OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Town of Erie Special Meeting January 6, 2026 Summary

Town Council — Tuesday, January 6, 2026
BodyErie, Colorado
SessionTown Council
DateTuesday, January 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:29:04

Transcript — Verbatim
0:44

Right, I'm gonna call to order the uh town council special meeting on January first, twenty twenty-sixth.

0:51

Will you please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:56

I pledge allegiance to the United States America or religious under God's council, please take roll council member Hoback.

1:22

Council Member O'Connor.

1:24

Present.

1:24

Council Member Bear.

1:26

Present.

1:26

Mayor Pro Tem Bell.

1:28

Here.

1:29

Council Member Mortalero.

1:30

Okay.

1:31

Council Member Passamarelli.

1:33

Present.

1:34

Mayor Moore.

1:34

Here.

1:35

Mayor, you have a quorum.

1:36

All right.

1:37

Thanks.

1:38

Um first uh item on the agenda is our consent agenda of which we have one item tonight.

1:43

It's uh 2026, a resolution of the council of the town area designating the town's official posting location for 2026.

1:52

Mayor.

1:53

Yes.

1:53

Actually, it's the approval of the agenda first.

1:55

Oh, I'm sorry.

1:56

Do we have a motion to approve the agenda?

1:58

So moved.

1:59

Second.

2:00

All right, a motion second.

2:01

All in favor say aye.

2:02

Aye.

2:03

All opposed say no.

2:04

All right, we have an agenda.

2:06

Now we have the consent agenda item.

2:08

I just read.

2:08

Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda?

2:11

So move.

2:13

Second.

2:14

All right, motion and a second.

2:15

All in favor, say aye.

2:17

Aye.

2:18

Aye.

2:18

All opposed, say no.

2:20

All right, motion carries.

2:22

So we will go on to uh public comment.

2:24

Um I don't actually have my script, but uh um the gist of this is just to be um friendly and uh understand that we have a lot of people watching at times, some of them may be in our youth, and so your comments should be productive um for us to hear.

2:41

Um so with that, I'll look to our town clerk to see if we have anybody signed up tonight.

2:46

We do it.

2:46

First is Michael Barrel.

2:50

All right, and Michael, if you just go up to the podium here and state your name.

2:55

Um just your name and uh location, and um you've got three minutes.

3:01

Good evening.

3:02

My name's Mike Barrow.

3:03

I live at 1103 Alexandria in Lafayette.

3:07

And I'm here to talk about the comprehensive plan and implementation twenty twenty-six-13.

3:14

Uh first of all, I want to thank this council for actually going out and running a survey to find out what the residents of Erie want in a comprehensive plan or what they want their town to look like in 20 years.

3:33

And I am most concerned about the uh corner of a hundred and eleven around.

3:42

Um I can see the uh the intersection for my backyard.

3:50

And I have seen an increase of traffic and snarls and experienced the pain of going eastbound or westbound on Arapahoe from 1111th to the other side of two eighty-seven.

4:07

Sometimes that takes close to eight to ten minutes because the clo the lights do not work well together.

4:16

And uh I see from your from your uh agenda the the the slides that that are on there that uh proposing to put in more development in there, and I'm thinking are we gonna have to have another light?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Planning And Development█████████████████████████████████33%
Municipal Governance███████████████████19%
Environmental Protection██████████████14%
Transportation Safety██████6%
Community Engagement█████5%
Affordable Housing████4%
Economic Development███3%
Historic Preservation███3%
Procedural██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Town of Erie Special Meeting - January 6, 2026

The Town of Erie held a special meeting on January 6, 2026, to appoint the official posting location for 2026, receive the 2026 Legislative Agenda, and discuss the implementation and potential revisions to the Comprehensive Plan, specifically focusing on residential densities at key parcels and historic Old Town initiatives.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: The Council unanimously approved the agenda.
  • Consent Agenda Item: unanimously approved Resolution 2026-01, designating the town's official posting location for 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mike Barrow: Expressed strong concern regarding the corner of 111th Avenue and Arapahoe Road, citing current traffic congestion and signal timing issues. He argued against adding more development to the area without first solving existing infrastructure problems and noted the area is far from the town center services.
  • Brandy Unray (Real Estate Professional): Expressed opposition to immediate development in the Golden Run/Aaron Harbor area, stating that current infrastructure, including roads, cannot support such massive growth without diminishing existing home values. She noted that developers are flooding the market with new builds, causing resale issues for current homeowners.
  • Tim Dernick: Represented the Air Park neighborhood in expressing concern regarding zoning proposals for the Bonanza and Highway 7 corner. He requested a "step-up" buffer between the high-density employment/residential mix and the existing low-density rural residential area to mitigate noise and traffic impacts from potential nightclubs or commercial uses.
  • Christine Hackett Eisenberg: Questioned the fiscal necessity of doubling the population (to 80,000+) for town solvency, challenging the logic that higher densities are required to lower road maintenance costs. She advocated for creative housing solutions (tiny homes, duplexes) over high-rise apartments and requested clarity on the multiplier effects of new residential costs.
  • Cliff Swart: Stated that residents felt deceived by staff regarding the Comprehensive Plan, as density changes were not disclosed until late in the process. He noted that the new "medium" definition effectively equals the previous "high" density. He recommended splitting medium density into two categories (medium low and medium high) to better reflect community expectations and trust.
  • Ruskin Denson: Shared a cautionary tale from Southern California, warning that increasing density did not lower property taxes or infrastructure costs there, and urged the Council not to believe claims that higher density will reduce financial burdens on residents.

