Gov. Jared Polis, joined by Democratic allies at the I-25 and Broadway Light Rail Station, on Tuesday announced a “vision” that borrows from past plans on transportation and affordable housing.

Dubbed “Vision 2035,” the plan focuses primarily on the Front Range, where 85% of Coloradans live, with a nod to previously announced plans for mountain rail to Steamboat Springs and Craig.

When pressed, Polis declined to put a dollar figure on the “vision,” saying it’s about “how we do more with the way we plan and build.” It’s also not immediately clear how the governor would pay for the plan.  

The “vision” outlines a familiar approach to urban planning embraced by Democrats — one that favors clusters of housing near transit systems, part of a larger push to minimize the use of cars and curb emissions.

In practice, that approach can be glimpsed in Denver, which has turned car lanes into bike lanes, and in the “15-minute city” idea, which envisions a community where employers, shops, schools, medical care, and recreation all lie within a 15-minute walk, bike or bus ride from where residents live.

Supporters said the approach will ensure a sustainable future, while opponents are widely skeptical about “density” as a cure-all and about rapid transit as a means to enable that. 

Polis told reporters on Tuesday that Vision 2035 expresses the state’s aspiration on livability, sustainability and affordability. The vision “lays the tracks” for expanding convenience, low-cost transit service, improving safety, air quality, and transit options — whether biking, walking, or using mass transit to get to work or to go shopping. The goal is to double the number of trips taken by something other than a car, from 9.6% of trips today to 19.2% in the next decade.

The plan intends to expand transit service by 83%, create 81% more bike lanes and bike paths, and add 3.5% more sidewalks. Additionally, 52% of new housing will be in transit-oriented areas.

Polis said such a plan would cut 1.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gases and reduce emissions by 65% by 2035. 

Cars are part of the plan, as well — but only electric vehicles, according to Polis. The governor noted that one in four cars sold in Colorado are electric. When people decide to drive, they can do so in a way that reduces pollution, he said. 

At the heart of the vision is an “intersection” of transit, housing, and multimodal transportation planning and policy, tied to cooperation among local, regional, and state transit agencies.

Sen. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, added that the vision will require “planning around the budget” to ensure it can be funded, pointing to fees levied through Senate Bill 21-260. That law levies fees on rental cars. Another law, Senate 24-230, imposes fees on oil and gas production. The state also has access to multimodal option funding through legislation passed in 2018.

This isn’t about general fund dollars, Winter said. It’s how the state makes sure the money goes to the right places, as well as “empowering local communities” to ensure they have the resources, she said. 

Polis declined to say how much his plan will cost taxpayers. That’s not so much about cost, he said, adding it’s about creating a “playing field that delivers on Vision 2035.”

“It’s not just we’re going add a bus service here. It’s really about a way of life that is consistent with livability and affordability and sustainability for our climate and for our air quality,” he said. 

Given the results of the Nov. 5 election, will the federal dollars be there?

Conservatives, such as the Cato Institute and authors of Project 2025, are already calling for the repeal of what’s left in the Inflation Reduction Act and repurposing the remainder of the bipartisan infrastructure law to focus on roads and bridges, instead of bike lanes or mass transit.

Some analysis postulated that Trump’s victory would mean a reallocation of priorities within existing frameworks, with Republicans having more sway in how the the federal dollars are used. 

Trump has repeatedly said the blueprint isn’t tied to his campaign and that he wanted little to do with it. CNN reported in July that at least 140 people who worked for the previous Trump administration had a hand in developing the plan.

Polis said he’s been happy with the state’s progress in drawing down federal funds, most recently the $66 million for Front Range passenger rail.

“We look forward to pursuing every opportunity we can to gain additional funding for our state, both formulaically through appropriations, through Congress, as well as through grants,” he said. 

While he called the plan a statewide vision, Polis said he wants to “make sure that this is a vision for the entire Front Range” and not just the Denver metro area.

He identified a few other transit agencies outside of Denver, such as Bustang and Mountain Rail, and repeated that it is a statewide vision for how Coloradans live, work and play.

Mark Samuelson contributed to this report.