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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 05-23-2007 Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, May 23, 2007 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the TOWN BOARD STUDY SESSION of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at Museum Meeting Room in said Town of Estes Park on the 23rd day of May, 2007. Committee: Mayor Baudek, Trustees Blackhurst, Eisenlauer, Homeier, Levine, Newsom and Pinkham Attending: All Also Attending: Town Attorney White, Administrator Repola, Chief Dorman, Director Pickering, Director Joseph, Deputy Clerk Deats Absent: None Mayor Baudek called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. LOCAL MARKETING DISTRICT UPDATE. Dir. Pickering has been conducting meetings with community members to provide information regarding the creation of a local marketing district, including the lodging association, the Chamber, the Newcomers group, and senior citizens, who have provided feedback on the topic. Attorney White outlined the following steps to be taken towards the creation of the marketing district:  Development of a draft IGA between the Town of Estes Park and Larimer County containing marketing district organizational information.  Signed petitions to the Town and County, and public hearings to support the creation of the marketing district.  Certification of a ballot issue to address funding the district by means of a sales tax on the short-term rental of accommodations.  Ballot issue – November 2008. Discussion followed regarding the structure of the marketing district’s governing body/board, an operating plan for the district, funding of the district until tax monies become available, and actions to be considered if the ballot issue related to funding the district should fail. Dir. Pickering will continue to be involved in providing educational materials and information to the electorate related to the marketing district. FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES UPDATE. Meetings have been conducted with the Larimer County Sheriff in regard to fire protection services provided to properties outside of the Town limits and the dissolution of the current automatic response agreement. A new agreement would be implemented enabling the Town to recover costs associated with emergency calls outside Town limits. Consideration is being given to the creation of contractual agreements between homeowners associations and the Town of Estes Park that would allow for the availability of emergency services at a prescribed rate per homeowner. Guidelines available through the State of Colorado would be used to determine fees related to emergency calls based on the operating costs of the type of equipment dispatched to the scene. Chief Dorman reported that members of the Estes Park Volunteer Fire Department stated that they do not want their volunteer time to be included in charges to property owners. Billing would be through the Town of Estes Park and monies charged for emergency responses would not recover all costs, but help to offset expenses. Staff is working on the context of agreements for fire services with relevant agencies. Town Board Study Session – May 23, 2007 – Page 2 BED & BREAKFAST DISCUSSION. A need to address the operation of Bed & Breakfast Inns and establish consistency between the Municipal Code and the Estes Valley Development Code as to the operation of such, prompted the Trustees to discuss points that characterize a B & B establishment. The following points were identified as characteristics to include in a definition of a Bed & Breakfast:  Owner/Manager occupied, single-family, detached dwelling unit.  Lodging for no more than eight persons (who may be unrelated) including the resident managers/owners, further limited to two persons per bedroom plus two.  Meals may be offered to overnight guests only.  No more than three cars parked outside of the garage area, and no on-street parking.  Accessory buildings shall not be used for guest quarters or amenities beyond a gazebo or similar outdoor room. Discussion took place regarding zoning districts in which a B & B would be considered an allowable use. In addition to properties zoned Commercial and Accommodation where a B & B is currently an allowed use, the Trustees identified residential districts R- 2 and RM as permitted use areas, without special review. An ordinance will be written reflecting the proposed changes to the Municipal Code. The same changes to the Estes Valley Development Code will be proposed to create consistency, and will be reviewed by the Estes Valley Planning Commission. BOND PARK USAGE. Certain events held last year caused damage to improvements to Bond Park. In particular, displaying cars in the Park during the Coolest Car Show held on July 4th, caused considerable damage to turf and sprinkler heads within the Park. The damage was attributed to newly planted sod and wet, rainy weather that occurred during the event. Foot traffic during arts and crafts shows, as well as the need to turn off the irrigation system during these events, creates additional stress on the turf. The Trustees discussed different types of events that might be suitable for Bond Park and others that could move to Performance Park, or to the fairgrounds when improvements are completed. The Trustees stated that Bond Park should be a multi-purpose event venue and complement downtown businesses. The perception that events in Bond Park compete with downtown businesses was also discussed, as well as transient vendor licensing, and sales tax collection. Currently, capital improvements are being made to the Stanley Park Fairgrounds area. Discussion ensued about researching construction costs related to improvements that can be made to Bond Park to create a balance between a park-like setting and its functionality as a venue for performances and events. Staff suggested evaluating Bond Park construction in 2009 or 2010. COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND INCENTIVES. A growing trend among municipalities is to offer incentives to companies to attract business and/or developments to their towns. Incentives are often in the form of tax rebates, access to tax increment financing, and rebates on infrastructure costs. The incentives are offered with the idea that the development will bring in new tax revenues. The Trustees discussed whether the Town of Estes Park would be interested in offering these types of incentives to attract development to the area. Discussion included how EPURA could play a role in providing incentives, how incentives would not be offered to new businesses that would be in competition with existing Estes Park businesses, and the possibility of businesses leaving the area when incentives run out. Town Board Study Session – May 23, 2007 – Page 3 The Trustees stated that incentives are sometimes key in making a project successful by providing a more attractive rate of return for investors, and that when a project would be considered a benefit to the community, the concept of incentives might be considered. There being no further business, Mayor Baudek adjourned the meeting at 4:45 p.m. Cynthia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk