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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Estes Park Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee 2021-09-09 Prepared September 2, 2021 The Town of Estes Park will make reasonable accommodations for access to Town services, programs, and activities and special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call (970) 577-4777. TDD available. CompPAC –TOWN OF ESTES PARK TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY Thursday,September 9, 2021 9:00 a.m. Estes Park, CO 80517 The Estes Park Board Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committeewill participate remotely due to the Declaration of Emergency signed by Town Administrator Machalek on March 19, 2020,related to COVID-19 and provided for with the adoption of Ordinance 04-20 on March 18, 2020.Procedures for quasi-judicial virtual public hearings are established through Emergency Rule 06-20 signed by Town Administrator Machalek on May 8, 2020,and outlined below. Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/92672524563 Or Join by Telephone: 1.Dial US: +1 833-548-0276 (toll free) 2.Enter Webinar ID: 926 7252 4563followed by # The meeting will also be live-streamed on the Town’s Youtube Channel and recorded and posted to YouTubeand www.estes.org/videoswithin 48 hours. Public Comment When the moderator opens up thepublic comment period for an agenda item, attendees wishing to speak shall: 1. Click the “Raise Hand” button, if joining online on the Zoom client, or 2. Press *9 and follow the prompts if joining by telephone. 3. If you are watching live on YouTube, please call the number listed above, and mute your computer audio for the duration of your remarks. Once you are announced,please state your name and address for the record. To participate online via Zoom, you must: Have an internet-enabled smartphone, laptop or computer. Using earphones with a microphone will significantly improve your audio experience. Prepared 9/2/2021 AGENDA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CompPAC) TOWN OF ESTES PARK Thursday, September 9, 2021 9:00 a.m.– 11:00 a.m. 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. AGENDA APPROVAL 3. CONSENT AGENDA: A. Minutes from 8/12/21 B.Minutes from 8/26/21 4. PUBLIC COMMENT. (Please state your name and address). 5. ACTION ITEMS: a. LOGO options-final decision Committee Members 6. DISCUSSION ITEMS: a. Town Administrator presentation Travis Machalek b. November/December meeting dates c. Visioning Director Hunt d. Single Plan vs Separate Town/County Plans Director Hunt 7. ADJOURN 33 ESTES FORWARD MEETING INFORMATION Joint CompPAC and EVPAC Meeting Meeting: August 26, 2021 Date: 9:00 – 11:00 AM Time: Location: (remote) Zoom video will be available on the City Websiteand YouTube Channel 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 26 Aug 2021. ATTENDEES CompPAC County Planning Commission EVPAC Town Staff Town Planning Commission County Staff Town Board of Trustees Logan Simpson Consultant Team Board of County Commissioners Open to the public Abbey Pontius Frank Theis Kirby Hazelton Ann Closser Howard Hanson Kristina Kachur Barbara MacAlpine Jason Damweber Lesli Ellis Bob Leavitt Jeff Woeber Logan Simpson Charlie Rugaber Jennifer Waters Matthew Heiser Christy Crosser Jeremy Call Mike Kennedy Chuck Cooper Jessica Garner Miriam McGilvray Cheri Yost Jody Shadduck Olivia Harper Dave Converse John Schnipkoweit Randy Hunt David Bangs Jordana Barrack Rosemary Truman Donald Threewitt Rex Poggenpohl Scott Moulton Drew Karen Thompson Sean Dougherty Drew Webb Karin Swanlund spark Eric Kate Rusch Travis Machalek MEETING SUMMARY 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 to use the raise had function to make comments or ask questions. Note the image below does not include all attendees from the meeting. ESTES FORWARD PLAN 1 44 2. PROJECT OVERVIEW, SCHEDULE, AND MILESTONES (Miriam McGilvray Meeting Facilitator Logan Simpson-- 5 min.) This is a joint process between the Town of Estes Park and Larimer County to update the 1996 Estes Valley Comprehensive Plan. This includes a new study area, which includes 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 with the intent of establishing 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 6 resiliency themes established in the Colorado Resiliency Framework, a foundational document for the DOLA grant that is 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, 6 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 being a lack of builders following the 2006-2008 recession. There was a comment that the consultant team has identified ample land ESTES FORWARD PLAN 2 55 suitable for development and if the reason for the slow growth is related to community 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. Discussion Question 1: What are the ingredients of a community vision? Feedback was presented from each group. Common themes included the desire for balance with regards to 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 be inclusive of all ages and groups who reside and visit Estes Valley. Many felt the new plan needs 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. ESTES FORWARD PLAN 3 66 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 Elis’ group- The group preferred 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 the fact that a 25-year plan is very long and that the plan 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 for 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 with a focus 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 but may be necessary. Need for the vision statement to be broad and inclusive to support what could be with a rapidly changing environment. The vision should also be translatable to Spanish to be more inclusive. The vision should be short and encompass the entire community. Jeff Woeber’s group- The group discussed climate change and the impacts that it is having to 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 the succinctness of the approach and disliked a long narrative vision that might get lost. FINDINGS FROM THE PLAN AUDIT(Miriam McGilvray Facilitator) 5. There were 31 respondents to the Plan Audit exercise with representation from Town and County boards, commissions, advisory committees, and Estes Park Staff. The 10 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 o Sustainability Housing o Communication o Natural Disasters o Climate Change o Childcare and other Services o Infrastructure ESTES FORWARD PLAN 4 77 ESTES FORWARD 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. The results are illustrated below. Other write-ins include: 1. Town-specific plan and a County Sub-area Plan 2. One document with some sections adopted by both, other just by the Town or County 3. Hybrid plans, each with common parts 4. Two plans but must work together 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 be applicable to the County. It was suggested that maybe parts would need to be separated and some elements combined. The group also discussed the fact that the planning area used to have a combined 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 noted 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) ESTES FORWARD PLAN 5 88 Discussion Question 4: Which community events would be most conducive for thoughtful public engagement from a broad group of people? (check all that apply) 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 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 which is being 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 identified the importance of reaching out to renters and not just home-owners. 