Estes Park fish hatchery housing paused over costly water upgrades

Estes Park’s proposed fish hatchery workforce housing project has been paused since June or July over water-pressure requirements, a staff member told the Town Board Oct. 13. Building at the scale envisioned would require about $5 million, possibly more, in new water infrastructure, the staff member said.

A pending development application will come before the board in due time, another staff member said, but the board cannot discuss its merits unless it is withdrawn. The town and Housing Authority are looking for possible water-infrastructure funding; the design might need to be reworked depending on whether they find it, the first staff member said. The town would withdraw the application if it ultimately found no viable path forward, the staff member said.

Modern fire-flow requirements would require hydrants for an upgraded development, but the area’s 2-inch water main cannot sustain one at the site, a Water Division staff member said. The project also would require a pump station and water-storage tank for the pressure zone, the staff member said. The tank would need an access road and possibly property, another staff member said, though other developments might not face the same requirements depending on existing infrastructure.

The proposed $5 million-plus water investment is “a pretty significant investment,” Trustee Jamie Mieras said, suggesting the money might be used for housing elsewhere without the same water needs. A board member said development should pay its own way and opposed having the town’s other water customers subsidize the project. Trustee Bill Brown asked how the $5 million water cost compared with the total anticipated cost of a development of around 100 units.

Brown said financing could affect whether the town proceeds with the fish hatchery project and asked whether Tiny Town could be an alternative. The Housing Authority is prepared to turn to another opportunity if the hatchery site cannot be developed, a representative of the authority said. The authority would wait for the new development code before looking more closely at plans for Tiny Town, the representative said.