HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 2026-07-28RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Town ofEstes Park, Larimer County, Colorado July 28, 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 28th day of July, 2026.
Board: Mayor Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Hazelton, Trustees Brown,
Eshelman, Igel, Lancaster, and Mieras
Attending: Mayor Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Hazelton, Trustees Brown,
Eshelman, Igel, and Mieras
Also Attending: Town Administrator Machalek, Deputy Town Administrator
Damweber, Attorney Kramer, and Recording Secretary Bramwell
Absent: Trustee Lancaster
Mayor Hall called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
Development Code Update 50% Draft Review.
Eric Krohngold and Ketaki Chodke from Design Workshop and Phillip Supino from
Headwaters Planning presented an overview of the 50% draft of the Development Code
update. The updated Development Code would incorporate modem best practices and
development standards, increase efficiency in the development review process, and
align development with the Estes Forward Comprehensive Plan. Public outreach
included two open houses, multiple pop-up events, a community-wide survey, several
public dialogues, and two public deliberations. Feedback received to date included
providing clear and consistent criteria for when a development plan is required, to
differentiate requirements for low-impact or small-scale projects and larger projects, and
to streamline review procedures. Modifications to zoning standards of 10% to 24%
would be considered by the Planning Commission and modifications 25% or greater
would be considered by the Town Board. Potential updates were considered for the
Final Plat, Minor Subdivisions, PUD Final Plan, Special Review Uses, and Location and
Extent Review procedures. Three new zoning districts were introduced: a Mixed-Use
(MU) district for medium to high-density development to blend residential, commercial,
and complementary civic uses along major corridors; a Public Facilities (PF) district for
government buildings, parks, and schools; and an Open Space and Natural Areas (OS)
district for open space and recreation land. Additional housing typologies were
introduced, including Cottage Clusters and Tiny Homes. Increased density would be
permitted in Residential Multi-Family (RM) and Mixed-Use (MU) zone districts. The
entire town would be designated as a Wildlife and Habitat Protection Area, necessitating
a Wildlife Conservation Plan for most new developments. The Tree Protection and
Landscaping section aligned with the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, as adopted by
the Town and Estes Valley Fire Protection District (EVFPD) in 2026. Design Guidelines
would apply to new developments and allow for flexibility while regulating parking for
commercial and multi-family developments, building height, and outdoor lighting. The
sign code from the Municipal Code would be integrated into the Development Code,
with standards added for additional types of signs. The updated Development Code was
scheduled to be adopted in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Board comments and questions have been summarized: Asked about applying density
bonuses to additional residential zones beyond RM and the proposed ML) district,
Krohngold stated it would be considered based on the Board's direction and Supino
noted a strong split in the community between affordable housing advocates desiring
increased density and existing residents of single-family neighborhoods wishing to
maintain the current neighborhood densities; suggested expanding permitted
commercial use in accommodation districts; suggested permitting day care centers in
other zones in addition to RM; asked about the difference between conditional and
special use permits, Krohngold explained conditional use permits allow for slight
deviations from the zoning use that do not impact surrounding properties and would be
approved or denied administratively by Town staff, special use permits were for uses
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Town Board Study Session Minutes dated July 28, 2026 - Page 2
that may impact surrounding properties and would be approved or denied by the
Planning Commission or the Town Board, Ghodke noted the current code did not
include conditional use permits; requested a table listing the changes in the draft code
update from the existing code; thanked the consultants for their work and community
outreach efforts; asked if input was sought from local planners, architects, and
engineers, the consultants confirmed focus groups were conducted that included
professionals who may be impacted by the update; asked about the impact of
designating the entire town as a Wildlife and Habitat Protection Area, the consultants
noted many areas of town were classified as a Wildlife and Habitat Protection Area in
the existing code and expanding the designation to the entire town would streamline the
development process for developers; asked how wildfire mitigation and water use were
considered in the landscaping design guidelines, the consultants stated the Colorado
Wildfire Resiliency Code was referenced in the updated Development Code and the
design guidelines included plant recommendations and xeriscaping options;
recommended flexible lighting standards; asked about permitting feather flags in the
signage guidelines, Design Workshop stated the current draft maintained existing
standards for feather flags; asked the extent to which the draft deviates from the current
code, stated the updates do not differ dramatically; asked about the extent to which the
updated Development Code prepares the Town for the future, Design Workshop stated
it provides opportunities to modify the code, sets standards for commercial entities, and
would be a tool to deliver on public policy as set by the Board; clarified the distinction in
process between lot splits and subdivision plats; and complemented the tone of the
draft code.
Rebecca Urquhart/Town resident complemented Design Workshop for their work on the
draft code. She recommended Design Workshop seek feedback from developers,
engineers, land use attorneys, and other interested parties with experience utilizing and
developing land use codes. She stated the change to allow for quarter-acre lots in E
and E-1 districts would not be a significant change from the existing half-acre minimum
lot size.
Kristine Poppitz/County resident encouraged the Board to minimize staff-level
administrative decisions to maintain citizen involvement in land use decisions. She
referenced Ballot Initiative 300 and their involvement in the Development Code rewrite
process as evidence residents desire to be involved in land use decisions. She stated
the change to allow for quarter-acre lots in E and E-1 districts would be a significant
change from the existing half-acre minimum lot size. She stated preference for
properties to go through the existing rezoning process to maximize input from residents.
Public Safety Facility Financing.
