More than 70 people attended an open house on Wednesday evening at the Estes Park Museum to learn about the process of updating the Town of Estes Park’s 25-year-old development code and to express their opinions on what they would like to see included in the new version.
Eric Krohngold from Design Workshop, the lead consultant on the project, explained the process being used to get feedback from the public. “There are lots of opportunities on a variety of different topics that will make their way to the development code for the community to give feedback one way or the other,” explained Krohngold.
Presentation boards with various options were displayed to gather input on topics such as lighting, wildlife protection, and housing. People were given small round stickers so they could anonymously indicate their preferences directly onto the display boards. Another board asked for written comments.
Representatives from the Estes Valley Restorative Justice Partnership, who will facilitate discussion groups, another step in the process, were on hand to invite business and property owners, residents, and local employees to sign up to participate. The groups will be conducted in both English and Spanish.
“Community Conversations is a partnership between the Estes Valley Library and Restorative Justice,” said Melissa Westover, interim manager of RVRJP, who spoke on the importance of creating community conversations in smaller focus groups.
“What we’re doing regarding the development code update is helping with public engagement, but it goes beyond that. Our goal was to get people to talk to each other and have various opinions about things, learn how to come to some consensus on different topics,” said Westover.
The feedback gathered in the discussion groups will be compiled to create a larger deliberative process that the entire community will be invited to participate in, sometime in the fall, she said. When the consultants are about halfway through the process, estimated to be in February, another opportunity for public engagement will be held.
“When the town board directed the community development staff to undertake this process of amending the land use regulations in town, part of that direction was to engage with the community, to understand community sentiment around all the different elements that came out of the updated comprehensive plan,” said Phillip Supino, co-consultant from Headwaters Community Planning, located in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado.
Supino has served as a planner for the communities of Durango, Crested Butte, and Aspen, where he held the position of Community Development Director and has experience creating public engagement opportunities.
Several Town staff members, including Town Administrator Travis Machalek and Jennifer Waters, an engineer who serves as the Town’s development review and floodplain manager, were present on Wednesday to answer questions and receive feedback directly.
Also attending was Scott Moulton, the executive director of the Estes Park Housing Authority, who was there not only in his work capacity, but to express his personal opinion as a citizen of Estes Park.
“I feel last night’s open house was a good opening to the process,” Moulton said. “The prepared boards, education, and the availability of Design Workshop’s team and Town staff were valuable and appreciated. I would like to see the same version of last night’s engagement opportunities available online as the Town has done with transportation-related planning.”
Click here for more information on the development code update process.
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