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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 2026-01-27RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town ofEstes Park, Larimer County, Colorado January 27, 2026 Minutes of a Study Session meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at Town Hall in the Board Room in said Town of Estes Park on the 27th day of January, 2026. Board: Mayor Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Cenac, Trustees Brown, Hazelton, Igel, Lancaster, and Younglund Attending: Mayor Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Cenac, Trustees Brown, Hazelton, Igel, Lancaster and Younglund Also Attending: Town Administrator Machalek, Deputy Town Administrator Damweber, Town Attorney Kramer, and Recording Secretary Stoddard Cameron Absent: None. Mayor Hall called the meeting to order at 4:46 p.m. Development Code Update Enqagement Summary. Director Careccia introduced Eric Krohngold/Senior Associate with Design Workshop to present a summary of the public engagement activities related to the Development Code update. Krohngold explained that engagement activities were designed to inform the public about the Development Code update process and potential impact on the Town, and gather feedback from stakeholders using tailored questions, open discussion, and maintaining flexibility surrounding engagement to maximize input. It was explained that the community was presented with several opportunities to submit input including: an online questionnaire was open from mid-July through September of 2025, available in both English and Spanish, and focused on housing, environment, transportation and design. Two (2) "Community Open Houses" were held, one on June 25, 2025, and another on September 20, 2025. In addition, various pop-up engagement activities were conducted during September and August of 2025. Additional outreach methods included topical focus groups with subject matter experts, periodic review and discussion with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAG), Estes Park Planning Commission (EPPC), and Town Board, as well as social media and newsletters. A project website was also published, which was updated bi-monthly and hosted the online questionnaire. During the outreach period over 590 interactions were recorded including: over 300 responses via the online questionnaire; more than 40 participants in focus groups; 70 plus interactions during pop-up events; and over 130 attendees at the Community Open Houses. Feedback was sorted into categories which mirrored sections of the Development Code. This included housing, design guidelines, parking, lighting, and the use of non-conforming lots. Feedback on housing typologies indicated interest in allowing more diverse housing opportunities, including townhomes, duplexes and cottage courts. Respondents showed a strong preference for smaller lots as opposed to taller buildings as well as a strong desire to establish design guidelines for commercial and multi-family buildings. Support was shown for the conversion to mixed-use zoning along transit corridors and commercial areas, and there was consensus from respondents that corporate architecture was undesirable. Additionally, respondents indicated strong support for strengthening environmental protections in riparian areas, ridgelines, viewsheds, wildlife corridors, and otherwise sensitive habitats. Extreme opposition was expressed towards development in critical wildlife areas. Desire was expressed for additional wildfire mitigation regulation. There was strong emphasis on outdoor lighting as an important aspect of the community's character, and support for code language to minimize glare and light pollution. Respondents also showed a strong preference to allow planned unit developments (PUDs) in residential zones as well as small site-specific improvements to non-conforming lots and related zoning amendments. It was noted that future growth would occur through infill and redevelopment. Next steps for would include achieving a 50% draft of the code by April, review of the 50% draft by the EPPC and the TAG, and another open house event to be RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town Board Study Session Minutes dated January 27, 2026 - Page 2 held in June. Board discussion ensued and has been summarized: questioned whether feedback was received from town or county constituents, how their responses differed, and what other demographic information was collected; expressed a desire to review demographic data collected on respondents; and commended Design Workshop's work on the engagement summary presentation, the number of responses gained during engagement activities, and the project as a whole. Susan Stewart/Community Conversations presented a qualitative summary of the deliberative meetings held by Community Conversations, a partnership between the Estes Valley Library and the Estes Valley Restorative Justice Partnership. Stewart explained that five (5) facilitated dialogs were held in July in efforts to find common ground, mutual understanding, and creative solutions for our housing challenges, independent from the engagement activities of Design Workshop. A group of 20 volunteers researched housing in Estes Park through the spring and used that knowledge to prepare the deliberations. The deliberations were held in October, with separate stakeholder groups, with sessions dedicated to homeowners, business owners, people seeking or who struggled to find workforce housing, and Spanish speakers. Lastly, a general deliberation was held which allowed all members of the public to attend. Effort was made to bring unheard voices to the table, although it was noted that it was difficult to measure the success of such efforts. Ten (10) top themes were drawn from 35 pages of data compiled from 14 mixed-stakeholder table groups, in which comments were recorded. The qualitative data provided insight into community values and sentiment regarding housing. One conclusion reached by Community Conversations was that there was general distrust in data related to housing needs in Estes Park, including data related