet gives differing estimates for that option’s timeline, ranging from 18 to 30 months.

Colorado law requires covered local comprehensive plans to include water-supply and strategic-growth elements by Dec. 31, 2026, with updates at least every five years. The state’s Department of Local Affairs says compliance affects scoring and prioritization for 34 funding opportunities, but is not a basic eligibility requirement or a reason to withhold funds. Separately, the law’s grant-priority provision for grants primarily serving land-use planning or housing takes effect Dec. 1, 2027.

The Nov. 2 session is listed as a study session for “Information and Direction,” not a council vote. The packet does not explain how its comparison table’s first-quarter 2027 schedule for the strategic-growth element, or its four-to-six-month estimate for the appendix option, fits the state deadline.