Town of Fowler Community Vision

A vibrant and progressive community that serves as a center for the farming and ranching economy. The gateway to southeastern Colorado’s heritage that values its small-town atmosphere and has a commitment to education. Aggressively pursuing growth, the community has many amenities and prides itself in maintaining its historic heart, the main street, one that is walkable, and is a local and regional destination.

Town of Fowler Economic Development Strategy

Economic development is no longer tied solely to capital and labor but is now increasingly dependent on communication, high technology, and the free flow of ideas and creativity. The town of Fowler intends to capitalize on this new paradigm and become a leader in revolutionizing the economic development of Southeast Colorado.

The Town of Fowler is one of the communities along the Arkansas River Valley that is looking at alternative energy technology for the future. Alternative Energy is just one economic development method that Fowler is working with. Currently, the town is also working in other economic development arenas that are viewed as important — for the future of Fowler, the State of Colorado, and the United States.

As projects proceed, you will be able to get more information about them on this page, as well as the "News Center" page of the site.

Economic Development

Fowler's goal regarding standard economic development is to promote and advance the business prosperity and economic welfare of the region. To achieve and maintain the most reasonable, dynamic, and robust business climate in the Otero County community by aggressively pursuing all avenues of growth for new and existing businesses toward the goal of maximizing employment opportunities, tax base, and quality of life.

Natural Resources, Environment, and Conservation / Farms and Agriculture

Fowler is working to manage and balance the needs of environmental, economic, and land development objectives, as well as to balance the economic growth of the community with the preservation of one of our oldest existing institutions: the family farm or ranch.

Education and Training

It's important to prepare our youth and workforce for life and jobs in the new millennium. Towards that goal, the town is working with educators to prepare our youth and current workforce for new technologies and new paradigms.

Recreation, Entertainment, And Tourism

Recreation, entertainment, and tourism are all areas that have — until now — been fairly neglected in the economic development strategies of communities along the Arkansas River Valley. But with Fowler and other communities nearby being listed as Preserve America communities, a new focus on these areas has taken shape.

The goal of the town is to help provide opportunities to constructively occupy our youth, provide a wide array of leisure activities for adults, families, and seniors, and create a lively environment for enjoyment by residents and visitors alike.

Rocky Mountain Land Use Plan

Fowler is a vibrant and progressive community that serves as a center for the farming and ranching economy. The gateway to southeastern Colorado’s heritage that values its small-town atmosphere and has a commitment to education. Aggressively pursuing growth, the community has many amenities and prides itself in maintaining its historic heart, the main street, one that is walkable, and is a local and regional destination.

The Rocky Mountain Land Use Plan

The stakeholders of the Town of Fowler share a common vision to become one of the first sustainable communities, if not the first, in Colorado. Its hope is to grow while balancing the main principles of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social-cultural impacts. In Fowler, this means that as a community, we must grow while maintaining social equity, preserving our cultural and historical heritage, increasing economic development and job opportunities, and providing a diverse housing mix for all levels of income within the community.

What Is a Comprehensive Plan?

A comprehensive plan is an official public document that envisions and recommends general ways in which the planning area of interest should evolve in the future. For the Town of Fowler, the planning horizon extends over 27 years to a 2035 Comprehensive Plan.

The Town of Fowler’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan describes general background information on Fowler’s population, economy, and natural environment. Current conditions and trends are analyzed to provide a sufficient basis to consider future patterns. Current and predicted future trends then become the basis for goals, objectives, and policies that will guide future land use decisions.

The Town of Fowler’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan comprises two primary components: policy and maps. The policy component is then supported by three critical elements: goals, objectives, and actions.

Goals reflect the desires of residents and elected officials. Additionally, they set the stage for the development of a successful land use and community development decision-making process. Subsequently, objectives create the specific framework for addressing such goals. Finally, action-oriented policies describe specific activities to be accomplished within a specified time period.

The map component of the plan illustrates existing conditions as well as provides for location-based direction on future sustainable land use, economic development, and social and transportation decisions.

Why Plan?

The Town of Fowler has a vision for successful long-term growth, economic viability, and sustainability. In order to ensure that this vision is realized, we turned to the production of a Comprehensive Plan and related planning process. A comprehensive planning document can help communities, such as Fowler, address some of the primary reasons for this effort.

Putting Our Vision on Canvas

Local Decision-Making

Guides for Landowners and Future Development

Representation of Community Stakeholders

Through an engaged public planning process, the comprehensive plan represents a variety of voices and interests. This representation ensures that recommendations, opinions, and suggestions are heard as well as included in the community’s vision and goals.

With the inclusion of these interests and voices, the plan builds a strong constituency for ideas and recommendations included herein. Furthermore, it guides future development decisions for the community, such that they are based firmly on the goals of the plan and are supported by a significant representation of the community and its stakeholders.

With long-term growth in mind, the 2035 Plan will outline the community’s goals for future growth and provide direction for elected and appointed officials as they make critical decisions for the Town of Fowler in the years to come. Specifically, the Comprehensive Plan will give Town officials clear guidance with respect to their decisions affecting growth, annexation, land use and development, parks and open space, wildlife, the preservation of Fowler’s agricultural, historical, and natural resources, and the expansion of public facilities and services. Intended to be general in nature, the plan will provide a broad rational basis for regulatory implementation tools, land use decisions, and capital improvements that shape the physical development of Fowler.

Purpose of the Comprehensive Plan

The comprehensive plan is a guiding document that will serve as the Town of Fowler’s first officially adopted comprehensive plan. Because Fowler has fewer than 2,000 residents and is located in a county not subject to the requirements of C.R.S. 30-28-106, the Town is not required by the Colorado state statute to craft and adopt a comprehensive plan. However, going beyond minimum requirements, this plan has been developed in accordance with planning policy in C.R.S. 31-23-206, Master Plan.

How To Use the Plan

The Town of Fowler Comprehensive Plan 2035 serves as the vision for future land use and development in the Town, as well as for transportation needs, economic development, and community services. It should be used by the Town Administration when discussing projects with private developers as information and supporting documentation to guide the direction of future development that the Town envisions.