HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 08-11-2009
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, August 11, 2009
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
Rooms 202 & 203 in said Town of Estes Park on the 11th day of
August, 2009.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Trustees Blackhurst, Eisenlauer, Ericson,
Levine, Homeier and Miller
Also Attending: Town Administrator Halburnt, Deputy Town Administrator
Richardson, Town Attorney White, Town Clerk Williamson,
Director Pickering, Mgr. Winslow, Director Joseph and
Planner Chilcott
Absent: None
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
REVIEW OF SCHEMATICS FOR THE MULTI PURPOSE EVENT CENTER (MPEC) &
INDOOR ARENA.
Roger Kenney and Chris Lee of Kenney Associates presented the schematic designs
for the MPEC and the Indoor Arena addressing the concerns discussed at the Town
Board Study Session on July 28, 2009. The 30,000 square foot MPEC building would
accommodate 147 10X10 horse stalls or trade booths on the first floor with public
bathrooms, small conference room, reception area, three offices and two storage
rooms. A second floor over a portion of the building has been designed to include a
conference room with windows overlooking the event center below. The design could
accommodate two tennis courts with a walking track on the perimeter, one basketball
court or four to five half courts. The height of the building would be 30 feet plus a 6 foot
monitor for ventilation. The Indoor Arena would allow for rodeo activities, barrel racing
and team penning, with capacity for 488 removal bleacher seats, lobby with ticket booth,
storage room, concession kitchen, offices, public restrooms, horse rack, and private
restroom and shower facility for the participates. The building would be heated with unit
heaters from the ceiling with separate heating facility for the offices and infrared for the
restrooms.
Board comments are summarized; requested a concession area or catering kitchen be
added to the MPEC design; questioned and discussed the need to divide the space into
two separate areas in order to accommodate two different uses simultaneously;
questioned if the monitor could be shorter to minimize the height variance request;
concern with the exit onto Fourth Street, a secondary roadway; and the need to close
that exit.
Mr. Kenney stated in order to separate the building acoustically the ceiling would have
to be lowered, thereby eliminating sports and increasing the cost. He suggested the
facility could be separated by a drape/curtain that would not separate the events
acoustically. The main traffic for the fairgrounds would be directed onto Manford Avenue
with Fourth Street used as an emergency access point. Mr. Kenney stated a pedestrian
walkway has been proposed to connect the Senior Center and the facilities at the
fairgrounds. He stated cost estimates would be presented at the next study session for
both facilities, revised floor plans and additional elevation renditions.
Mayor Pinkham called a 15 minute break at 5:03 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at
5:18 p.m.
Town Board Study Session – August 11, 2009 – Page 2
VACATION HOME/RENTAL PROBLEM STATEMENT.
Director Joseph reviewed the past discussion of the Town Board as it relates to
vacation homes. He stated vacation homes have existed in Estes Park as an incidental
and secondary use prior to the existence of the Town. The advent of the internet in the
1990s changed the business of vacation homes and the first attempt to regulate them
by the Town came forward in 1996 via the Municipal Code. He stated the issue has
been addressed through the Estes Valley Development Code (EVDC) as a use
category and references the regulations in the Municipal Code. The EVDC categorizes
vacation homes as an accessory use and the Municipal Code categorizes the use as a
principal use. Staff requests direction on whether or not vacation homes should be a
principle or accessory use in residential zones, and if categorized as accessory, a
definition of accessory use would have to be developed. Director Joseph stated moving
the regulations into the EVDC would create a grandfathering situation.
Attorney White contends the Town has allowed the use of residential property for
vacation homes and could not eliminate the use. He stated vacation home regulations
should be moved into the EVDC. The permitting and licensing of vacation homes in the
county has not been addressed in the past because the County cannot and does not
want to license these properties. The Town and the County would gain an enforcement
tool by placing the regulation for vacation homes in the land use code.
Discussion followed by the Board: a good definition of the different types of
accommodations (B&B, small hotel, vacation home, etc.) needs to be developed;
subdivisions can regulate vacation homes through covenants; land use should be
removed from the Municipal Code and placed in the EVDC; the Estes Park Local
Marketing District (LMD) should be the regulatory agency for vacation homes to ensure
county properties are collection the 2% lodging tax; questioned the severity of the
problem; a basic definition of accessory use and principal use is needed to better
understand the issue as it relates to land use; the recommended code changes by the
Planning Commission contained details such as food service and cleaning that cannot
be enforced; and B&B should be allowed a greater number of guests than a vacation
home.
A discussion was heard on the mechanisms that could be used to address the
grandfathering use of vacation homes if the regulations were moved to the EVDC. It
was suggested current vacation homes could be given a period of time to register the
use. A use permit was also discussed as an avenue for permitting vacation homes in
the county. Attorney White stated placing such requirements in the EVDC allows the
issue of licensing and grandfathering to be dealt with as a zoning violation, thereby
creating an incentive to register the vacation home.
Staff would utilize the newly developed problem statement form to draft a vacation
home problem statement for the Board’s review. The problem statement would address
definitions for al accommodation types, licensing, and principal versus accessory use.
Additionally, the Planning Commission would discuss the future code changes that need
to be addressed for the Town Board to review and prioritize.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 6:41 p.m.
Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk