Municipal Election Code Amendments
During the April 2024 Town Council elections, ballots were mailed and received by voters, even though the election was canceled, due to the race being uncontested. The ballots still had to be printed and mailed due to the timing requirements in Frisco’s code surrounding write in candidates.
Staff subsequently recommended to Town Council that the code be amended to be consistent with State Statute by moving the write-in candidate affidavit deadline. This change would have saved over $6,500 in unnecessary printing and postage costs in 2024, and similar savings are expected in the future if an election is canceled. Town Council directed staff to return with a code amendment making these deadlines consistent between the Town and the State and saving resources when an election is canceled.
Housing Project Update for 8th Avenue and Pitkin Street
In July 2024, Town staff released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for two adjacent parcels of land owned by the Town, located at 406 South 8th Avenue and 810 Pitkin Alley, also known as the 8th and Pitkin site. Goals for the RFP were to gather information regarding the development opportunities that exist on the site given its complex nature and to give the Town a vision for possible workforce housing options on that site.
The RFP requested five responsibilities for developers to demonstrate:
- Develop a vision for the project.
- Create a development plan and business strategy for implementation of the project in partnership with the Town.
- Prepare a site-specific master plan, exterior and interior architectural designs, suitable parking plans, and all necessary civil engineering and landscape plans.
- Facilitate public outreach, and all required regulatory approvals, including entitlements which may include rezoning, a sketch plan submittal and final site plan approval, with the goal to commence final design in 2025.
- Financing, construction, and marketing of the project.
Five proposals were received by the August 12 deadline. Staff evaluated each proposal against the goals and objectives stated in the RFP, for pro forma inventiveness, and for proposed Town contributions. Four of the five teams were selected to continue to the interview stage. In late August, teams participated in 30-minute interviews to describe their proposal and answer any questions that the evaluation team had. After interviewing, the team narrowed down the number of proposals to move forward to two firms, Dutch Mountain Company and the Summit Homes Team, both of which have developed housing in similar sized mountain communities. An overview of the two firms’ proposals may be found in the staff memo.
Site Background
On May 31, 2022 the Town purchased the property at 406 South 8th Avenue for $1,353,000. The 0.24-acre property contains a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom single-family residence which is currently being used for Town employee housing and storage. On July 29, 2022 the Town purchased the property located 810 Pitkin Alley for $1,600,323. The 0.322-acre property contains no residential structures but does contain a 10-foot utility easement running along the east property line, which increases in size as it approaches the alley right-of-way. The properties combined in size are approximately 0.56 acres with an 8th Avenue frontage. Two additional street right-of-ways border the properties on the north and south sides, those being Frisco Street to the north and Pitkin Alley to the south.
The purpose of the October 8 work session was to provide an overview regarding responses received to the RFP and receive feedback on the next steps so that staff can move forward in awarding this project.
Council directed staff to move forward with for-sale deed restricted units on these two parcels. Council indicated that they would prefer that the underlying land be sold to the developer selected by the Town. Council also stated that they would like staff to return with more conceptual design drawings from both the Dutch Mountain Company and the Summit Homes Team to support a high quality of life for homeowners and neighbors with a mix of one- and two-bedroom options, as well as green spaces. Council would like to target 100-150% AMI deed restrictions in alignment with the needs outlined in the housing strategic plan.
Summit County Microtransit Update
Summit Stage Transit Director, Chris Lubbers, and a representative from Via Transit described Summit County’s new, free microtransit solution, which will include an app and a free on-demand small transit option, which will augment and work with the Summit Stage’s and Breck Free Ride’s already existing routes. For example, if you wish to go to work in Breckenridge from Frisco, the Via app will provide you with a route using microtransit and existing Summit Stage routes, and it is then likely that a microtransit option will pick you up close to your residence, take you to a Summit Stage stop to complete your travel to Breckenridge, and then possibly have a microtransit option or Breck Free Ride option take you closer to work.
