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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES CompPAC 2021-08-26 (Town)Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, August 26, 2021 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held via ZOOM in said Town of Estes Park on August 26 2021. Committee: Chair Matthew Heiser, Vice-Chair Bob Leavitt, Members David Bangs, Eric Blackhurst, Chuck Cooper, Kirby Nelson- Hazelton, John Schnipkoweit, Karen Thompson, Rose Truman, Mike Kennedy Also Attending: Community Development Director Randy Hunt, Community Development Director Jessica Garner, Larimer County Community Development Director Lesli Ellis, Trustee Barbara MacAlpine, Town Administrator Travis Machlek, Recording Secretary Karin Swanlund, Abbey Pontius, Ann Closser, Planning Technician Charlie Rugaber, Christy Crosser, Cheri Yost, Dave Converse, Donald Threewitt, Drew Webb, Frank Theis, Howard Hanson, Jason Damweber, Senior Planner Jeff Woeber, Jennifer Waters, Jeremy Call, Jody Shadduck, Jordana Barrack, Rex Poggenpohl, Kate Rusch, Kristina Kachur, Miriam McGilvray, Olivia Harper, Scott Moulton, Sean Dougherty Absent: Member Comstock, Member Wolf, Member Shirk Chair Heiser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: PUBLIC COMMENT. None ACTION ITEM: DISCUSSION ITEMS: (all comments have been summarized) 1.INTRODUCTIONS (Matt Heiser Chair of CompPAC -- 10 min.) Introduction included identifying the different groups attending, goals for the meeting, logistics, and introductions of the name and organization for all attendees. The group was invited to use the chat or the raise hand function to make comments or ask questions. 2.PROJECT OVERVIEW, SCHEDULE, AND MILESTONES (Miriam McGilvray Meeting Facilitator Logan Simpson-- 5 min.) This is a joint process between Estes Park and Larimer County to update the 1996 CompPAC – Aug 26, 2021 – Page 2 Estes Valley Comprehensive Plan. This includes a new study area, including the Town Boundary and the area of unincorporated Larimer County within a 3-mile radius. • This process will coordinate outreach and engagement, and data analysis to establish a shared vision and direction for the entire area. • Overview of groups involved, schedule, and Phase 1 milestones. • Organization: The new Plan is organized around the six resiliency themes established in the Colorado Resiliency Framework, a foundational document for the DOLA grant supporting this planning initiative. o Community – focuses on governance and building capacity within the community. This will also look at annexation/growth policies and the coordination between County and Town. o Economy – a resilient economy will look at supporting the workforce, as well as diversification or strengthening industry sectors o Health & Social – this theme looks at public health and wellbeing, specifically addressing services and amenities within the community o Housing – affordability, supply, seasonality, and vulnerability to hazards o Infrastructure & Transportation – critical infrastructure and facilities o Hazards & Natural Resources – how we treat, use, and manage our local ecosystems 3. STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS AND EXISTING CONDITIONS DATA HIGHLIGHTS (Miriam McGilvray Facilitator) • Miriam provided a high-level overview of what the consultant team heard during the 30+ one-on-one interviews, six listening sessions, and two months of data analysis. There was a question about the reason for the lack of recent housing development. This will be a follow-up with the housing consultant for a more in-depth discussion. One reason for the slow development was a lack of builders following the 2006-2008 recession. There was a comment that the consultant team has identified ample land suitable for development and if the slow growth is related to the communities desire to stay small. 4. EXERCISE: WHAT DO WE WANT ESTES TO BE? (Jeremy Call Facilitator) • Jeremy described the breakout room assignments and Menti software format used to gather group feedback. He encouraged the group to consider thinking big and that this vision may last for a long time. Menti is a facilitation tool to initiate discussion within the groups by showing the feedback from each participant collectively in one slide so the group can see both individual responses and group comments. • Breakout Zoom meetings rooms were preassigned to ensure members of different groups were not concentrated in one room but represented in all six breakout rooms. CompPAC – Aug 26, 2021 – Page 3 Discussion Question 1: What are the ingredients of a community vision? Feedback was presented from each group. Common themes included the desire for balance regarding protecting the natural environment and the built environment, balancing the needs and desires of the visiting community and the permanent community, and balancing the needs of the workforce and the retirement community. Other comments focused on housing and density discussions, the need to address climate change, and the need to include all ages and groups who reside and visit Estes Valley. Many felt the new plan needed to be measurable and accountable as well as adaptive to changing conditions. Discussion Question 2: What should the format be for the vision? The group was given examples of three different types of community vision. 