Director Fetherston presented an overview of the need for a new public safety facility,
stating there had been no significant capital improvements since 1974, when the school
building built in the 1930s was converted to the police department facility. The space
was beyond its useful life. Key deficiencies included a lack of secure parking separated
from visitors, inadequate physical controls to transfer arrestees from vehicles to the
holding cells, inadequate secure and integrated evidence storage, and the lack of
integrated dispatch and response functions. The preferred site was approved by the
Town Board in March 2026. It was 3.9 acres of Town-owned non-deed property on the
northwest side of Community Drive and Manford Avenue. The proposed facility would
be approximately 30,000 square feet, an increase from the existing 7,000 square foot
space. It would potentially displace some of the stall barns at the Events Complex.
Grant funding included a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant award
for $1,000,000 pending Town Board action on the agreement; $100,000 award from the
Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) for design services which required a
$100,000 local match and would be brought to the Town Board for action in August;
$3,000,000 of Congressionally Directed Spending to relocate and reconstruct the
displaced barns pending Federal Appropriations Committee action. Construction of the
public safety facility would begin in late 2027 or 2028, dependent on funding.
Director Zimmerman presented funding options for the public safety facility and asked
for the Board's feedback on a preferred funding mechanism and timeline. The Estes
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Town Board Study Session Minutes dated July 28, 2026 - Page 3
Valley Fire Protection District (EVFPD) continues to evaluate a ballot initiative in
November 2026 to enable EVFPD to collect a half cent sales tax to fund operations in
lieu of 7% of sales tax collected by the Town annually. The Town could then redirect the
sales tax revenue to the construction of the public safety facility. Director Zimmerman
recommended financing the construction of the public safety facility with certificates of
participation (COPs), a tax-exempt lease financing tool local governments typically use
to construct essential public facilities. The facility itself would sen/e as collateral. This
funding mechanism would not require voter approval, and therefore, could be
implemented quickly. It would also preserve the Town's debt capacity because it would
not be classified as long-term debt. Compared to a voter approved sales tax that would
create a dedicated revenue source, COPs have a slightly higher interest rate and
insurance cost because of the risk of the municipality determining it does not have
enough budget to make a service payment. Three scenarios were presented to fund the
public safety facility using COPs. The first option was a debt amount of $31,860,000 at
an interest rate of 5%, the second was a debt amount of $31,080,000 at an interest rate
of 5.25%, and the third was a debt amount of $31,860,000 at an interest rate of 5.25%.
These financing options estimate a total project cost of $34,500,000 with an interest rate
of 5.0-5.25% for a term of 30 years. Sources of funding included $1,280,000 from sales
tax revenue currently allocated to the EVFPD and $1,500,000 of Town resen/es in
addition to grants from the USDA and DOLA. In addition, in 2028 $517,272 per year
would be available from the completion of COP payments for the Event Center and in
2033 $399,932 per year would be available from the maturity of the lease for the
Parking Garage. With these funding streams, the Town would not need to ask the
voters to approve additional sales tax to fund the public safety facility. The final public
safety facility financing plan would be presented to the Town Board in the second
quarter of 2027.
Board comments and questions have been summarized: Asked if there were any
second party approval requirements, staff stated the only external requirements are
from grant providers and the USDA grant required an architectural and environmental
review for the project; questioned if the estimated total cost included necessary public
safety equipment, staff stated it included all furniture, fixtures, and equipment, a
wayfinding package, and the current dispatch consoles would be used in the new
building; asked about financing options if the EVFPD did not begin collecting its own
sales tax, Town Administrator Machalek stated in that event staff would identify new
options for the Board's consideration, including the Town seeking a sales tax dedicated
to funding the public safety facility; discussed the Board's lack of intent to cease
allocating funds to the EVFPD should it not collect its own sales tax; asked about the
revenue stabilization fund, Director Zimmerman stated increasing the revenue
stabilization fund would reduce the Town's credit risk when analyzed by bond rating
agencies, Town Administrator Machalek stated the Finance Department would later
present an analysis of the cost effectiveness of supplementing the revenue stabilization
fund to achieve a maximum bond rating ofAA+ compared to directing those funds to the
down payment to reduce the amount borrowed; and questioned the likelihood of
achieving an A+ bond rating and alternatives, Director Zimmerman stated the Town
would likely achieve the A+ rating and estimating future interest rates would be
challenging.
Trustee and Administrator Comments and Questions.
Trustee Brown requested the Town Board consider waiving the conditions of the
Restrictive Use Covenant on Lot 4, Stanley Historic District to the extent of the
proposed temporary use by the Stanley Partnership for Art Culture and Education, LLC
(SPACE). Board discussion has been summarized: expressed agreement for further
discussion of the waiver; expressed concern of the lack of timeliness of communication
from Town staff to the Board; expressed trust in Town staff and Board operations and
conduct; Mayor Pro Tem Hazelton stated disagreement that the item should be brought
before the Board for further consideration after the discussion at the July 14, 2026
meeting; and discussed options to bring this item to the Board for further consideration.
Town Administrator Machalek stated staff would work with SPACE to draft an
agreement permitting SPACE to utilize a portion of Lot 4 for customer parking for the
Board's consideration. He also stated every Town staff member involved had worked
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Town Board Study Session Minutes dated July 28, 2026 - Page 4
transparently to provide the Board with the best information possible and there were no
understandings between staff and SPACE beyond what was in the public record and
the Covenant.
Future Study Session Agenda Items.
The Seasonal Housing Issues study session on September 8, 2026 was amended to
Housing Issues: Seasonal Workforce and Seniors. The FEMA Floodplain Map Adoption
Process was scheduled for August 11, 2026 and the Parks and Open Space Master
Plan was scheduled for August 25, 2026. It was requested to discuss permitting feather
flags in the Development Code update. It was requested to discuss Future Fourth of
July Fireworks at an unscheduled study session.
There being no further business, Mayor Hall adjourned the meeting at 6:39 p.m.
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Ste'phanie Bramwell, Recording Secretary