They are hoping to launch this pilot program initially in Frisco, Silverthorne, Dillon, and Breckenridge in late fall/early winter 2024 with service seven days a week from 5:00 am to 2:00 am. This is a pilot program to test what is needed, what works or doesn’t, and how to potentially expand beyond these first four town areas.
Natural Medicine Code Amendments
In the coming months, the State of Colorado will adopt the Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022, which includes the licensure and operation of healing centers; an entity licensed by the department that is organized and operated as a permitted organization, where individuals may receive natural medicine services. These services include the guided administration of various types of natural medicine including administering psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms.
Under the Act, municipalities are granted authority to regulate the time, place, and manner of the operation of healing centers, but may not prohibit their operation entirely, nor prohibit the provision of natural medicine services if a facility or individual has been approved by the state. The intent and effect of the Act is to decriminalize the use and possession (but not the sale) of certain natural medicine (defined at section 12- 170-103(h) of the Act), and to adopt a medical model for those substances that recognizes both the emerging science on the effectiveness of the medical use of these substances when combined with therapy.
Staff proposed amendments to Frisco’s Town Code that include:
- Modifying the definition of “office, medical”: A building or portion of buildings that contains establishments dispensing health services, and/or that provides support to the medical profession and patients. Examples include, but are not limited to, a healing center under the Colorado Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022, as amended and as codified at C.R.S section 12-170-104, et. seq., medical and dental laboratories, blood banks, oxygen providers, integrative medicine and holistic or homeopathic therapies, and other miscellaneous types of medical services.
FYI- A medical office use is permitted within the following zone districts in Frisco:
- Medical Office, Conditional Use: Gateway District
- Medical Office, Permitted by Right: Commercial Oriented, Light Industrial, Central Core, Mixed-Use
The Town Zoning Districts Map can be found here: Frisco Zoning Map
- Add section 180-5.2.15 Healing Centers to the existing code: A healing center is a medical office that: (i) engages in the activities and provides the services of a “healing center” as defined in the Colorado Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022, as amended (the “Act”); and (ii) that has been licensed by the state of Colorado pursuant to the Act. In addition to the zone districts that allow for medical office use, “natural medicine services,” as defined in the Act, are permitted to be provided at any private residential location at which such service is allowed to be provided under state regulations promulgated under section 12-170-104(6)(c)(XI), C.R.S., as amended.
Town Council approved Ordinance 24-12 on the first reading. The second reading will be held on October 22, 2024.
2025 Budget and Mill Levy Adoption
Staff presented Ordinance 24-15, to adopt the 2025 budget. This ordinance adopts expenditures totaling $54,304,126. Estimated revenues and reserves of $90,584,598 are adequate to meet those expenditures, leaving a total estimated ending fund balance of $36,280,473 at the end of 2025. Details of this ordinance by fund are available in attachment 1, as well as a breakdown of the budget at the department level in attachment 2.
As part of the regular budget process each year, staff is required to present Ordinance 24-16, which continues a mill levy in the amount of 0.798 based on the Town of Frisco property tax assessed in 2024, to be collected in 2025. FYI- the mill levy can only be increased through approval in a public election, and this ordinance did not impose or increase the mill levy. In Frisco, property tax collections are utilized for the purpose of defraying the expenses in the general fund, and Frisco property tax revenue is forecasted to result in revenues of $299,092 in 2025.
Council approved Ordinances 24-15 and 24-16 on the first reading. The second readings will be held on October 22, 2024.
Frisco Town Council Meetings: Ways to Participate
Frisco Town Council meetings are available to view via Zoom and YouTube, and are also held in person to make Town Council meetings easier to access for everyone.
The public can provide comment during meetings via Zoom or in person (not YouTube), and a public comment period will be available at 7:00pm; during the consideration of ordinances; and at the discretion of Town Council during work session items, which are discussions that don’t require a formal vote by Town Council and do not require public comment. Again, this hybrid approach is intended to make Town Council meetings more accessible, and meeting recordings will typically also be made available the day after a meeting in the meeting archive with agenda topics bookmarked to the discussions in the video.