to demographics, housing supply, and availability, although it was reported that most participants did acknowledge there was a problem with affordability. Participants also indicated a desire to take a light to moderate approach to implement Estes Park's Comprehensive Plan housing goals, rather than robust, swift changes. Additionally, a desire was expressed from participants to tighten the approval process for workforce housing developments, which would be contingent on constituent approval. There was unwillingness to compromise on eclectic builds, community character, views, wildlife, and natural environment. Consensus was reached to focus on infill rather than expansion, with many emphasizing that growth should sustain rather than replace. Desire for mixed use zoning was limited to highway corridors. Participants also indicated that current definitions for words such as affordable, attainable, and workforce, needed to be redefined to better fit the needs of the community. It was noted how difficult it continues to be to provide self-sustaining housing stock for renters earning 50% to 80% of Estes Park's average monthly income (AMI) and homebuyers earning less than 100% AMI. Stewart then encouraged staff to apply the findings to other projects where possible, and reported that the next deliberation is set to be held in May or June and would focus on obtaining feedback on the first draft of the code as provided by Design Workshop. Board discussion ensued and has been summarized: Commended Community Conversations on the project, expressed gratitude for the quality of work that was produced; encouraged the public to review the Development Code Deliberative Meetings Summary Report; noted the importance of community engagement in the process, and the importance of government's use of that feedback when drafting the update; and acknowledged the supply and demand issue facing private development. 2025 Transit Year-End Review. Manager Klein presented a 2025 Year-End Report of The Peak, Estes Park's free transit service, first providing insight into current branding for the Red Route Trolly, as well as the Blue and Gold Route Shuttles. This included the addition of "Ride Free" advertising to signage as well as quick response (QR) codes added to stop information signs which provided general updates, and schedule and route information. Several changes were made to service in 2025 in response to user/guest feedback, including the addition of a stop on the Red Route at the Stanley Hotel on the Aspire Stanley Parkway. Two additional stops, numbers 10 and 11 , were added to the Red Route to account for The Loop project's new one-way system. The Brown, Red and Gold routes were re-routed to avoid making left turns across Highway 34 when exiting the visitor center. A stop at National Park Village was also added to the RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town Board Study Session Minutes dated January 27, 2026 - Page 3 Brown Route. It was noted that Route signs are portable, which made routes easy to modify as needed. Service maps were printed and distributed at the Visitor's Center providing users with routes and schedules, and sponsorship information. The new QR feature was implemented through a program called "Track" which was leased on a monthly basis. iPads were provided to drivers to capture real-time data, which was then integrated directly into the live route maps. The Red Route was the most popular route, with peak ridership occurring in July. Total ridership for The Peak increased by 2,914 riders from 2024 to 2025, totaling 113,190 riders over the 2025 transit season. Overhead and maintenance costs increased by $92,984 from $521,779 in 2024, totaling $614,763 in 2025. The cost of use equated to $5.40 per rider, less than the national average of $8.82 per rider. It was noted that the number of service days was the same in 2025 as 2024, although the frequency of service increased in 2025 though grant funding. A pilot program was introduced in October to gather information about shoulder season demand, which also utilized grant funding. Bustang ridership to Estes Park decreased from 3,362 riders in 2024 to 3,100 riders in 2025 and averaged 19 riders per trip. It was noted that this reduction in use could be attributed to driver scheduling issues. These users were predominantly day-trippers, arriving in the morning and leaving in the evening. The most popular stops for Bustang riders were Denver, the Rocky Mountain National Park and Ride, and the Estes Park Visitor's Center. Sponsorship for The Peak totaled $20,850 in 2025. Fifteen sponsors returned from 2024 to 2025, and six new sponsors were gained in 2025. Manager Klein then provided an oven/iew of grant funded projects and operations in 2025 including the over $800,000 in funding for the Visitor Center parking lot re-design, with completion anticipated by the end of 2026. The Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) provided $239,996 for 2025 through the Formula Grants for Rural Areas - 5311 program for general operating and administration expenses. 2023 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding, $1,093,529 available through December 31, 2027, was used and continues to be used for local and regional service enhancements. Klein then announced that the Colorado Department of Transportation had awarded the Town a fourteen (14) passenger ADA van through a Clean Transit Enterprise grant, to be used for a micro transit route. Board discussion ensued and has been summarized: Commended staff on the implementation of the shuttle tracking QR codes and questioned whether data had been gathered on rider usage of the program; expressed a desire for additional data surrounding ridership, micro transit usage, and engagement with service information; and questioned what future projects were desired by riders and staff. Trustee and Administrator Comments and Questions None. Future Study Session Agenda Items It was requested and determined to schedule the Parks Master Plan Update on February 10th. There being no further business, Mayor Hall adjourned the meeting at 6:25 p.m. ard Cameron, Recording Secretary