A plan for Nederland’s wants and needs: It’s been 10 years since the last update to the Town’s community-driven guiding document, the Comprehensive Plan.[/caption]

On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 5 p.m. the Town of Nederland and representatives for SE Group held an open house at the Nederland Community Center to begin the public engagement process involved in the Comprehensive Plan update.

The Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the Town contracting with SE Group on September 5, 2023, for $200,000, half of which is covered by the Department of Local Affairs’ Mineral Impact Assistance Fund grant.

Ayden Eickhoff, Caleb Schmitz, and Gabby Voeller of SE Group were present, facilitating the session in interactive activities. The activities ranged from answering questions and placing stickers onto poster boards that focused on Nederland’s key areas of concern.

Town Administrator Miranda Fisher, Nederland’s Public Engagement Manager Peter Cacek, Trustees Tania Corvalan and Jesse Seavers, Commissioners Roger Cornell, Jim Reis, and Steve Williams, Chair of the Nederland Downtown Development Authority Ron Mitchell, and several community stakeholders were also present.

A decent turnout of Nederland residents attended the open house to provide their insight on subjects covered within the Comprehensive Plan update, including Parks, Recreation, and Open Space; Sustainability and Resilience; Health, Human, and Social Services; Housing; Economic Development; Municipal Government; Downtown; and Community Services and Infrastructure.

Chaney Bostic from Studio Seed was also in attendance to help facilitate the engagement. Studio Seed is an urban design and planning firm that is working with SE Group to develop a sub-area plan with a focus on Nederland’s “downtown.”

Bostic provided attendees with a map of Nederland and asked them to draw their own boundaries to define the downtown area. Members of the public could also pin flags onto a large map to indicate areas they love or would change.

The Nederland Community Library, the covered bridge, the “historic character,” and the century-old steam shovel were named as places and things that the community loves about Nederland.

The list of things people would change in town was much longer and included such answers as more trash stations, more locally-owned businesses, better sidewalks, alternate traffic routes across the creek, and better ADA compliance.

Residents were asked to identify which architectural style they would prefer for downtown, as well as which land use improvements they would support. The majority were in support of more daily services, such as a bank or a dentist’s office, and local housing. Only three people answered that they would support more retail shops in Town, while only two suggested more offices.

For Health, Human, and Social Services, the current vision statement reads: “In 2030, all Peak-to-Peak community residents have accessible and affordable healthcare and human services.” The community was evenly split between those who felt that the vision statement was accurate and those who did not.

To the question of what related services the Town should be focused on providing, childcare and elder care were the most popular answers, as was affordable housing support. Nutritional and exercise education and programming were the two least popular answers.

According to the results on the issue of housing, the townspeople were in complete agreement that “the Town should take a leading and active role in addressing the regional housing shortage through actions like land purchases, tax credits, and rent subsidy programs,” and that “the Town should invest municipal dollars into addressing local housing needs.”

The community was also in agreement that there is a shortage of homes that are affordable for all income levels and for lower-income levels, as well as that there is a lack of available long-term rentals.

Regarding what kinds of businesses residents wish were more available, the most popular answer by a large margin was a pharmacy, with hotels and private athletic facilities the least popular answers. The community considered “supporting the development of high-quality commercial space to attract new business types” a high priority.

For Community Services and Infrastructure, residents indicated that they were unsure that the Town’s emergency response facilities, equipment, and personnel are sufficient. Fire and wildfire response and Emergency Medical Technicians were specified by the community as necessary areas of focus.

Residents were in agreement that the current vision statement for Parks, Recreation, and Open Space was accurate and representative of Nederland.

The vision statement reads: “Our community and its visitors enjoy ecologically sound, well-maintained and accessible parks, open space and trails with recreational and cultural services and facilities while protecting and enhancing the unique mountain ecosystem of which we are a part.”

A dog park, a frisbee golf course, a flow trail, a pump track, and an event space were listed as desirable outdoor recreational offerings.

The community gave scattered responses across a spectrum ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” in regard to how well they know about Town projects, how well they believe their voices are heard by local officials, and whether their voices influence the outcomes of those projects. Residents also indicated that they were unsure whether their tax dollars were truly supporting community needs.

To the question of which sustainability initiatives the Town should focus on in the next five to 10 years, protecting the water supply, mitigating wildfire risk, and enhancing walkability and accessibility were the most popular answers. Supporting EV infrastructure and climate education were the least popular answers.

SE Group will continue with public engagement for the Comprehensive Plan update by hosting stakeholder meetings through February and March and holding “topic area workshops” in May. Town staff, along with Representatives from SE Group, will provide updates on their progress to the Planning Commission and Board of Trustees during their scheduled meetings.