Erie Town Council Meeting - October 8, 2024: Comprehensive Plan Adoption and Streetlight Purchase
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Erie Town Council Meeting - October 8, 2024
The Town of Erie Town Council met on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at 6:31 PM in Council Chambers, with Mayor Justin Brooks presiding. The meeting included a public hearing and adoption of the 2024 update to the comprehensive plan (Elevate Erie), a bi-monthly airport report, and consideration of an ordinance to purchase streetlights from Xcel Energy. The meeting adjourned at 11:21 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the September 24, 2024 Town Council meeting minutes.
- Approved Resolution 24-146: Replacement License Agreement with New Consolidated Lower Boulder Reservoir and Ditch Company and Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District for Weld County Road 3 Culvert Replacement.
- Approved Resolution 24-132: Adopting the Flex Ride Service Plan for Flex Ride Operations.
- Approved Resolution 24-137: Disposition and Development Agreement with Evergreen-County Line & Erie Parkway, L.L.C. for Erie Town Center.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-Agenda Items: Arnav Jain (816 Clover Loop, Erie) presented a Raksha Bandhan celebration, tying Rakhis (symbolic bands) to council members and first responders. Multiple community members expressed gratitude to the town and highlighted the growing Indian-American community (noting 84 Indian families moving to Erie alone).
- Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing: Several residents spoke against approval, citing insufficient engagement on density increases, timing close to the election, and concerns about infrastructure. Key speakers:
- Deborah Coffin (2741 Hughes Drive): Noted that the revised medium density definition is nearly the same as old high density, raising safety and congestion concerns for the 111th and Arapahoe area.
- John Mortalaro (1732 Southern Street): Opposed approval, stating that significant density increases (50% for medium and high density) were not highlighted in community engagement and that the vote should be delayed until after the November 5 election.
- Andrew Moore (3130 Stephen Circle North): Argued that the plan removes public input by allowing administrative approval for projects with 12% affordable housing, and that the urgency is unwarranted given the upcoming election.
- Clifford Zvart (address not given): Requested delay, noting that medium density (up to 22.5 units/acre with affordable housing) could exceed today's high density (20 units/acre), and raised concerns about preservation of open space east of County Line Road.
- Tim Burns (504 Leo Drive): Spoke as a citizen and former planning commission member, urging approval, stating the plan is overdue and that higher densities are necessary for housing diversity and affordability.
- Morgan Cullen (Home Builders Association of Metro Denver): Supported the plan's vision but cautioned that high water tap fees could undermine affordability, recommending right-sized fees based on lot size.
Discussion Items
- Airport Report (6:45-6:55 PM): Airport Manager Jason Hurd reported a $1.5 million FAA-funded concrete replacement project on the runway, closed from October 17 to 30. He discussed House Bill 24-1235, which requires voluntary noise abatement procedures and a plan for unleaded fuels by 2026. The airport has five flight training aircraft; most noise comes from Rocky Mountain Metro Airport. The town is developing a noise abatement plan and will commit to an unleaded fuel transition when a suitable replacement becomes available.
- Comprehensive Plan Update (6:55-8:25 PM presentation, 8:25-10:00 PM public comment and deliberation): Staff presented the 18-month process with over 2,500 community touchpoints, 34-35 events, and nearly 10,000 website visits. The plan includes a new future land use map with parcel-by-parcel designations, density increases for medium (8-12 to 12-18 units/acre) and high density (12-20 to 18-30 units/acre, up to 37.5 with 12% affordable housing). The build-out estimate is 73,000-80,000 residents and 13,000-25,000 jobs by 2050-2055. Planning Commission recommended approval unanimously on September 18, 2024. Council deliberation included concerns about urgency, density, and infrastructure, but a motion to continue to February 2025 failed 3-4 (Sawish, Bell, and one other in favor). The resolution was approved 5-2 (Sawish and Bell opposed).
- Streetlight Purchase Ordinance (10:50-11:10 PM): Director of Environmental Services David Frank and Sustainability Manager Eryka Thorley presented the $827,458.71 purchase of Xcel Energy streetlights, with immediate LED conversion saving about 70% energy and $98,000 in the first year. The agreement requires a 30-90 day Public Utility Commission process. The town is still negotiating with United Power for the remaining streetlights. Several council members expressed concern about redacted portions of the contract. The item was continued to October 22, 2024, on consent.
Key Outcomes
- Comprehensive Plan Adoption: Resolution 24-145 approving the 2024 Elevate Erie comprehensive plan passed 5-2 (Councillors Sawish and Bell opposed). The plan takes effect immediately.
- Streetlight Purchase: Ordinance 040-2024 was continued to October 22, 2024, for a final vote, with staff to provide a confidential memo detailing the unredacted financial terms.
- Airport Update: No action taken; report accepted as information.
Meeting Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Tuesday, October 8th, 2024, Town of Erie, Town Council regular meeting. My name is Justin Brooks. I am the mayor and the presiding officer over this meeting. Please uh I'd now call the meeting to order at 6 31 p.m. and ask that everyone please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you for that. Uh in acknowledgment of uh Indigenous Peoples Day, which is next Monday, and the uh and the ordinance that the town of Erie adopted, I believe it was in 2023, uh, that we celebrate that holiday. I would like to read a land acknowledgement now. The town of Erie acknowledges that our town is on the ancestral homelands of unseat and unceded territory of indigenous people who have traversed, lived in, and stewarded lands in this region since time immemorial. Those indigenous nations include the Apache, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Pawnee, Shoshone, Sioux, and Ute. We honor and respect the people of these nations and their ancestors. We also recognize that indigenous knowledge, oral histories, and languages handed down through the generations have shaped profound culture and spiritual connections with area lands and ecosystems, connections that are sustained and celebrated to this day. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. And the next order of business is a roll call, please, Ms. Stan. Uh Councillor Bell. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Laughlin. Here. Mayor Brooks. Here. Counselor Hoback. Here. Counselor Baer here. And Councillor Solwish. Present. Uh you have a quorum, ma'am. All right, thank you. And now we're to the approval of the agenda. Do we have a motion? Mr. Mayor. Um may I ask that you remove from the agenda the proposed executive session in consultation with the town attorney. We concluded it's not an appropriate topic for executive session, so we will talk about that during our budget discussions next week and in other public hearings as the council sees fit. Okay. Mayor, I move to remove the executive session from the agenda and its contents. Second. All right, so move to second. Let's have a show of hands to approve the amended agenda. All right. Thank you very much. Do we have a motion to approve the items on the consent agenda? Uh motion to approve the items on the consent agenda. Second. Okay, may we have a roll call vote, please, Ms. Staff. Sure. Mayor Pro Tem Laughlin? Yes.
openpublica.com