There were four public hearings at the Oct. 22 Town Board meeting: three dealing with revisions to the Town’s Development Code and one on the proposed 2025 Town budget.
The Town’s budget for next year was originally reviewed by the Town Trustees in an all-day study session on Oct. 9, where staff recommended reductions in some.
At the Oct. 22 public hearing, one of two required by law before passing the final budget, several impassioned presentations were made by organizations directly affected by these cuts.
After what the Board of Trustees noted as compelling arguments for the Estes Arts District, Trustee Bill Brown recommended keeping that organization’s funding level the same as 2024, which would mean an additional $6,000 would need to be budgeted; a consensus among the trustees was received so that change will be reflected in the next public hearing on the 2025 budget.
In a separate story, the Estes Valley Voice will present a review of the proposed 2025 budget and the public’s response at the first public hearing. The final public hearing on the 2025 budget will be held at the Nov. 12 regular Town Board meeting.
Changes considered to development code
In addition, changes to the Town of Estes Park’s Development Code were considered in three other public hearings during that meeting. Ordinance 15-24 amended sections 5 and 13 of the code to remove residential occupancy limits. This change is in accordance with state law, which states that local governments cannot set occupancy limits based on familial relationships. This change received no public comment and was passed six to one, with Brown dissenting.
Ordinance 16-24 was next on the agenda, which “is amending the development code regarding public notice requirements,” said Senior Planner Paul Hornbeck, explaining inconsistencies in the public notification requirements are set at 15 days prior or 10 days prior to public hearings, depending on the type of application.
“(Also), the code requires notice to be mailed to adjacent property owners. The methodology for determining who receives this notice is rather unusual for the Estes code compared to other communities,” said Hornbeck. “It results in inconsistencies from project to project and is difficult to administer, with opportunity for human error in creating those mailing lists in the way it’s done now.”
The ordinance revises these inconsistencies to all public notices to properties within a 500-foot area of the proposed development, 15 days prior to the public hearing. “Finally, clarification that a neighborhood meeting is required for rezonings, however, will not be required for text amendments,” Hornbeck said.
“I’m real happy with the first two items,” said Estes Park resident Christine Poppitz during the public comment portion of the hearing. “(but) I’m not in agreement about there not being a neighborhood meeting required for text amendments…I think there should be consistency across the board. If you’re consistent with the number of days notification.”
Trustee Mark Igel asked Hornbeck for an example of a text amendment that would require a public meeting. “In practice, these have never occurred, it’s a clarification in the wording,” Hornbeck replied.
“Having read the recommendations of the planning commission, I agree with all the points they made,” said Igel while making a motion to pass Ordinance 16-24, which passed unanimously.
The final action item of the evening received the most public input of the night: the public hearing on Ordinance 17-24, amending the portions of the development code that pertain to planned unit developments and variances.
“The last major update to the development code was in the year 2000,” explained Senior Planner Hornbeck, who said that compared to the 2022 Estes Valley Comprehensive Plan “there’s a disconnect between the two documents. One of the most noticeable is the inconsistency between the comp plan, which has a vision for mixed use centers and corridors.
“Most commercial corridors in town outside of downtown are identified in the future land use map in the comprehensive plan as mixed-use centers and corridors,” he said, “The Comp plan has a vision for these areas of medium to higher density, vertical mixed residential development elements located on or near major thoroughfares.”
Numerous members of the public came forward to express their concerns that, among other things, passage of this ordinance would adversely affect Estes Park by allowing building heights up to 42 feet, blocking sightlines of the mountainous terrain for those who have already built or bought their homes in neighboring residential zones. Several of the Trustees agreed with this, so the public hearing on Ordinance 17-24 was continued to Nov. 26.
The Estes Valley Voice will publish a detailed story on the changes proposed by this ordinance, including some of the public comments for and against, prior to the final board meeting on this subject.
BEAD grant application and contract award to investigate alternative raw water supply for Marys Lake Water Treatment Plan authorized.
Town staff received signature authorization to apply for a Broadband Equity, Access, and Distribution (BEAD) grant through the state to expand Trailblazer Broadband into outlying areas of the Town’s Light and Power service areas.
Jacqui Wesley, the Town’s water engineer, presented a bid that came in $40,000 under budget to investigate a new source of raw water coming into Marys Lake Water Treatment Plant. The contract was authorized by the board.
International Sister Cities Day
Mayor Gary Hall proclaimed Oct. 14, the birthday of Dwight D. Eisenhower, to be International Sister Cities Day, in honor of the Sister City partnership the Town of Estes Park has with Monteverde, Costa Rica.
The next Town Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
Correction: The Estes Valley Watershed Coalition funding for 2024 was $24,000 not $20,000.
Thank you. I had to recreate the chart in order to upload it in the right file format and the mistake is mine. I hopped in and updated the chart. Patti Brown, Editor