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Alpine‑area leaders propose joint economic‑development working group to capture tourism dollars
Summary
City and county officials, business owners and community members at a Sept. 30 workshop discussed forming a joint working group, inventorying infrastructure and pursuing coordinated promotion and small pilot investments to convert visitor traffic into local spending and new businesses.
At a joint workshop Sept. 30, 2025, city and county leaders and local business owners discussed coordinated economic development to capture more visitor spending, encourage new businesses and address housing and service gaps.
Speakers repeatedly noted the region’s strength as a tourism corridor — officials said the national park and area attractions bring hundreds of thousands of visitors — and emphasized converting those visits into overnight stays, restaurant sales and retail purchases through better promotion, infrastructure and private investment. The county judge (name not specified) framed the challenge: “Without growth, we’re gonna be stagnant,” and urged coordinated action between the city and county.
Discussion points included the need to inventory existing infrastructure (water, wastewater, power), a review of where lodging and short‑term rentals serve demand, and barriers local entrepreneurs cite when opening businesses or building housing. Several speakers stressed that while tourism drives foot traffic, the community also needs more year‑round jobs, housing and services to retain and attract residents. Council members and business owners cited missing retail options — groceries, clothing and shoes — and said those gaps push residents to shop out of town.
Participants debated how public money and incentives should be used. Officials said both the city and county have limited discretionary revenue and emphasized the need to leverage private investment; one speaker urged using small public investments to catalyze private projects. Ideas raised included a subsidized air link or airport program that can bring more visitors, a targeted fund to support local entrepreneurship, a coordinated marketing effort (videos and social media), and a business‑friendly permitting and outreach role by a local Chamber of Commerce.
Workshop attendees proposed concrete follow‑ups: create a small, multi‑jurisdictional working group to meet and develop an action plan (some suggested 3 representatives from each body), inventory existing assets and infrastructure, and explore pilot projects (for example, short‑term funding for retrofits or marketing). Several speakers recommended reconvening every six months to measure progress and keep momentum.
No formal votes were taken. The group ended by agreeing to continue coordination and to form a limited working group to draft next steps for both jurisdictions.
