Community Action Plan Glenwood Springs, Colorado August 2020 CONTACT INFORMATION City of Glenwood Springs August 10-12, 2020 For more information about RERC, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/recreation- economy-rural-communities U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Project Contact: Stephanie Bertaina Office of Community Revitalization U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (MC 1807T) Washington, DC 20460 Tel 202-566-0157 [email protected] City of Glenwood Springs: Primary Point of Contact: Debra Figueroa, City Manager 101 West 8th Street, Suite 200 Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 Tel: (970) 384-6400 [email protected] Secondary Contact: Matt Nuñez, Economic Development Economic Development Specialist 101 West 8th Street, Suite 200 Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 Tel: 970-384-6424 [email protected] Cover Photos: Visit Glenwood Springs, https://visitglenwood.com/ TABLE OF CONTENTS COMMUNITY STORY............................................................................................................................ 2 ENGAGEMENT PROCESS ..................................................................................................................... 6 SESSION ONE VISION AND VALUES ....................................................................................................................................... 7 SESSION TWO: CASE STORIES AND EXERCISES ....................................................................................................................... 9 SESSION THREE: CASE STORIES AND FURTHER DISCUSSION ................................................................................................ 10 SESSION FOUR: ACTION BRAINSTORMING ........................................................................................................................... 11 SESSION FIVE: ACTION DETAILING ....................................................................................................................................... 13 SESSION SIX: WRAP UP AND CLOSING ................................................................................................................................. 13 COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN ............................................................................................................. 14 GOAL 1: SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OPERATION ..................................................................................................... 16 GOAL 2: ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ................................................................................................................................ 18 GOAL 3: AFFORDABLE HOUSING ........................................................................................................................................ 21 GOAL 4: COMMUNITY FOR ALL ........................................................................................................................................... 23 GOAL 5: PHYSICAL CONNECTIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 25 GOAL 6: AUTHENTICITY AND STEWARDSHIP........................................................................................................................ 27 IMPLEMENTATION AND NEXT STEPS .............................................................................................. 30 APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................................... 31 1 COMMUNITY STORY Glenwood Springs, Colorado is a beautiful small city nestled between the Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. While the population is small, it is quite diverse at just 9,962 residents, with 30% of its population being Latino. Glenwood Springs is situated in an attractive geographic position, as it has potential for future growth, but is physically curtailed by the steep terrain of the surrounding mountains. Glenwood Springs is working to Hanging Lake (Credit: Visit Glenwood Springs, balance its need for growth and maintain affordable https://visitglenwood.com/) home prices. Currently, the average median value of a home is $356,400, while the median household income is $61,044. In 2017, Glenwood Springs had a poverty rate of 16.1%.1 The high housing costs can make employee recruitment difficult and can deter business investment. Promoting Glenwood Spring’s outdoor resources, specifically the “Hanging Around Glenwood Springs Project,” will encourage investment in the area. The Ute Indian tribes originally inhabited Glenwood Springs. Settlers were drawn as early as the 1880s to the area, with interest in the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Grand Rivers. The rivers became a highly regarded destination, and eventually the site of a world-class resort Aerial view of downtown Glenwood Springs (Credit: Visit with railroads bringing tourists and growth in coal mining, Glenwood Springs, https://visitglenwood.com/) farming and ranching, commerce, and outdoor recreation.2 Situated near I-82 and I-70, Glenwood Springs lies along the significant destination routes of Colorado. With its natural hot springs, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, ski resorts, and trail network, the city is a major outdoor recreation destination drawing 1.5 million tourists per year. Hanging Lake is a natural National Landmark in the White River National Forest that attracts hundreds of visitors each day. The site is so popular the high number of visitors posed a challenge of overuse of this much- loved asset. In response, the USDA Forest Service enacted a shuttle and permit service to Hanging Springs that is centralized in Glenwood Springs, cutting the number of Hiking near Glenwood Springs (Credit: Visit Glenwood Springs, https://visitglenwood.com/) 1 http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Glenwood-Springs-Colorado.html 2 Glenwood Springs Colorado History, https://visitglenwood.com/history/ 2 daily visitors in half. The increase in visitors to Glenwood Springs from the shuttle service can improve the local STEERING COMMITTEE economy and the quality of life for the current residents. Biking is also very popular in the area, which is covered Paula Stepp - Glenwood Springs City Council with well-used walking, hiking, and riding trails, and interest in developing more. Debra Figueroa - City Manager, City of Glenwood Springs Currently, only 30% of visitors to Hanging Lake shop in Glenwood Springs. Recognizing this, Glenwood Springs Jenn Ooton - Assistant City Manager, City of Glenwood Springs has been working to draw additional visitors to the city to significantly increase the amount of business done in Matt Nuñez - Economic Development Glenwood Springs. The city developed a 2018 Economic Specialist, City of Glenwood Springs Development Strategy, which recommends targeted Hannah Klausman - Assistant to the City growth around businesses that provide experiences Manager, City of Glenwood Springs such as shopping, recreation, arts, culture, food, and Brian Smith, Director of Parks and entertainment. This strategy also recommends hotel and Recreation, City of Glenwood Springs motel upgrades and the development of mid-priced hotels in the downtown district. Packaging a “Hanging Ken Murphy - Owner of H20 Ventures and Lake” experience that provides discounts to stores and Downtown Businesses Owner restaurants with the purchase of a Hanging Lake permit Lisa Langer - Director of Tourism is another potential option to attract hikers and tourists Promotion, City of Glenwood Springs to the area. Implementing additional bike and Marcia Giles - White River National Forest pedestrian infrastructure from the shuttle area to downtown could increase foot traffic and the Lisa Girardot - Garfield County Libraries environmental benefits of the new shuttle and permit Kay Hopkins - White River National Forest system. Steve Beckley - Owner of Iron Mountain As of 2018, about 79% of Glenwood Springs total Hot Springs and Glenwood Springs employment was concentrated in four sectors consisting Adventure Park. of leisure and hospitality, government, education and Christian Henny - General Manager of the 3 health services, and retail trade. The top industry in Hotel Colorado and DDA Board Chair Glenwood Springs is retail trade at 16.7%, not unlike Laura Kirk - Executive Director of the DDA many communities. Other industries related to outdoor recreation and related businesses include real estate, Jim Neu - Downtown resident and local rental, and leasing (4.7%); arts, entertainment, and attorney recreation (1.9%); and accommodation and food Steve Davis - City Councilor and services (7.1%). The local workforce is concentrated in Downtown Business Owner service and natural resources, with few workers involved Beatriz Soto - Defiende Nuestra Tierra in management, professional, and production Director, Wilderness Workshop occupations. This balance reflects a tourist and retail- based economy. Angie Anderson - CEO, Chamber of Commerce Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, Garfield County has taken a hit, with employment dropping from a high Figure 1 - Local steering committee. 3 City of Glenwood Springs Economic Development Strategy, November 2018. 3 of 33,012 people in December to a low of 25,450 and a rebound to July figures of 29,752. The unemployment rate PLANNING ASSISTANCE TEAM was at a low of 720 people in September 2019, then Steph Bertaina, US Environmental increasing to 4,033 unemployed people in April, and