FAQs

The Elevate Erie Comprehensive Plan and Transportation and Mobility Plan (the Plans) are community-informed plans that provide guidance for Erie’s future. These plans provide policy guidance in many areas, including things like:

• Planning for orderly and sustainable growth and development  
• Anticipating major infrastructure and facility locations and needs (water, wastewater, schools, recreation, roads, trails, etc.)
• Identifying resource needs 
• Encouraging economic development
• Planning for future parks and open spaces
• Providing a connected, multimodal transportation network
• Improving safety for all ages and abilities
• Ensuring regional coordination
• Other areas impacting opportunity and quality of life in the community

The updated Plans help ensure that policies and programs reflect the desired vision of current residents and accommodate the challenges and opportunities associated with future growth.

The current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2005 and updated in 2015. When the 2005 Comprehensive Plan was adopted, the population of the Town was 10,418. Erie’s population has tripled in the last 17 years and the community now has over 30,000 residents. The community has different needs, priorities, and values. Although the Transportation Plan was completed more recently, in 2018, travel preferences and demand have changed significantly in Erie and regionally over the past 5 years. Due to the major social, economic, and physical changes associated with growth, the Comprehensive Plan and Transportation Mobility Plan are due for major updates. Updating these plans together allows land use and transportation to be coordinated and aligned.

Over the next 30 years, the State of Colorado's demographers forecast that the Front Range region's population will increase from about 3.3 million in 2020 to 4.4 million by 2050. The number of jobs in the area is forecast to increase from 2.2 million in 2020 to almost 3 million by 2050. Considering the exponential growth that Erie has already experienced over the last few decades, the Town of Erie is being intentional and thorough in planning for the future. 

There is a strong link between transportation, land use, housing, and many of the other topics that will be considered during the Elevate Erie planning process. Working on the plan updates together will enable the project team to look at issues, opportunities, and outcomes in a more coordinated, comprehensive way. In addition, there are many items that are common to both plans – existing conditions analysis, plan audits, project management, community engagement, etc. – so doing these plans together also provides for efficient use of Town resources.

This planning process is anticipated to be complete in late 2024. Throughout the process, there will be a wide range of ways to engage, from participating in online questionnaires to joining in-person open houses and other community events where you’ll have the opportunity to share your thoughts on the future of Erie. Sign-up on Engage Erie to stay up to date on this project.