2010 HUERFANO COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Table of Contents Adoption Introduction History of Huerfano County History of Comprehensive Planning in Huerfano County Definition of “County” in the Comprehensive Plan Huerfano County Comprehensive Planning Process Development of the Huerfano County Comprehensive Plan Implementation of the Huerfano County Comprehensive Plan Amending the Huerfano County Comprehensive Plan Land Use and Growth Introduction Code of the West Goals and Policies Residential Uses Introduction Goals and Policies Economic Development Introduction Goals and Policies Public Facilities, Services and Amenities Introduction Goals and Policies Resources and Hazards Introduction Goals and Policies Comprehensive Plan Map Appendices Acknowledgements i INTRODUCTION History of Huerfano County Huerfano County is located in south-central Colorado. The first American settlers took up residence in the area during the 1850s, establishing ranches, farms and small, isolated communities along the Cucharas and Huerfano rivers. In 1861, the U.S. Congress established the Territory of Colorado and set the original borders of the County. One of the seventeen original Colorado counties, it encompassed over four million acres, stretching from the top of the Sangre de Cristos to the Kansas border. Then in 1867, the Territorial Legislature redrew the boundary lines of the County to their present configuration to include approximately 1,591 square miles. At that time La Veta, originally called Francisco Plaza, had been established for five years and the county seat was located at Badito, a small community near Gardner. However, the Town of Walsenburg (originally called Plaza de Los Leones) experienced rapid growth due to its location along major transportation routes and became the County seat in 1878. Huerfano County was named for Huerfano Butte, a small but prominent volcanic plug located about ten miles north of Walsenburg near the Huerfano River (Huerfano means orphan in Spanish). For centuries, Huerfano Butte guided travelers crossing between the plains and the mountain ranges to the west. The economic history of the County is rooted in agricultural production and mineral extraction. In the early years, livestock grazing, crop production and trade were the principal economic activities in the County. Then, in 1876, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway arrived in Walsenburg and La Veta and that same year the County’s first major coal mine opened. This resulted in significant population growth (nearly 17,000 people) and the establishment of coal mining support industries including timber cutting and saw milling for mine props. Coal production within the County peaked in the second decade of the 1900’s and then began to decrease following World War I and as natural gas and other energy sources began to supplement coal. By 1960, the County’s population had declined to less than 7,900 people and agriculture and the government sector began to emerge as the County’s economic mainstays. The population of the County was at a low of just over 6,000 people in 1990, but has since shown slow but steady growth. In 2007, the population of Huerfano County was estimated to be just over 7,800 people by the US Census Bureau. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, based on 2007 data, 77% of the employed residents are employed in the private sector by non-agricultural related businesses, 14% are employed by the Government and just 9% have agricultural related employment. History of Comprehensive Planning in Huerfano County A Comprehensive Plan is an advisory document to guide the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners in making land development decisions. Because issues and concerns change as time progresses and the County grows, the plan must be a dynamic document that is updated and changed as new circumstances and issues arise. The first Comprehensive Plan for Huerfano County dates back to 1963 when County officials adopted a Master Plan to help guide the future development of the County. In 1984, the County integrated the comprehensive plan and land use regulations into one document and adopted the Huerfano County Land Development Guide. This Guide was then updated in 1998 and 1999 (the Comprehensive Plan in 1998 and the regulations in 1999). The Huerfano County Comprehensive Plan serves as an advisory document to guide land use and development decisions while the Land Use Code is a unified document that includes zoning regulations, subdivision regulations, PUD regulations, a sign code, and other land use regulations. Definition of “County” in the Comprehensive Plan When the term “County” is used in this Comprehensive Plan document, it is meant to refer to all of the land, people, and resources that make up the unincorporated areas of the County. 