Master Planning in Eagle County is conducted by the Community Development Department, and involves a public process that encourages input from government officials, resource management agencies, service providers, special interest groups, involved citizens and others. Public meetings and workshops are held, surveys conducted, and advisory teams made up of local stakeholders are assembled for projects that can take as long as three years to complete. The Eagle County Planning Commission is solely responsible for the implementation of the planning process and for the adoption of master plan documents. The Board of County Commissioners provides staff and budgets for this important work.

Master plans are guiding documents only, and are not regulatory in Eagle County. They provide a community vision for the future based on public opinions, anticipated needs, an analysis of existing conditions, a study of trends and projections, and an assessment of related opportunities and constraints. Master plans typically provide lists of goals, objectives, policies and action items that define discrete targets or strategies necessary to reach the community vision. They are used by planners, developers, service providers, elected and appointed officials and citizens for a variety of planning purposes.

The Eagle County Comprehensive Plan is the overarching document that provides general goals and policies for the entire county on the topics of governance, development, economics, housing, infrastructure, and natural resources. The plan was most recently updated in 2005, and is available at:

 2005 Eagle County Comprehensive Plan 
 2005 Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map

Within the comprehensive plan there are sub-area plans (referred to as “Area Community Plans”) that are developed for eleven separate geographic areas within the county. Sub-area master plans are more focused than the comprehensive plan, and include area specific goals and policies and detailed Future Land Use Maps (FLUMs) to help guide land use and infrastructure decisions. The following sub-area plans are available:

 Dotsero Area Community Plan 
 Edwards Area Community Plan and Map
 Edwards Design Guidelines 
 Wolcott Area Community Plan 
 Eagle Area Community Plan and Map 
 Mid Valley Area Community Plan 

There is also a set of special master plans that exist outside of the Comprehensive Plan that deal with specific topics or operations of importance. They include:

Eagle County Regional Airport Master Plan
Eagle County Comprehensive Housing Plan
Eagle River Watershed Plan
Eagle Valley Regional Trails Plan
Mid Valley Trails Plan and Map
Open Space Master Plan

Master plans are living documents, and should be updated every 10 to 15 years, or as conditions warrant.

Hard copies of Eagle County master plans or copies on disk are available for purchase through Eagle County Community Development Department.

 $35 for a printed copy 
 $5 for a copy on CD
 Free download above 

For more information please contact Cliff Simonton at 970-328-8751, or clifford.simonton@eaglecounty.us