Hayden Master Plan

Hayden’s Master Plan is an advisory document intended to articulate the character and vision for the Town’s future as well as lay out the road-map for community growth. A Master Plan promotes the community’s vision and goals through policy and action items, addressing both current and future needs and providing a balance of orderly development with conservation. The Master Plan is a culmination of efforts, considering the Town’s past experiences while thoughtfully evolving into the future. Through community and stakeholder engagement, guiding principles and supporting policies and actions have been developed. While this plan is non-regulatory, it serves as an advisory framework for Hayden to preserve its character and enhance quality of life.

 

Guiding Principles were developed from community and stakeholder engagement summaries and themes. The three Principles encompass the values of the community and their desires for the future. The meaning behind each Guiding Principle is explained below.

Maximizing Economic Development

Economic resiliency is a critical component to a functioning society. Hayden has a high base of homeowners who support the Town, and this plan identifies how the Town can leverage the community to foster growth. Hayden’s regional accessibility offers a multitude of opportunities to capitalize on the unique offerings within the Town. Policies and action items outline how the existing residential, historic downtown commercial, natural resources and deeply rooted history can bolster the sustainability of Hayden’s economy.

Promote and Enhance Healthy Living

Hayden’s rich cultural heritage is deeply sown into the bedrock of the community. The policies within this Principle are inspired by the pioneering history of Hayden as well as the community’s desire to be forward thinking. Farming and ranching have been mainstays in the society, and this plan seeks to guide how these elements will transition with Town growth to maintain existing preserved agricultural land and promote new opportunities for local cultivation of food and goods. Recreation is another key component of healthy living and access to open space, parks and trail connectivity is a focus of this plan. Key components of healthy living are included as policies and actions to create a well-rounded community with available, attainable housing and access to public services.

Focus on Education

The community members of Hayden prioritized the need to advance the current educational opportunities and quality with a focus on youth as well as postsecondary learning. The obtaining and retention of quality teachers is a key challenge that is addressed in this plan with the goal of enhancing the educational quality for the community. Other opportunities are identified that relate to postsecondary education, multi- modal connectivity to schools and a variety of educational programming.
The Master Plan includes two key sections: (1) Policy Framework and (2) Economic Growth Framework. While each of the sections serves a specific purpose, they are intended to work together. The content and purpose for each section is defined below.

Policy Framework

Policy establishes the overall foundation for the Master Plan. This section includes policies and actions to support the Town’s vision relative to the three Guiding Principles. This section provides direction to Town staff and leadership in decision making.

Economic Growth Framework

This section includes area specific recommendations to promote the Town’s resiliency. Economic growth and future land use are included in this section.
Town Council and Administrative Staff use this guiding document purposefully often to ensure that we are focused on the right future for our neighbors. We invite everyone to learn more about where Hayden is going.