HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Estes Park Planning Commission 2021-08-171
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, August 17, 2021
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the ESTES PARK PLANNING
COMMISSION of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado.
Meeting held VIRTUALLY in said Town of Estes Park on the 17 day of
August 2021.
Committee: Chair Matt Comstock, Vice-Chair Matthew Heiser,
Commissioners Joe Elkins, Howard Hanson, Janene
Centurione.
Attending: Chair Comstock, Vice-Chair Heiser, Commissioner
Centurione, Commissioner Elkins, Commissioner Hanson,
Director Randy Hunt, Director Jessica Garner, Senior Planner
Jeff Woeber, Planner II Alex Bergeron, Planning Technician
Charlie Rugaber, Recording Secretary Karin Swanlund,
Acting Attorney Brandon Ditman, Town Board Liaison
Barbara MacAlpine
Absent: none
Chair Comstock called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Also attending were Matt Ashby
and Mike Scholl, Ayres Associates consultants. He introduced incoming Community
Development Director Jessica Garner, who began her employment on July 26.
AGENDA APPROVAL
It was moved and seconded (Heiser/Hanson) to approve the agenda. The motion
passed 5-0.
PUBLIC COMMENT.
None
CONSENT AGENDA APPROVAL
It was moved and seconded (Heiser/Elkins) to approve the consent agenda. The
motion passed 5-0.
ACTION ITEMS
1. MINOR SUBDIVISION 621 Pinewood Lane
Planner Bergeron reviewed the proposal for a minor subdivision. The applicant,
Elaine Winslow, proposes to subdivide the E-1 zoned property to create another lot
of one acre in size suitable for residential development. Both resulting lots would
meet minimum lot size and other dimensional criteria for subdivision within the E-1
Zoning District. The applicant proposes a "no-build" easement to preserve the view
from the existing home on the parent lot and declares limits of disturbance (LOD) for
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proposed Lot 1 to preserve existing trees. Staff recommended approval of the minor
subdivision.
DISCUSSION:
Jes Reetz, Cornerstone Engineering, answered that the access easement on
Pinewood Lane is existing. Planner Bergeron noted that limits of disturbance are
required on the preliminary plat, not the final plat and that not all of the trees in this
area will be taken down.
Owner Elaine Winslow stated that a small 2300 square foot handicapped accessible
home was planned for the new lot and intends to preserve as many trees as
possible.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Bart Dannels, neighbor, approved of the lot split and clarified that the road between
the two properties is not a public access road and only goes to his house.
It was moved and seconded (Hanson/Centurione) to recommend that the Town
Board APPROVE the Winslow Minor Subdivision, in accordance with the
findings as presented. The motion passed 5-0.
2. CODE AMENDMENT: WIRELESS TELECOM FACILITIES
Senior Planner Woeber
Staff requested this item be continued to the September 21, 2021 meeting.
It was moved and seconded (Heiser/Hanson) to continue the Code Amendment
to September 21, 2021. The motion passed 4-0 with Centurione absent.
3. CODE AMENDMENT: DOWNTOWN BUILDING HEIGHT
Mike Scholl, Ayres Associates, explained that the Code Amendment under
consideration would amend the Estes Park Development Code to allow for greater
building height in the CD Downtown Commercial Zoning District as a use by right.
The purpose is to allow for greater opportunity for mixed-use development and add
much-needed housing units. Specifically, building height within the CD Downtown
Commercial Zoning District would be amended from 30 feet to allow up to 42 feet.
The 42-foot height limit was derived from discussions with developers, the Planning
Commission, and a review of approved downtown plans. At 42 feet, developers can
comfortably build commercially viable three-story mixed-use buildings in the CD
District. The amendment is being drafted such that there are no additional
restrictions on building use. The height limit is intended as a maximum allowable
with no exceptions through special review. The Board of Adjustment could grant
variances in cases for which the proposal meets variance criteria. The guidelines
under consideration would only apply to new construction or additions that exceed
30 feet in height.
This amendment was contemplated and called for in the Estes Park, Colorado
Downtown Plan (adopted Jan. 2018). The plan stated, as a key objective, "…a
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moderate increase in density and building height to promote housing development
and Downtown activity." (p. 52) The plan also included additional discussion
regarding design constraints to minimize the visual impact on the downtown district.
Specifically, the plan indicated a need to include setbacks and building articulation to
ensure visual continuity with existing buildings in the downtown district. Additionally,
the Estes Park Economic Development Corporation ("EDC") has advocated for
increasing the availability of workforce housing. Updated Purpose Language to
include "the encouragement of reinvestment in downtown buildings and upper-story
workforce housing in a walkable, mixed-use context."
DISCUSSION
After discussion in the earlier Study Session, the following proposed sentence was
added to the Purpose Language: The section is also intended to encourage
reinvestment in downtown buildings and encourage upper-story workforce housing
in a walkable, mixed-use context.
The top floor is required to have an 8 foot step back. The setback on the street
frontage of lots is 8 feet, and the plan is to change it to zero. Vice-Chair Heiser
suggested not including this in the code amendment, and Chair Comstock agreed.
Director Garner clarified that the setback would be behind the sidewalk, not from the
curb. Director Hunt saw no reason not to keep the 8-foot setback. Changing
11.5.c.2 to add 8 feet from the façade plane is a workaround for this issue.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Bob Leavitt, 740 Rams Horn Drive, questioned why "workforce housing" was not in
the phrasing of the code amendment and is in favor of the 8-foot setback from the
façade.
Two five-minute recesses were taken to get the correct updated language for a
motion.
It was moved and seconded (Heiser/Elkins) to recommend the Town Board
APPROVE the Downtown Building Height Code Amendment, with the following
changes to the staff findings: in addition to advancing the ideas of the 2018
downtown plan, this code amendment is consistent with the policies and goals
of the comprehensive plan as it relates to aging building infrastructure, fires and
flood. This amendment will create opportunities for improvement and
redevelopment of the Downtown District, advancing the ideas of maintaining the
downtown core as the hub of Estes Park's economic base, sustaining the tax
base and allowing for more residential units in the downtown zone. Additionally,
changing section 11.5.c.2, adding an 8-foot setback from the façade of the
building. The motion passed 5-0.
REPORTS:
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Director Hunt gave an update on the Comprehensive Plan update. There will be a joint
meeting on Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Consultants Logan Simpson has
compiled massive amounts of data which will be summarized and made available to the
public soon. Identification of issues and public input will be ramping up.
There being no further business, Chair Comstock adjourned the meeting at 3:07 p.m.
Matt Comstock, Chair
Karin Swanlund, Recording Secretary