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 mostly 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. Responses are listed below: ESTES FORWARD PLAN 6 99 Discussion Question 5: What are three ways that you will 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 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. ESTES FORWARD PLAN 7 2424 ZOOM CHAT LOG Zoom Chat(Plan Formatdiscussion): Lesli Ellis noted that from county perspective - we are flexible. It is possible to have one plan where each entity adopts it -- but they adopt only the policies that are relevant to the town or county respectively. We can also have an independent subarea plan. Christy Crosser: I defer to the planners from the county and town. Jennifer Waters: New Comp Plan should be adoptable by both Town and County as a single document but with hybrid sections as appropriate. The Plan should embrace the possibility that the IGA may be restored. Matthew Heiser: I feel that one written document will create the most unity in direction for the entire valley. There should be adequate ability to discuss the regions or development areas to have different direction, but one document jointly adopted is the best approach. Christy Crosser: What are the pros and cons? Has this been outlined? Thank you. Sean Dougherty: Is there not a GMA for the area? If so, shouldn't the Comp Plan be for EP and EV, and the town would adopt this Comp Plan? The County then would work under the town's wants for the GMA area. Randy Hunt: Sean, there is not a GMA for the Estes area. An important discussion point! Sean Dougherty: Wouldn't that ease things? Dave Converse: Would depend on how it is developed. Lesli Ellis: Quick qualifying previous chat comment - from county "staff" perspective. It's possible to do whatever the community and voting bodies support re: plan format. Randy Hunt: That is my experience elsewhere, but it's an intricate process with "devil in the details" Drew Webb: There definitely needs to be one document covering both the Town and the County but with the understanding that there exists separate needs in some areas. Bob Leavitt: I strongly believe we need one document for the entire Estes Valley. There will be differences in some sections due to differences between Town and County areas of the valley. Kirby Hazelton: I agree: one document for the entire valley. Zoom Chat (Engagement techniques discussion): Jordana Barrack: I said "other" because I think you need a non-tourist driven event during the off-season when small business owners can take time out from work to share input. Jessica Garner: We need to be very mindful of COVID and public meetings at Town Hall... Randy Hunt: Dia de los Muertos = Nov. 2, I believe. Kirby Hazelton: Those events are often primarily focused on visitors, not always locals, and while both POV are important, the events will be heavily weighed toward the visitation side. Many locals including workforce, business owners, volunteers, etc. will be busy supporting the event in some capacity. Jennifer Waters: Let people get shopping done, relax and have fun--tables at these events are not so welcome. I recommend a dedicated event at Town Hall. COMPPAC JOINT MEETING 1 2525 Jody Shadduck-McNally, Larimer County Commissioner: My community conversation events are open if you want to present. I have a virtual one planned for September at noon. Karin Swanlund: Pumpkins and Pilsners draws mostly local residents. Christy Crosser: Any and all outreach options should be consider to reach as many people as possible. Please be inclusive. Renters are not property owners but they could be just as invested in this community. Thank you. Jennifer Waters: I agree that tourists are the least important as stakeholders. Business owners, property owners, and workers matter most. Karin Swanlund: The Chamber of Commerce would engage business owners. Drew Webb: Agree Dave Converse: We live in a small area with many interactions across political boundaries. I think of a Comprehensive Plan as being akin to a marriage vow where both partners commit to honoring and respecting each other, to supporting each other and agreeing to jointly search for common ground on difficult issues. So many organizations in the Estes Valley are successful in this endeavor (EP Fire Dept, EP Health, EP School District), while confronting difficult challenges. cyost: I encourage you to work with the school and the rec center to help reach English as second language families. Jennifer Waters: Newcomers and HOAs serve as very effective communicators. Kirby Hazelton: Estes Park Nonprofit Resource Center: Cato Kraft is Executive Director, cato@epnonprofit.org Randy Hunt: Visitors are important stakeholders. They will be involved if at all possible. COMPPAC JOINT MEETING 2 2626 LINK TO MEETING RECORDING: CompPac meeting #8 170 MACGREGOR AVE. P.O. BOX 1200, ESTES PARK CO. 80517 WWW.ESTES.ORG Community Development Department970-577-3721 Planning planning@estes.org Building building@estes.org Issues/Concerns: plan that community embrases as it's own embrace change plan acceptance housing solutions sustainable career opportunities economic development over-influence from the County transportation: bike, trails, sidewalks getting ahead of changing climate closing the generation gap sustainability/responsible use in taking care of land alternative accommodations ie: campgrounds, tiny homes, ADUs managing growth balancing development and preservation lack substance for today's world affordable housing: short and long term floodplain in downtown architectural and aesthetic design downtown highway 7 blight adequate housing for all maintain reputation childcare affordable housing trasnportation-year round & bike lanes keywords: actionable adaptive anticipating community diversified economic sustainability forward-looking funding implementation inclusive innovative open-minded proactive sustainable sustainable sustainable economy thriving vibrant inclusive diverse sustainability inclusion