1. Short/Slogan, 2. Long/Narrative, 3. Bullet List. Of the 20 people that participated in the quick poll, 45% of respondents in the groups chose a short/slogan, and 55% chose a bulleted list. In the group feedback discussion, most groups preferred the bulleted list. Report back from breakout rooms • Jeremy Call’s group- The process needs to be measurable and contain metrics to track actual change. Miriam McGillivray’s group- Group discussion focused on the need for generational diversity and the need for community culture to support adaptability. The group also focused on housing and policy that supports housing for all. The group felt the vision should be a list of bullets to allow community members to identify a bullet that they identify with. • Lesli Ellis’ group- The group preferred a bulleted list. The group focused on balance including childcare, and other services that support workforce living in Estes. This also needs to be balanced with environmental protection. Measurability would also be important for this group. This room also discussed that a 25-year plan is very long and should be updated more frequently to keep up with changing conditions. • Randy Hunt’s group-This group touched on all elements identified in the existing conditions portion of the presentation. The group focused on the word balanced. Balance of visitation, visitors, economics, and housing. Specific items that were discussed were that the visitors are looking for natural elements and that this can be balanced with the demand for growth—also paying attention to corridors, short-term rentals and visitor pressure. • Jessica Garner’s group-This group also discussed balance, focusing on smart growth that looks at density, transportation, and livability. They also discussed the need to manage expectations. As Estes grows development review expectations may need to shift on things like viewsheds. The group talked a lot about density with varying opinions that may be necessary. The vision statement needs to be inclusive to support what could be with a rapidly changing environment. The vision should also be translatable to Spanish. The CompPAC – Aug 26, 2021 – Page 4 concept should be short and encompass the entire community. • Jeff Woeber’s group- The group discussed climate change and the impacts that it is having on the natural environment. They also discussed the importance of attainable workforce housing. The group discussed how the retirement community and the non-retirement community have different goals and visions that need to be aligned. The group chose the bullet point vision approach because they liked its succinctness and disliked a long narrative vision that might get lost. 5. FINDINGS FROM THE PLAN AUDIT (Miriam McGilvray Facilitator) • There were 31 respondents to the Plan Audit exercise with representation from Town and County boards, commissions, advisory committees, and Estes Park Staff. • The ten community-wide goals were generally supported. The two that had the most opposition include Goal 8: “Becoming a model National Park gateway community.” and Goal 10: “Recognizing the synergy between tourism and the retirement community." • Topics that plan audit responses identified as missing include: o Workforce/Affordable Housing o Natural Disasters o Childcare and other Services o Sustainability o Communication o Climate Change o Infrastructure • Plan audit participants were asked if the structure for the update should be a joint Town of Estes Park and Larimer County plan, two separate plans adopted by the Town and the County, or another hybrid option. Discussion Question 3: What is the ideal format for this update? In the conversation, some felt that they would like to see the County have its own plan because the Town will need to develop land use plans that will not apply to the County. It was suggested that maybe parts would need to be separated and some elements combined. The group also discussed that the planning area used to have an integrated approach that worked well. Participants indicated the possible need for a growth management area (GMA) and the restoration of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA). Some group members noted that county discussions have highlighted that unincorporated community members do not have a vote in Town decision-making and feel excluded in the decision-making process. Many pointed out that the needs and goals of unincorporated County and incorporated Town are different and need to be considered separately to ensure one does not enforce its vision on the other. 6. EXERCISE: VISIONING OUTREACH (Jeremy Call Facilitator) Discussion Question 4: Which community events would be most conducive for thoughtful public engagement from a broad group of people? CompPAC – Aug 26, 2021 – Page 5 The discussion focused on opportunities to talk with local groups in a casual environment rather than a themed event. Some mentioned the need to identify if respondents are visitors, Town residents, or County residents addressed in the outreach. The need to reach out to minority communities who might be working or unavailable outside of event timeframes was also mentioned. All group members identified the need to go out into the community and not expect community members to come to them. The chat recognized the importance of reaching out to renters and not just homeowners. Some had different opinions on gathering opinions from visitors vs. focusing efforts on residents. County Commissioner Jody Shadduck-McNally offered that her community conversation events are open if the groups would like to present. It was noted that Pumpkins and Pilsners draws primarily local residents. Discussion Question 5: How do you learn about Town and County initiatives? Most popular included Town or County Direct Emails, Newspapers, Town or County Website, and Neighbors and Friends. Discussion Question 6: What are three ways to help get the word out about upcoming events for this plan? Meeting participants indicated that they could share website and digital material through social media and email; have conversations with neighbors, colleagues, and customers; speak to HOAs, Rotary Clubs, and other community groups; write a guest column in a newspaper; make announcements at Town Board meetings; and more. The planning team can provide talking points and materials for distribution. 7. NEXT STEPS Phase 2 will kick off this fall with a series of public engagement opportunities. Details will be solidified in the coming weeks. There being no further business, Chair Heiser adjourned the meeting at 11:02 a.m. Karin Swanlund, Recording Secretary