Discussion Items

  • 2026 Legislative Agenda:

    • Staff presented the agenda, which had been edited based on Council feedback.
    • DEI and Environmental Justice Debate: Councilmember Bear and Councilmember Mortarello questioned the removal of language regarding "disproportionately impacted communities" and "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI). Staff explained the removal was due to federal funding pressure and streamlining.
    • Amendments: The Council accepted two friendly amendments:
      1. Restoring the phrase "address the disproportionate impacts of environmentally intensive activities" and "support policies that advance environmental justice and protect disproportionately impacted communities."
      2. Re-adopting the language from the Town Charter's preamble regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure advocacy power at the state level.
    • Affordability Concerns: Councilmember Mortarello raised concerns about the costs of building energy codes and expressed a need to better understand the financial impact on resident pocketbooks.

  • Comprehensive Plan Implementation & Revision:

    • Residential Density Ranges: Staff and Council discussed the need to adjust the "Medium Density" range (previously 8-18 DU/acre) to address community concerns about high density being mistaken for high-rise apartments.
      • Recommendation: The Council directed staff to create a new "Medium Low" category (6-12 DU/acre) and reclassify the existing "Medium" as "Medium High" (12-18 DU/acre).
      • 111th and Arapahoe Site: Directed to designate the property at 111th and Arapahoe as "Medium Low" (6-12 DU/acre) to reduce potential density after the rejection of higher-density proposals.
      • Aaron Harbor Property: No density changes recommended, but staff agreed to evaluate potential policy revisions to ensure new development aligns with density along County Line Road and respects height compatibility.
    • Land Use Designations: Council reviewed designations for Mixed Use Neighborhood (Northwesterly/111th Arapahoe) and Mixed Use Village (Gateway/I-25 corridor). Staff confirmed that vertical mixed-use is not mandatory in all designations and discussed the challenges of filling retail in vertical setups.
    • Historic Old Town: Staff presented outcomes from the "Social Capital Exercise," highlighting the divide between "Old Town Brick Street" (commercial) and "Old Town Residential." Action items identified include community programming to bridge these gaps, pending funding.
    • Unified Development Code (UDC): Staff confirmed an RFP for a UDC update is scheduled for 2026 to align zoning with the revised Comprehensive Plan.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 26003: Appproved with amendments to include environmental justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion language from the Town Charter preamble.
  • Comprehensive Plan Amendment Direction: Council directed staff to prepare a technical analysis and public outreach for:
    • Creating a new "Medium Low" density classification (6-12 DU/acre).
    • Reclassifying the existing Medium designation to "Medium High" (12-18 DU/acre).
    • Designating the 111th and Arapahoe parcel specifically for "Medium Low" density.
    • Evaluating policy updates for the Aaron Harbor property regarding transit-aligned density and height compatibility.
  • Work Plan: Council reviewed the 2026 Work Plan, agreeing to adjust priorities and potentially adding meetings for the Planning Commission interviews and the Airport Advisory Board review. The Street Renaming policy for Erie Parkway to County Road 7 was confirmed as a priority to advance quickly.

Meeting Transcript

Right, I'm gonna call to order the uh town council special meeting on January first, twenty twenty-sixth. Will you please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the United States America or religious under God's council, please take roll council member Hoback. Council Member O'Connor. Present. Council Member Bear. Present. Mayor Pro Tem Bell. Here. Council Member Mortalero. Okay. Council Member Passamarelli. Present. Mayor Moore. Here. Mayor, you have a quorum. All right. Thanks. Um first uh item on the agenda is our consent agenda of which we have one item tonight. It's uh 2026, a resolution of the council of the town area designating the town's official posting location for 2026. Mayor. Yes. Actually, it's the approval of the agenda first. Oh, I'm sorry. Do we have a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Second. All right, a motion second. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. All right, we have an agenda. Now we have the consent agenda item. I just read. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? So move. Second. All right, motion and a second. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. All opposed, say no. All right, motion carries. So we will go on to uh public comment. Um I don't actually have my script, but uh um the gist of this is just to be um friendly and uh understand that we have a lot of people watching at times, some of them may be in our youth, and so your comments should be productive um for us to hear. Um so with that, I'll look to our town clerk to see if we have anybody signed up tonight. We do it. First is Michael Barrel. All right, and Michael, if you just go up to the podium here and state your name. Um just your name and uh location, and um you've got three minutes.

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