Staff member says Estes Park board favors renewing temporary feather-flag allowance

A staff member said the Estes Park Town Board appeared to favor renewing the temporary feather-flag allowance, which is due to expire Jan. 6, 2027.

Wind signs are normally prohibited by the sign code. The Town Board approved a temporary allowance for feather flags in certain areas of town. Ordinance 1525 established a definition specifically for feather flags. The allowance does not permit them in residential zones or downtown.

The allowance does not require a sign permit or fee and permits one feather flag per lot. Flags are considered freestanding signs and count toward a business’s sign allocation. The rules limit flags to 12 feet in height and require a 12-foot setback from a street, alley or sidewalk.

Staff outlined three options: extend the temporary allowance, let it expire or add feather flags to the sign code as a permanent sign type with criteria. Mayor Gary Hall said businesses using feather flags felt they had a “direct, measurable impact on their business flow,” and he favored making them permanent. Trustee Bill Brown favored limiting flags to commercial outlying areas and making them permanent with those restrictions. Brown said he did not think the allowance needed an extension because there had been enough time to see how it worked.

A speaker asked whether staff had gathered information about complaints, support, performance or damage during the temporary allowance. Staff said it had received two letters of support, and the police department reported no code-enforcement issue involving feather flags. The speaker said the flags’ visual impact drew more negative than positive feedback in the first couple of weeks or maybe month they were allowed. The speaker said wind signs should be subject to a set term and sign-permit fee, and businesses could choose them instead of a banner or other advertising; the speaker would not object to extending the allowance for a longer period to see how it worked.

Trustee Mark Igel favored requiring flags to be displayed in pairs and extending the allowance for one year, and suggested requiring businesses to take them in when they close. He said he did not think a sign fee was appropriate because feather flags are not permanent and are prone to damage and change. Trustee Jamie Mieras favored another year of the temporary allowance so the flags could be observed through more of the winter season. Hall said he was comfortable with a one-year extension so the board could make a longer-term decision later.

A board member said the downtown core was too crowded for feather flags and that they could obstruct drivers’ and pedestrians’ views of one another. Brown favored requiring a permit and fee for flags, like other signs. Staff said setting a firm number of flags per lot would be simpler to enforce, while a permit process could allow staff to review details such as lot frontage.