Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question:  What is the purpose of this planning effort? 

Short Answer: In short, the purpose of this planning effort is to establish a detailed “Three-Mile Plan” for the Town of Lyons. Municipalities in Colorado are authorized by the state to create “Three-Mile Plans” – which focus on properties just outside of the town limits that intrinsically have an increased potential for annexation. In fact, these plans are actually a requirement of the Colorado Revised Statute (C.R.S. 31-12-105 et. seq.) Additionally, this planning effort is based on and guided by the goals and objectives of the Town of Lyons 2010 Comprehensive Plan. 

Additional information can be found here

Question: What is the legal basis for this planning effort?

Short Answer: Municipalities in Colorado are authorized and encouraged by the state to create “Three-Mile Plans” and these plans are a requirement of the Municipal Annexation Act of 1965 (C.R.S. Sections 31-12-101 et. seq.) Generally, no annexations of new territory to a city or town may take place that would have the effect of extending a municipal boundary more than three miles in any one year.  As set forth in the Act, prior to the completion of an annexation within this three-mile boundary, each city or town is required to have a “plan in place” for these areas, which are commonly referred to as “Three Mile Plans”.   Rather than planning for a typical three mile radius around the Town of Lyons, the planning area that is the subject of these efforts is the Lyons Primary Planning Area (LPPA) – the boundaries of which were established in the Intergovernmental Agreement between Boulder County and the Town of Lyons in 2012.
Additionally, the impetus for the LPPA Master Plan effort stems from the 2010 Comprehensive Plan, which states:

This [plan] presents an opportunity to reexamine Lyons’ planning area and the land use map to determine where there is land available for development and what form it should take, to create strategies to spur economic development and to offer a new vision that incorporates new residents’ ideas and helps the community to arrive at a future of its own choosing.

Additional information can be found here

Question: Will the final recommendations and conceptual illustrations be used to update the current 2010 Comprehensive Plan?  If so, will it replace the recommendations presented therein?

 
Answer: The recommendations that stem from the LPPA Master Plan will supplement the 2010 Comprehensive Plan and carry out some of the strategies that were originally identified in that document. Elements of the LPPA Master Plan will not replace recommendations presented in the current Comprehensive Plan, but rather provide more detailed direction regarding desired improvements in the LPPA – details that are currently lacking.

Question: How will the LPPA Master Plan be used?

Answer: Final recommendations resulting from this effort may be used for a variety of purposes, including: to provide small area plans that will supplement the 2010 Comprehensive Plan and to inform members of the Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC) and Board of Trustees of stakeholder intentions regarding desired land uses and development patterns in the LPPA - particularly when considering requests for annexation. Recommendations will serve to advance several objectives and actionable items identified in the 2010 Comprehensive Plan (see specific initiatives identified here LINK TO LONG ANSWER Q2).

In essence, the LPPA Master Plan will serve as a tool which will inform future annexation and development requests in the Area. However, before properties in the LPPA can become part of the Town of Lyons, the land uses and design recommendations for these parcels must be established in accordance with the Town of Lyons 2010 Comprehensive Plan, Lyons-Boulder County Intergovernmental Agreement ("IGA"), Lyons Recovery Action Plan, Lyons Municipal Code, and other such documents.

This process will identify opportunities and constraints, as well as create an illustrative land use vision in the Primary Planning Area ("PPA") to guide future growth and development.