Estes Park public comment urges board to delay housing-density changes until code rewrite advances

Public comment at Tuesday’s Estes Park Town Board meeting focused on opposition to making affordable-housing density and other development-code changes before the town finishes its broader development code rewrite and public review process. Three speakers tied their concerns to ideas discussed in a study session, arguing that expanding housing rules district by district could outpace the larger zoning and code update now underway.

Rebecca Urquhart of Homestead Lane, speaking from the Estes Valley Residents Association perspective, said the town should not expand affordable or attainable housing rules into additional zoning districts until officials can review the full zoning map. She pointed to earlier changes to the planned unit development definition as an example of why broader context matters, saying the revised definition expanded potential PUD areas beyond what the comprehensive plan had identified. Urquhart said the town should finish the development code review and get public input before making zoning-map changes tied to density.

Christine Poppett of Devon Drive criticized what she called three staff-initiated development-code changes proposed during the rewrite being led by Design Workshop. Poppett cited past town meeting materials describing public interest in the code update as high and said that made the timing of separate text amendments hard to justify. She also referenced an EVRA letter submitted for public comment that argued allowing higher density for affordable or attainable housing would be premature outside the full code rewrite. Poppett said any changes taken up separately from the complete review could amount to decision-making without adequate citizen input.

Local builder Frank Tice said private developers face rising costs that make affordable housing difficult to build. He also warned that higher allowed density could lead developers to pursue taller buildings. During the exchange, Trustee Bill Brown said he is "doing one development" and "losing money" because he is choosing to build affordable housing, and later said homes he is helping Habitat build on Raven are being subsidized by private money.

Later in the meeting, Trustee Mark Igel said Restorative Justice is scheduled to facilitate two public conversations in August about the development code. He described the sessions as well organized, methodical and productive, and said more information is forthcoming.