HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Study Session 2013-02-26
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, February 26, 2013
Minutes of a Study Session meeting of the TOWN BOARD of the Town
of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Board
Room in said Town of Estes Park on the 26th day of February, 2013.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst, Trustees, Elrod,
Ericson, Koenig, Norris and Phipps
Attending: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Blackhurst, Trustees, Elrod,
Koenig, Norris and Phipps
Also Attending: Town Administrator Lancaster, Assistant Town Administrator
Richardson, Attorney White, and Town Clerk Williamson
Absent: Trustee Ericson
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
The Board reviewed the list of upcoming study session topic and no additions or
changes were suggested.
DOWNTOWN COLORADO, INC./EVPC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
PRESENTATION. Katherine Correll/Executive Director stated Downtown Colorado,
Inc. builds better communities by providing assistance to downtowns, commercial
districts and town centers in Colorado through education, advocacy, information and
collaboration. The organization provides advocacy and information, education and
technical assistance including community assessments. A number of focus groups
were held to identify economic development issues that need to be addressed in Estes
Park. A main observation of the focus groups was the need to move beyond studies to
action.
Observations included the following:
• Estes Park has a lot of resources and assets working for it.
• The Community is lacking clear direction and strategy to outline how you want to
move forward.
• Most successful community initiatives in Estes Park seem to be in opposition to
something.
• A large retiree population is a great resource.
• You are what you find on the internet.
• There appears to be several efforts at enhancing communication and building
relationships around economic vitality.
• Events are important to the community and to attract visitors, but individual
organizations and resources are being stretched thin. The number of events
organizers and pool of volunteers are not realized and untapped.
• By aligning events with overall downtown goals, a year long calendar can
improve economic slow periods, attract repeat visitors, fill lodging vacancies and
bring the community together.
• There are many marketing efforts going on, however there is a need for the
downtown merchants to cohesively work together to better utilize resources.
• There seems to be a lack of vision for the community.
• Developing business friendly process could help support business and improve
the economic conditions within the community.
• There is opportunity to better understand the local and visitor customer base as
well as your business.
• There are benefits for businesses and people to choose Estes Park to do
business, raise a family, recreate, work and retire.
• Training and education could significantly improve the business environment.
• The community would benefit from a greater awareness of business assets.
• There are a number of vacant or underutilized properties that could engage the
business development climate.
The team reviewed recommendations on how to address the observations and included
some of the following:
• Focus on building your entire community.
• Partner to conserve resources and stop duplication.
• Identify a vision with clear priorities for the community.
• Community should include affordable housing, child care and infrastructure
capacity.
• Develop one champion to drive the economic and community development
process and coordinate other entities.
• Identify unifying concepts and positive initiatives that people can get behind.
• Develop clear information and awareness campaigns around initiatives whether
around urban renewal, performing arts, etc.
• Engage community members in your processes.
• Develop clear materials that outline the benefits of living, owning a business, or
buying property in Estes Park year round.
• Focus on available dark fiber, proximity to DIA, Loveland, Denver, visitors,
outdoor activity options, quality of school and library district, etc.
• Post a map of all redevelopment sites and prospective uses on the Town’s
website.
• Outline the simple steps for opening a business or investing in property on the
Town’s website.
• Develop job descriptions to engage youth and unemployed spouses looking to
integrate into the workforce.
• Engage realtors and banking community to identify ways they can contribute to
community priorities.
• Identify community event objectives and strategically plan events to best utilize
volunteer resources.
• Engage locals – considering what appeals to youth, seniors, and specialty
groups.
• Work with local groups, YMCA, students and youth to best communicate
opportunities to capture winter tourists.
• Explore a shop local campaign beyond the Rocky Card.
• Plan a shoulder season event.
• Update the 1996 Estes Valley Comprehensive Plan.
• Adopt a five year Capital Improvement Plan.
• Implementation Plan.
• Review the regulatory processes and documents to remove barriers to infill and
development. Facilitate a community engagement process for development
code revisions.
• Pursue public private partnerships to access grants, funding and technical
assistance.
• Inventory underutilized properties and consider best uses that are consistent with
your vision.
• Identify catalyst sites.
Catalyst Sites
The group identified a number of locations, old elementary building, vacant Park
Theater Mall lot, landfill and areas along Hwy 34 and 36 that could be developed to help
create jobs and a year round economy. It was suggested the Town could identify areas
and zone them appropriately for technical parks. This would encourage businesses to
locate in Estes Park as land would already be identified for development. The landfill
was also identified as a location for a professional/technical park. Developers are
attracted to communities that have buildable land, quality resources, transmission
infrastructure, and easy to understand permitting, development and zoning regulations
and processes. Renewable energy businesses could be a compatible business type to
bring to Estes Park.
Design
A number of observations have been summarized: The walkability of the downtown is
good but the sidewalk maintenance needs to be improved; downtown planters are bare
and unattractive during the winter/spring months; although there is significant off-street
parking in the downtown core there is a parking shortage in the summer; and there are
missing links in the trail system around town.
Funding Mechanisms
Observations included the following:
• Estes Park has limited space and significant assets in underutilized properties,
need for incentives to redevelop properties instead of creating sprawl, and
diversifying the shoulder season economy.
• Local government and non-profit organizations are not working together
effectively towards shared community goals.
• The community needs to identify appropriate funding mechanism for proposed
economic development and community assets.
• The Town has identified specific areas for redevelopment/development best
suited for tax increment financing.
Recommendations:
• Create a Community Development Corporation that focus resources on
development or redevelopment too difficult or costly for the private sector;
catalyzing private sector investment in tough to develop areas; and provide
economic development incentives to help disadvantaged businesses.
• The CDC would identify funding sources to create an Executive Director position.
• A community campus concept would be a source of economic development and
would be effectively financed via alternative means such as grants and USDA
loans.
• Form URA with multiple discrete project areas to address blighted, underutilized
and developable projects.
The Board thanked the members of Downtown Colorado, Inc. and team members for
the assessment and stated support for the process and a number of the
recommendations including an Executive Director to coordinate economic development.
A number of concerns were raised including ensuring the County has a role in economic
development in Estes Park, continue moving forward as a community topic and not rely
on the Town to complete, and the community voted to discontinue URA in Estes Park.
Greg Rosener/Economic Development Task Force Chair stated the Task force would
continue to reach out to community groups and individuals to review the report present
to the Town Board. Result of these meetings would be presented to the Town Board
during the March 12, 2013 study session. The burden of moving economic
development forward rests on the shoulders of not only the Town Board but the other
taxing entities and businesses in the valley. The final process would be to identify how
to move forward to meet the goal of diversifying the local economy.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 6:05 p.m.
Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk