A first look at a draft of the 2026 budget was presented during an Estes Park Housing Authority Board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The draft outlines a focus on “community stewardship, financial discipline, and housing equity,” as well as investments in “affordable workforce housing, land stewardship, operational capacity, and expanded development partnerships.”
The EPHA currently owns over 335 homes and regulates 180 housing units. They own several attainable workforce housing projects, such as Fall River Village and Beaver Brook Crossing, that they say help provide a “balanced and sustainable Estes Valley.”
According to the budget, EPHA plans to develop an additional 125 housing units by 2030.
The Board discussed the necessity for the 2026 budget report to be definition-oriented. They noted many people do not understand that the EPHA is not a department within the Town of Estes Park, but rather a separate government entity with its own Board appointed by the Town Trustees..
The only tax money the EPHA receives is collected first by Visit Estes Park through the 6% bed tax, then channeled to the Town of Estes Park, which appropriates the funds to the housing authority to develop and underwrite workforce housing. The Town also retains a portion to fund childcare initiatives.
The budget summary produced by Executive Director Scott Moulton reads, “Despite inflationary headwinds, tight labor markets, and political uncertainty around housing policies, our FY2026 budget is structurally balanced, mission-aligned, and forward-looking. It reflects our continued growth as a development-capable housing authority, while ensuring we remain nimble and resilient in the face of local and national economic shifts.”
Development updates
Pete Levine, director of real estate development, provided the Board with several updates regarding current developments underway in Estes Park.
On Sept. 9, the Town Board of Trustees approved vacating a portion of Stanley Circle Drive’s right of way, allowing for a larger parcel of land to be available for a proposed workforce housing development. Several community members raised concerns about the impact this development would have on the intersection at Stanley Circle Dr., and Levine said that public works would pay to update the intersection in 2026 or 2027.
Regarding the plan to develop employee housing on the land, Housing and Childcare Manager Carley Bangs stated that possible changes to the development process presented at the last meeting would be brought to the Town Board as a discussion item in November.
EPHA Board chair Eric Blackhurst echoed his concerns from the last meeting regarding what he called a “180 degree turnaround from what we have been reporting to the public.”
“I think being able to have organizational flexibility to discuss other options is the appropriate path forward,” said Moulton. “ No decisions have been made at a staff level.”
As for Fall River Village, the development is in the process of getting government approvals for amendments to the planned development and subdivision of the property. Pending the completion of the code analysis, Levine expects to resubmit for a second review soon and says that most major issues have been addressed.
The 775 Riverside Project annexation and development plans are also moving forward and will be discussed in an upcoming Town Board meeting.
“Once we reach that design milestone and we have the property annexed into the town, we’re planning to pause the project for the time being,” said Levine. “For 2026 and 2027, we plan to utilize the vast majority of our development funds to ensure that the Fish Hatchery project successfully gets underway.”
Several developments to the site plan for the Fish Hatchery project were presented, and Levine invited the Board and community members to attend a “community walking tour,” where people could walk through and see what the development would look like upon completion. The on-site open house will take place this Thursday, Oct. 30, from 3 to 6 p.m. at 1705 Fish Hatchery Road.
The EPHA Board is slated to reconvene for its next meeting on Nov. 12.