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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Estes Park Urban Renewal Authority 2007-10-17RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, October 17, 2007 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the ESTES PARK URBAN RENEWAL AUTHORITY of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Municipal Building in said Town of Estes Park on the 17th day of October, 2007. Commissioners: Attending: Also Attending: Absent: Chairman Swank, Commissioners Cope, Ericson, Little, Repola, Steige, and Wilcocks Chairman Swank, Commissioners Ericson, Repola, Steige, and Wiicocks EPURA Dir. Smith, Finance Dir. McFariand, Lee Sammons, Deputy Town Cierk Deats Commissioners Cope and Little Chairman Swank called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. COMMUNITY COMMENTS. Tom Ewing/1082 Fall River Court, stated that he monitors the use of the western portion of the Fall River Trail and has observed that it is under-utilized and poorly maintained. He urged the reconsideration of pians to extend the trail to the west in order to save the expense of traii construction. Commissioner Repola informed Mr. Ewing that the traii is outside of EPURA boundaries and that the Town Board has made a decision to continue the trail, with the next stage of construction extending westward to Castle Mountain Lodge, and stated that he would be happy to meet with Mr. Ewing to discuss the topic. Paul Fishman/14ers Cafe, voiced concerns of west-side shop owners regarding the possible restriping of Wiest Drive to indicate “Service Only” access, and questioned why the Wiest parking lot would be repaved if there is a possibility of building a parking structure in that iocation. Chairman Swank stated that there are no plans to change Wiest: the roadway wiii remain as is, accommodating eastbound one-way traffic. Commissioner Repola addressed the parking lot stating the condition of the pavement currently does not meet the Town’s standards and needs to be redone, and that overlaying the parking lot would not preclude looking at other parking options in the future. Mr. Fishman also questioned how sales tax revenue generated by improvements in the urban renewal area is used. Commissioner Repoia stated that the Town receives revenue generated by saies tax in the General Fund and returns $200,000 annually to EPURA through an IGA; and that funds are used to maintain flower beds, parking lots, provide snowplowing services, etc. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS. None MINUTES. The minutes of the reguiar meeting heid September 19, 2007, were approved. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT. 1. Wiest Plaza - CDOT continues to work with Public Works Director Zurn on the crosswalk at Moraine Avenue and Wiest Drive. All signage, with the exception of street signs, have been installed, and some adjustments are being made to the RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Estes Park Urban Renewal Authority - October 17, 2007 - Page 2 top of the Rotary gazebo. An incident of vandalism v/as reported to the Police Department involving the up-lighting on the gazebo. All of the lights and protective covers were broken out and will need to be replaced. 2. Wiest Plaza - Emergency Vehicle Access - Attorney Windholz responded to a letter received from Attorney Verd Bailey on behalf of Leta Nefzger and Mike Haber regarding loading zones along Wiest Drive, the width of the roadway, and access to the area by emergency personnel and equipment. To date, no further comment or correspondence on the topic has been received. 3. Awards - Design Studios West (DSW) received the President’s Award and a Land Stewardship Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for their work on the Estes Park Riverwalk. This prestigious award will be presented during the annual meeting of the Colorado Chapter of ASLA on Friday at the Conference Center. Also, Roger Thorp received an American Institute of Architects Award for his work on the pavilion at Performance Park. 4. 2008 Budget - Preliminary work indicates that the budget for 2008 will reflect only minor changes from the 2007 budget. An amendment to the 2007 budget will be necessary due to higher than expected administrative costs associated with the blight study, legal fees, and the preparation of the new urban renewal plan. This amendment will be addressed at the regular EPURA meeting in December. Finance Dir. McFarland spoke to the amount of money EPURA has to devote to projects such as pursuing the connection of the Riverwalk through Park Theater Mall. Dir. McFarland stated that $650,000 is available at present, and by reviewing financial patterns of tax payments for the past three years, estimates an additional $950,000 to be