HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Estes Valley Planning Commission Study Session 2018-04-17
Estes Valley Planning Commission
Study Session
Minutes
Date: April 17, 2018
Present: Commissioners Bob Leavitt, Sharry White, Doyle Baker, Russ
Schneider, Steve Murphree, Betty Hull, Robert Foster,
Town Board Liaison Ron Norris, Larimer County Liaison Michael
Whitely, Community Development Director Randy Hunt, Senior
Planner Jeff Woeber, Planner I Robin Becker, Code Compliance
Officer Linda Hardin, Recording Secretary Karin Swanlund
Next meeting: May 15, 2018 10:30 a.m., Rooms 202, 203, Town Hall
Chair Leavitt called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m.
Main Objective: Roles of Comprehensive Plans and Planning Best Practices
Reference attached handout prepared by Doyle Baker
Commissioner comments and questions have been summarized below in outline
form:
I. Legal and Practical Requirements Discussion
Training plans for new board and Planning Commissioners
Recirculate code amendment suggestions/town-county resolutions from
March and April 2017.
Monetary element needed along with the philosophical need. Town Budget
finalized in October/November. Consultants would be needed for facilitation
and report preparation. Grant needs matching funding from town. Look for
additional funding opportunities.
Ideally, have draft ready to go by the beginning of July with grant applications
beginning in May or June.
Town needs a letter of intent, not necessarily money to participate in grant
funding.
Planning commission is in charge of adopting the plan by way of a vote, the
Town Board of Trustees and Larimer County Board of County
Commissioners take it from adoption to acceptance.
Decide in what ways we have grown out of original plan and prioritize efforts
on those areas.
Public input process is a challenge in Estes Park. Refer to the APA
Magazine April article on the Oklahoma City Comp Plan (attached).
Keep list of resources being used as guidance for other bodies.
Critical Path Analysis.
2
Identify issues rather than have outside consultants tell us what the issues
are.
Early public “buy-in” very important. Be sure they are included in identifying
the issues.
Need to focus on future, not just today’s issues; current vs long term needs.
Reference 2016 citizen survey. Use the current election as source of
information.
Review current comp plan and find areas that need work.
II. Functions and Value of Plans Discussion
Provide tools for additional plans. We may know what the problems are but
we don’t necessarily know how to go about fixing them. Estes Park has a
unique overlap with other authorities/districts.
Planning is never finished!
PRIORITIZE the issues.
Developmental land is finite in Estes Park.
Land Use is a big part of this plan.
Strategically approach issues. Strengthen core of community.
III. Lessons and Best Practices Discussion
Capture areas where there are disagreements and misunderstanding so as
not to be swept aside. Key issues to be sorted out.
Redevelopment involves private property and funds, how do you make
incentives for it?
We don’t have space or one main employer is Estes Park.
Every decision has winners and losers. What extent do we want to say how
to resolve the inevitable conflict that every decision presents. Can we resolve
some of the issues proactively? Inclusiveness can evolve to
meaninglessness.
Currently, the development code is the deciding factor.
Consent is the goal, not controversy.
Focus on positive issues, not controversial ones.
IV. Follow-up Actions Discussion
Joint public announcement asap to mitigate rumors.
Interaction with town board before next study session.
Figure out best way to present this to both the Town Board and County
Commissioners, ideally at the same meeting, and present PowerPoint to
them.
Is any money available for this? Would need joint resolution from both
boards before moving forward.
ComDev needs additional resources to make this work.
3
Identify who is important via primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholders
Involve public as early as possible.
Find a good person to manage the consultants so consultants don’t manage
us.
Identify key pieces of comp plan by rereading it, look up supplied and other
references, look at the Transportation Committee study from 2011 and the
recent Housing Study.
Decentralize roles.
Public Comment:
John Phipps: No key stakeholders, keep it to the public
Dick Spielman: Public input should come first. Consultants are 3rd party, with no
agenda or outside interests, they are trained on this and unbiased. Preconceived
notions defeat the whole purpose of comp plan.
Adam Shake: Long term, existing plans are available to look at.
Chair Leavitt adjourned the meeting at 11:56 a.m.
_____________________________
Recording Secretary Karin Swanlund
Attachments: PowerPoint notes,
APA Article on OKC Comprehensive Plan
Websites: planning.org, colorado.gov, plannersweb.com,