HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Estes Park Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee 2022-05-261
AGENDA
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CompPAC)
TOWN OF ESTES PARK
Thursday, May 26, 2022
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
TOWN HALL ROOMS 202-203
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES from April 28, 2022
3. PUBLIC COMMENT (Please state your name and address).
4. GUEST SPEAKER Naomi Hawf, EV Housing Authority
(with additional housing policy and project updates from Jeff Woeber and Jessica
Garner)
5. DISCUSSION:
A. Debrief from community engagement event Director Garner
B. Upcoming schedule of deliverables Director Garner
C. Volunteer parking pass update Director Garner
6. ADJOURN
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.
Prepared May 20, 2022
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Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, April 28, 2022
Minutes of a meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee of
the Town of Estes Park. Meeting held via ZOOM in said Town of Estes Park
on April 28, 2022.
Committee: Chair Matthew Heiser, Vice-Chair Bob Leavitt, Members
David Bangs, Charles Cooper, Eric Blackhurst, Kirby Nelson-
Hazelton, John Schnipkoweit, Frank Theis, Karen Thompson,
Rose Truman, David Wolf, David Shirk, Matt Comstock
Also Attending: Community Development Director Jessica Garner, Larimer
County Community Development Director Lesli Ellis, Trustee
Barbara MacAlpine, Recording Secretary Karin Swanlund
Absent: Thompson, Comstock
Chair Heiser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES from April 14, 2022
The motion passed with a visual thumbs-up vote.
PUBLIC COMMENT.
None
DISCUSSION: (for full comments, view the meeting recording)
Member Nelson-Hazelton resigned from the Committee due to her recently becoming
elected a Town Trustee. Her position on the Committee will remain unfilled.
Director Garner stated that the Community Choices Survey is online and available until
May 22. There is also an interactive map for the public to use.
May 12 is the Community Engagement meeting in the Elementary School Gym at 5:30
p.m. There will not be a regular CompPac meeting that day. The hope is to have the
May 26 meeting in person, in room 203 of Town Hall.
Building goals and policies are the next steps, and significant engagement with
stakeholders will be held for each of the “chapters.”
There being no further business, Chair Heiser adjourned the meeting at 9:20 a.m.
Karin Swanlund, Recording Secretary
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Sierra Club Poudre Canyon Group Statement to the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee
(CompPAC) and Estes Valley Planning Advisory Committee (EVPAC)
Thank you for allowing Sierra Club to provide input on the Comprehensive Plan. Sierra Club is the
most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the country. Poudre Canyon
Group is the local Sierra Club group which encompasses Larimer and Weld counties and has over
5,000 supporters, 256 of whom are registered in the Estes Valley.
Sierra Club's mission is:
•To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;
•To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; and
•To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human
environment
With this in mind, we would like to provide the following input to help direct the development of the
Comprehensive Plan.
•Protect the outstanding natural beauty of the Estes Valley which is integral to the majestic
landscape of the northern Colorado Rockies. Do not let growth overrun and detract from the
natural wonder of the Estes Valley. Residents and visitors alike are drawn to this special place
because of its natural beauty and wildness.
•Focus on in-fill, high density development with net-zero requirements for new buildings. Site
new developments within easy walking/biking distance of essential goods and services to avoid
sprawl and to minimize transportation impacts.
•Incentivize “living tiny” with small square footage residences in order to minimize land use.
•Consider the impact of growth on the local ecosystems and wildlife. Human and animal conflict
are already common, especially with elk and bear. As we continue to expand the built
environment their natural habitats shrink, pushing them closer into proximity with us and more
likely into conflict. This may already be aparent to anyone living alongside the elk of Estes Park
but it is worth repeating.
•Remember that this land was originally used by the Ute and Arapaho as a summer hunting and
foraging ground, and that the landscape changed drastically with the arrival of white Europeans
and the forcible removal of indigenous peoples. Following the example of indigenous peoples'
respect for the environment should be a priority, even if the land can never really be wild again.
The Sierra Club supports a Comprehensive Plan that provides for strong environmental protection and
conservation of the Estes Valley. To err in favor of such protection is crucial because the alternative—a
Plan that errs by enabling excessive and sprawling development—would have irreversible and tragic
consequences for the area's majestic beauty, environmental quality, quality of life for local residents
and wildlife, and quality of experience for visitors.
Thank you,
Sierra Club Poudre Canyon Group Executive Committee
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Estes Park Planning Commission Public Comment Form
The Planning Commission wants to hear from members of the community. The following
form was created for public comment on any current agenda items.
The Planning Commission will participate in the meeting 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.
Please enter your full name. (This information is required to ensure the Town keeps accurate records of public
comment.
Please enter your full name. (This information is required to ensure the Town keeps accurate records of public
comment.
Name *
Address *
Radio Button
Agenda Item Title
Public comment can be attached using the Upload button below or typed into the text box below.
File Upload
Comments for the
Planning
Commission:*
Please note, all information provided in this form is considered public record and will be included as permanent record for
the item which it references.
Michael Dunn
For Against Neutral
If you do not see the Agenda Item Title please email public comment to planning@estes.org.
If you have documents to include with your public comment they can be attached here.
Dunn-Strategic Plan Comments.pdf 49.99KB
25 MB limit.
Limited to a maximum of 1000 characters.
Please see my attached comments. Thank you for your outstanding work on this
plan so far. I look forward to its continue evolution.
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The 2022 Estes Park strategic plan is a broad work of concerted effort. It holds promise,
conviction, and commitment. All of these must be applauded. There are, however, three critical
areas that I feel require additional attention:
(1) Housing.While the strategic plan indeed mentions housing, and places some emphasis on
its development, this emphasis cannot be overstated. The housing situation in Estes is dire.
Workers at our major employers are unable to secure adequately affordable options, while
maintaining their work. This isn’t on employers to try to provide this adequate housing, it is
an imperative in the community that we prioritize affordable, adequate housing. This is
particularly true for employers who maintain seasonal workforce employees, or hourly
employees (part or full-time) who simply cannot make enough money to live in our town
without allocating 30-60% of their income to housing.
Part of this challenge is the nature of work changing. With a considerable uptick in remote
work, many people have moved to Estes to do their work in the most beautiful town in the
U.S. On the surface, this is a wonderful problem to have. It increases economic activity,
stabilizes our workforce, and proves that we are, indeed, a destination town. However, this
displaces many of our most critical local workers. For example, teachers in the Estes school
district can scarcely afford to live in the district in which they are employed. Not to mention
workers at Safeway, the Stanley, or the National Park. Housing is one of our most significant
challenges, and must be addressed more strongly in this strategic plan.
(2) Fire and Wind Mitigation. It is clear from the past two years that the likelihood of massive,
destructive fires has risen (and will continue to rise) exponentially. Climate change is
causing nearly-irreparable harm to our environment, and we must be prepared. As a town
with some relative isolation, it is imperative that we make fire readiness a critical area of
strategic growth in the next two years. We must invest heavily in our fire services, easy
access to fire prevention measures, and a comprehensive fire response plan. I am not a fire
expert, nor a natural disaster preparation professional. The town must consult with
professionals in these areas to ensure we are prepared for the worst possible scenario.
One of the major causes of fires has become wind. We saw this fact in October of 2021 with
the Kruger Rock Fire. There has since been a substantial increase in red flag days across
Colorado, including in our town. These days post remarkable danger to our town and its
future. We should take similar action in consultation with a natural disaster specialist and a
high desert fire mitigation manager to ensure we are preparing for the high likelihood of
future wind disaster(s).
(3) Walkability of Elkhorn Ave.This final area of concern is one in line with the town’s
commitment to Public Safety, Health, and Environment. Elkhorn Ave is one of the most
consistently congested and busiest areas of town during the tourism season. It is often
bumper-to-bumper traffic as guests come to visit our local attractions. This traffic is toxic to
our downtown environment and the natural environment. Furthermore, it presents a priority
on car access, when we could be prioritizing pedestrian access and enjoyment. Therefore, I
propose the closing of W Elkhorn Ave from Moraine Ave to Spruce Dr during the hours of
7am to 7pm from the Duck Race to October 1. This would provide a substantial space for
pedestrians and provide incredible opportunities for the town’s commitment to events and
outstanding guest services. Deliveries could still be made outside of those closed hours, and
the downtown bypass could be utilized for those with cars. It would encourage more outdoor
dining, festivals, and even allow for outdoor summer movies on Elkhorn, or other such
events.
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