available next year. This is in addition to funds for a final bond payment in the amount of $912,000, which are currently encumbered for debt service. Commissioner Ericson questioned whether the Commission had an obligation during this time of transition to prepare two budgets for 2008: one assuming approval of the renewal of EPURA and one to be adopted if renewal is not approved. After a brief discussion. Dir. Smith stated that he will discuss this matter with Finance Dir. McFarland. ELKHORN LODGE PROPERTY - PRELIMINARY PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT. Bob Koehler, Rock Castle Development Company/Fort Collins, appeared before the Commission to present a preliminary plan for the development of the Elkhorn Lodge property. The development company has contracted to purchase the 63 acre parcel (20 acres zoned commercial and 43 acres zoned residential) and has met numerous times with Town staff to insure that the objectives of the Town are met by the proposed development. It is the developer’s intention to create a showpiece for the Town, a retail anchor for the west side, and a regional destination area. Frank Theis displayed preliminary drawings that include an Elm Road Bypass (primarily for local use), retail development along Fall River, office and residential space, preservation of the historic Elkhorn Lodge, a new hotel, banquet and meeting spaces, restaurants, and the potential for EPURA participation in making a pedestrian connection to the downtown area by extending the Riverwalk. Mr. Theis stated that there is currently a horse trail on the upper portion of the property that would be maintained as a pedestrian trail and provide a link to Rocky Mountain National Park. The developer anticipates beginning work on the infrastructure next summer to be completed in approximately 18 to 24 months. The preliminary plan also includes a parking structure which could function as a transportation hub for shopper shuttles and shuttles to Rocky Mountain National Park, and a link to downtown Estes Park. The developer stated that parking structure costs are excessive and questioned whether the Town and EPURA would consider RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Estes Park Urban Renewal Authority - October 17, 2007 - Page 3 participating in its construction as an investment in the Town of Estes Park. As drawn, the three-level parking structure could accommodate 40 to 50 cars per level. The Commissioners thanked Mr. Koehler and Mr. Theis for their presentation. RIVERWALK CONNECTION ALTERNATIVES. Per a request made by Dir. Smith and Chairman Swank, Roger Thorp visited with Sharon Seeley, owner of Park Theater Mall, regarding extending the Riverwalk through the Mall property and prepared drawings illustrating options that would provide a Park Theater Mall/Riverwalk Connection. Dir. Smith presented these options, the first being as straight through the Mall as possible with an 8 ft. wide Riverwalk providing 24 hour access and the ability to secure the retail stores in the mall; the second being similar but including opening the floor of the mall to uncover the river; and the third being the most elaborate, opening up both the river and the sky. Dir. Smith stated that RC Heath expressed an interest in pricing out all of the options so that the Commissioners would have cost information available when considering the project. The project would be completed at the expense of EPURA, although Ms. Seeley voiced possible interest in participating in the building of restrooms in a central area. PREPARATION OF URBAN RENEWAL PLAN - WORK SESSION. Lee Sammons presented an updated projects list that reflected changes discussed at the last EPURA meeting and included cost estimates for the projects. He maintained a separation between projects identified as public improvement projects and those identified as private development projects. Dir. Smith noted that the urban renewal area boundaries are falling into place and that the Town Board will decide which projects to consider noting that the costs of the projects, although estimates, should provide good information for setting priorities. Commissioner Repola stated that he is uncomfortable with the high cost of the signage plan and would like to scale back and take a look at actual numbers. Commissioner Ericson noted that a fagade improvement program that was discussed at the September EPURA meeting was missing from Mr. Sammons list. Mr. Sammons said that there is a difference between EPURA projects and EPURA programs and that he would add the program to the list. MISCELLANEOUS Chairman Swank presented a card to Dir. Smith in celebration of his birthday. Whereupon, Chairman Swank adjourned the regular meeting at 9:31 a.m. Cynipia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk