Montrose Gateways

The City of Montrose, located in southwestern Colorado, is a traditional agricultural and commercial center, with substantial potential to be an important gateway to nearby recreational opportunities. Located on highways leading to the Telluride Ski Area, the historic community of Ouray, and the Black Canyon National Park, Montrose has the opportunity to expand its tourist economy while maintaining and enhancing its traditional economic sectors. With development of this area as a roadway hub, attention needs to focus on the poorly controlled commercial and industrial development of its entry corridors. The Montrose Regional Gateway Corridors Plan provides recommendations for architectural design, site development, and landscaping standards, along with transportation and land use criteria intended to provide a more successful urban image and sense of arrival. At the same time, considerable attention was given to open space and viewshed protection, relating the community of Montrose to its adjacent natural and visual resources. The planning activity incorporated extensive community input through public meetings, and featured a design charrette to identify key areas for resource protection and visual enhancement.

Context

• Public Sector Planning & Urban Design