The Nederland Planning Commission met on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, to review the monthly Town staff reports. Commissioners spent the majority of the meeting discussing the feasibility of developing 12 Town-owned properties for housing.
On May 7, 2024, the Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) approved utilizing $6,000 of acquired American Rescue Plan Act funds for title searches on the Town’s 12 vacant properties.
Town staff worked with Fidelity Title Company and reported to the BOT on August 6 that further feasibility studies, including hiring a contractor for site assessments and surveying, were required to determine the full scope of the properties’ eligibility to be developed.
Commissioners were tasked with reviewing the available title information, plats, and other relevant documents for the properties and providing guidance to Town staff on whether deeper assessments of the properties are required.
The considered properties are; 0 Indian Peaks Drive, 100 Sundown Trail, 62 Navajo Trail, 64 Navajo Trail, 73 Sundance Circle, 0 Big Springs Drive, 0 West Spruce Street, 0 West Pine Street, 0 Peak to Peak Highway, 11 Navajo Trail, 51 Doe Trail, and 32 Wildewood Lane.
Most of the properties were donated or gifted to the Town through agreements, many of which were noted by Nederland’s Community Planner Britt DeMinck to include covenants, protections, and easements which made them unviable for development.
The Commission provided DeMinck with additional historical context for many of the properties, including parcels in the Big Springs neighborhood that were once considered for emergency egress routes.
Commissioners agreed that they need more information on the involved land agreements before they are able to provide any recommendations to the BOT regarding land use.
DeMinck presented to the Commission the staff reports for late July / early August from each Town Works department, from Town Clerk, Planner, Public Engagement, and Treasurer, from Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, from Emergency Services, and from the Community Center.
Town Treasurer Rita Six’s staff report indicated that budget discussions have begun across all Town departments, with draft budgets to be reviewed by the BOT in September and October.
The Commission asked if there was enough in Town staff’s equipment budget for the purchase of a new laptop, referring to new Town Administrator Jonathan Cain’s request to the BOT in his staff report. DeMinck noted that the equipment budget is very small and that most Town staff laptops are close to ten years old.
DeMinck’s own report listed her work in code enforcement over the last month, noting that complaints about abandoned RVs, specifically one in Nederland’s Central Business District, are being investigated and managed. DeMinck also discussed creating a volunteer program to assist disabled and/or aging-in-place residents whose unkempt properties are in violation of Town code.
Streets Department Supervisor Joshua Davis reported that primary roads in Big Springs have been graded, and that crews are also completing yearly culvert cleaning. The Streets Department is actively preparing for the winter season, with public engagement being planned pertaining to education on the department’s plowing operations.
DeMinck also noted that she and representatives from Fehr and Peers were present at the Nederland Farmers Market for community outreach about the Multimodal Transportation Plan. Locals attending the market were provided an opportunity to share their concerns regarding traffic in town.
Fehr and Peers will be holding one final stakeholder meeting, as well as one more public engagement session, before submitting the plan and draft recommendations to the BOT in October.
The Nederland Planning Commission meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25 at 7 p.m. Meetings can be attended online via WebEx. For more information: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/planning-commission.