2 Development of the Huerfano County Comprehensive Plan Colorado State Law (CRS 30-28-106) mandates Huerfano County’s Planning Commission to prepare and adopt a “master plan for the physical development of the unincorporated territory of the County”. This master plan is referred to in Huerfano County as the Comprehensive Plan. Huerfano County Comprehensive Plan Guiding Principle Huerfano County shall maintain the high quality of life that its residents enjoy by making land use decisions that protect the beauty of the natural environment and the County’s western heritage. In order to sustain the County, new development and redevelopment are desired as long as the new uses help meet the needs of the County’s citizen.A balance between economic vitality and rural character is essential to the way of life in Huerfano County. Land Use and Growth Introduction Huerfano County is primarily a rural county with an average of just 5 people per square mile. Approximately three-quarters of the entire land area is privately owned and the remaining land is publicly owned by the US Forest Service (San Isabel National Forest), the Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Parks (Lathrop State Park) and the State Board of Land Commissioners (they lease their land primarily for agricultural uses). According to the NRCS, about 77% of the County is rangeland/grassland, approximately 18% is forest, a little less than 3% is cropland (96% of which is irrigated land), 0.7% is barren or rock/talus slopes, 0.6% is riparian or water, and 0.6% is developed with residential or commercial uses. It is important to the residents of the County that these rural land uses be maintained to protect the beauty of the natural environment and preserve the County’s western heritage. However, the County will also continue to have a diversity of other land uses including residential, commercial and industrial, to support the County’s residents. While some growth is desired, rather than seeing a lot of population growth, the citizens of the County would like to see growth take the form of redevelopment that brings in new businesses and industries to better support and meet the needs of the existing residents. In addition, new growth should be sustainable. The intent is to find a balance between economic vitality while maintaining rural character in order to preserve the natural environment and high quality of life that the residents treasure. Goals and Policies GOAL LG.1: ENCOURAGE A RANGE OF LAND USES WITHIN THE COUNTY. Policy LG.1.1: Strive to maintain low impact agricultural uses in the County. Policy LG.1.2: Accommodate residential, commercial and industrial land uses in the County. Policy LG.1.3: Encourage the provision of open space in the County for preservation or recreational purposes. 3 Policy LG.1.4: Support efforts made by the State or Federal governments to continue to fund and otherwise support public lands. Policy LG. 1.5 Ensure continued public access to public lands within Huerfano County and work to obtain access where it is not presently available. GOAL LG.2: PLAN FOR GROWTH THAT MINIMIZES AND ADDRESSES ANY IMPACTS ON THE COUNTY Policy LG.2.1: Ensure that new development under the jurisdiction of the County is appropriately located with adequate access to utilities and services. Policy LG.2.2: Encourage orderly growth to occur in and around existing incorporated and unincorporated towns. Policy LG.2.3: Encourage the preservation of large, agricultural and undeveloped parcels to allow the continued use of those properties for agricultural and open space purposes. Policy LG.2.4: Encourage developers to design their proposed projects in a manner that will protect scenic views and existing development from encroachment by conflicting land uses. Policy LG.2.5: Support new developments that protects air and water quality as required by State and Federal regulations. Policy LG.2.6: It is a policy of Huerfano County to ensure to the greatest extent possible and allowed by law that new development will pay its own costs and not place new fiscal burdens on the County or existing residents. Policy LG.2.7: It is the policy of Huerfano County to ensure that new development or land use changes not cause traffic, maintenance, or structional impacts to existing or planned roads beyond the fiscal capacity of the County to alleviate these impacts. Policy LG.2.8: The County may consider for public dedication roads that meet current county design and construction standards that minimize future maintenance costs and maximize safety. GOAL LG.3: FOSTER POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE TOWN OF LA VETA AND CITY OF WALSENBURG REGARDING LAND USE AND DEVELOMENT AROUND THEIR COMMUNITIES. Policy LG.3.1: Establish Intergovernmental Agreements with the Town of La Veta and the City of Walsenburg in regard to land use and development around their communities. RESIDENTIAL USES Introduction The majority of existing residential uses within the County are within the towns of Walsenburg and La Veta and in the unincorporated communities of Cuchara and Gardner. When it comes to future residential uses, the County shall take steps to make sure most future unincorporated residential development locates 4 within the Urban Growth Areas around these incorporated and unincorporated communities.