Carbondale panel outlines outreach plan, targets mid‑July open house for OTR design guidelines; prioritizes notifying property owners

The Carbondale Historic Preservation Commission spent the bulk of its meeting defining public outreach and schedule for draft design guidelines for the OTR zone district. Staff said the project team — led by a consultant under contract with the town — needs to produce draft guidelines for History Colorado staff review and recommended a mix of targeted mailings to zone property owners, an open house and survey work this summer.

A staff member described outreach options and asked the commission for priorities: “Do you guys have any desire for, additional outreach this summer? … is there a desire, among the historic preservation commission to kind of help staff those booths?” Commissioners broadly supported a combination of direct mail to OTR property owners, a focused property‑owner meeting early in the outreach, and visible presence at summer events such as the farmers market and First Friday to reach the wider public.

Commissioners emphasized notifying and engaging OTR property owners first. Commissioner Jess Patterson said property owners are primary stakeholders and urged staff to present to them before broader public outreach; other commissioners agreed that targeted mailings using Garfield County assessor data would be an efficient way to reach owners. Staff said they can prepare a draft letter and a survey to include with the mailing and that both paper and online surveys are planned.

Timeline constraints shaped the outreach recommendations. Staff described a contract schedule that calls for a draft submitted for History Colorado review by Sept. 15 and a final document timed to allow a History Colorado review ahead of a spring deadline (participants referenced an April 2026 review window). To meet that schedule, commissioners discussed mid‑July to early August as a target for a town open house and asked staff to circulate draft mailings and survey questions well before the next commission meeting so members could approve them quickly.

Commissioners also discussed coordination with other town bodies: a joint session with the Board of Trustees and Planning & Zoning was proposed for midsummer or early fall to review draft guidelines and proposed code amendments. Staff noted that code amendments would be considered separately and could trigger additional review by the Planning & Zoning Commission.

The meeting included related preservation updates. Staff and commissioners described ongoing conversations about the Thompson House, noting a town fund and grant activity intended to support repairs; commissioners suggested the commission take a more active stewardship role and pursue coordinated fundraising. Staff also said they will prepare a draft memo on the local landmarking process with the Thompson House as a starting point and that a meeting with the historical society was scheduled for early June.

Brief agenda items raised operational questions: the commission asked whether a deck replacement at 689 Main would require courtesy review and urged the applicant to present material samples at a future meeting. Commissioners favored a heat‑treated natural wood decking product over plastic composite alternatives if a like‑for‑like replacement is not possible.

Staff said budgeted funds from the grant and town resources are available for outreach materials and that the commission can request printed posters and handouts for farmers‑market or First‑Friday booths. The commission asked staff to compile the OTR property list from the Garfield County assessor, prepare a draft invitation letter and survey, and circulate those materials to commissioners for a timely sign‑off so mailings could go out within weeks.

Directions recorded in the discussion included staff preparing a draft mailing and survey, targeting property owners first, setting a tentative open‑house window in mid‑July to early August, and scheduling a joint review with trustees and Planning & Zoning before final adoption steps. Commissioners did not take a regulatory vote at the meeting; staff will bring draft outreach materials and the consultant’s draft guidelines back for review at an upcoming meeting.