In an increasingly built-out Denver Metro Area, the City of Westminster focused their new Comprehensive Plan on re-defining the city’s growth strategy from greenfield development to infill, redevelopment, and densification. Westminster is challenged with continuing to provide high-quality amenities such as parks and trails, while anticipating transit extensions and providing affordable housing, and celebrating the city’s historic character and social diversity.

The updated plan incorporates themes that focus on increased housing variety and densities, additional economic and financial resilience, targeted redevelopment, and sustainable land use practices that mitigate impact on the city’s limited water supply and infrastructure capacities. The plan requires mandatory compliance with any development applications, thus elevating the plan from advisory to regulatory.

The Comprehensive Plan was developed in conjunction with the city’s first Sustainability Plan, first citywide Transportation and Mobility Plan, and updated Water Supply Plan to provide a single interface for resident and stakeholder participation.

Westminster was one of the first cities in the Denver Metro Area to proactively plan land use around their water supply capacity. The water demand analysis of the updated land use categories ensures that future land uses will meet the needs of the community while still being able to adequately provide water.