Estes Park trustees review community engagement for development-code update; housing and design top resident priorities

The Town of Estes Park on Jan. 27 heard an update on community engagement connected to the development-code rewrite, with staff and an independent deliberative team reporting what residents told them about housing, character and process.

The presentation summarized outreach conducted in 2025—pop-up events, two open houses, focus groups, bilingual surveys and stakeholder dialogues—and noted more than 300 questionnaire responses and more than 130 open-house participants. ‘‘We had over 300 responses to the questionnaire,’’ the presenter said, reporting that the town’s outreach included Spanish-language materials and targeted conversations with community groups.

The engagement summary framed four outreach goals: explain what a development code does, gather community input that can inform code drafting, tailor engagement to the local context, and remain flexible in methods. Trustees were told the town is in the drafting phase with a 50%-complete draft expected in March–April, followed by advisory reviews and another open house in June.

Why it matters: Trustees and staff said the code will shape what gets built in coming years. Multiple board members praised the combination of quantitative survey data and in-depth deliberations, saying the paired approach gave both numbers and context for difficult trade-offs.

What residents said: Across methods, speakers reported stronger interest in lower-density housing types—townhomes, duplexes and cottage courts—rather than taller, higher-density buildings. The presenter said there was little appetite for more height and that mixed use was favored in commercial corridors rather than within residential neighborhoods. Support was strong for design guidelines focused on commercial and multifamily projects but not for design controls in single-family areas, which residents said help preserve the town’s character.

Residents and the deliberation team highlighted environmental protections and wildlife-sensitive standards. ‘‘Wildlife is integral to living here,’’ the Community Conversations presenter said, arguing for protections of sensitive habitat, riparian areas and wildlife corridors and for updated wildlife assessments to inform site review.

Housing definitions and local AMI: Participants in the deliberations challenged county-level metrics and urged local definitions. The deliberation report noted that Estes Park’s area median income is roughly 20% below Larimer County’s AMI and recommended that targets for workforce housing be aligned to local wages; deliberation participants repeatedly said housing programs should target 50–80% of the local (Estes Park) AMI rather than a countywide number.

Process and accountability: The deliberative team also reported a strong theme about approval process transparency and accountability—residents want clear steps and ways to ensure approved workforce developments yield the housing and protections promised.

Board questions and follow-up: Trustees asked whether survey responses can be parsed to separate town residents from valley residents and second homeowners; staff said demographic breakdowns exist and can be provided. The town and partners emphasized this is an interim report and said a draft code will be circulated for further public review before final adoption.

What’s next: Staff told the board they expect a 50% draft in spring, technical-advisory and planning-commission review in May–June, and another open house in June. Community Conversations said it will run a second deliberation after the draft is circulated to test whether the draft achieves the community’s stated goals.

The board recessed for other business after the discussion and reconvened later for a transit review.