An issue advocacy coalition comprised of local businesses, organizations, and individuals calling themselves the Estes Valley United Neighbors came together this fall to counter two local ballot initiatives that address zoning issues, which Preserve Estes Park, another citizen-led group, supports.
The group is an alliance of the Estes Chamber of Commerce, the Estes Valley Board of REALTORS®, and the Estes Valley Contractors Association.
According to Breeyan Edwards, a local realtor, the 2024 president of the Estes Valley Board of REALTORS®, and a member of the Estes Chamber’s Board of Directors, EVUN’s priority is “analyzing and educating members and voters on ballot measures that impact our community.”
The coalition surveyed the membership of the three organizations to assess how the groups wanted their respective boards to respond to two ballot questions that have been put before Estes Park voters, Ballot Issues 300 and 301.
“There was an overwhelming response to oppose both measures, hence our public campaign and registration as an issues committee,” said Edwards.
The coalition held an open meeting on Oct. 8 at the Community Center to present its concerns about the two ballot issues to the public. Coalition members have bought yard signs and banners to educate the community and encourage the electorate to vote against the ballot questions.
Ballot Issue 300 would require two-thirds of property owners within 500 feet of a property to approve of zoning changes, and Ballot Issue 301 would eliminate the density bonus that builders can apply for when they are constructing housing dedicated for people who work 30 hours or more in the Estes Valley.
Preserve Estes Park worked to put the two ballot measures before voters who live in the Town of Estes Park. Voters who live in the unincorporated area of Larimer County outside of the Town limits will not see these questions on their ballots.
A similar measure to Ballot Question 300, which the PEP group also supported, was defeated in April 2024.
PEP has fought against developer Frank Theis, who asked the Town to rezone his property, 7.62 acres known as Coyote Run II, located at 685 Peak View Dr., from E-1 to R. In Estes Park, E-1 zoning allows for only one dwelling unit per acre. In Estes Park, R zoning refers to residential districts, with the most common types being the EV R (Estes Valley Single-Family Residential) district, which allows for higher-density single-family homes, and EV RM (Estes Valley Multi-Family), which permits more concentrated multi-family housing.
After revamping his plans and partnering with Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley, Inc., Theis received approval in a 5-2 vote from the Town Board on June 24 to rezone a 4.46-acre parcel of his property to build 12 single-family homes.
Poppitz-Jacobs lawsuit
Two of the organizers of Preserve Estes Park who worked to get enough signatures to put the two ballot question before Esets Park voters, Kristine Poppitz and Christy Jacobs, filed suit in Larimer County on July 21, 2025, against the Town of Estes Park, the Mayor and the Estes Park Trustees, CMS Planning and Development, Inc. and its registered agent Frank Theis, and Habitat for Humanity.
The lawsuit, a Colorado Rule 106 – a legal maneuver allowing individuals to appeal land use decisions made by public officials – seeks to invalidate the Town Board’s rezoning approval and makes eight claims:
- that the Town was arbitrary or capricious
- that the Town denied the statutory rights of the plaintiffs
- that the town acted in excess of its statutory jurisdiction, authority, purposes, or limitations
- that the Town’s decision was not in accordance with the procedures and procedural limitations on Article 4 of C.R.S. 24-4-106 or as otherwise required by law
- that the Town’s decision was an abuse or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion based on findings from the records
- that the decision was unsupported by substantive evidence when the record is considered as a whole, or in part
- that the rezoning decision was otherwise, contrary to the law
- and that the decision was contrary and not in compliance with the Estes Park Development Code.
A virtual appearance for a case management conference in this matter is set for Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 3 B at the Larimer County Courthouse.
The counterargument expected by the defendants is that the rezoning is permissible since it is consistent with Estes Forward, the Town’s Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2022, which replaced the 1996 Estes Park Comprehensive Plan.
The Town is currently in the process of rewriting its development code, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
Affordability and the cost of housing in the Estes Valley
The median listing price for a single-family home in Estes Park is $750,000, and the median sold price in September 2025 was approximately $850,000. The average cost to build a new home in Estes is $500 per square foot, which means a 1,000-square-foot house costs $500,000 as an entry point.
The cost of housing in the Estes Valley has created problems for many low- to median-wage earners who cannot afford to live in the community, and has made it difficult for many employers to find and retain workers willing to commute from the Front Range to work in Estes.
The Town of Estes Park, in partnership with the Estes Park Housing Authority, is working to address the affordable, accessible, and attainable housing needs of people who work in the Estes Valley.
You must be logged in to post a comment.