2024 Budget Review
Staff from the Town’s Finance Department and Public Works staff presented an easy-to-understand overview of the proposed budget for 2024, which included information about each specific fund, including the General Fund, Capital Fund, Water Fund, Housing Fund, Lodging Tax Fund, and Marina Fund. The presentation also included a discussion of current and future capital projects; a capital project is a project to construct either new facilities or make significant, long-term renewal improvements to existing facilities costing $5,000 or more. The presentation also included information about the Town’s revenue sources and a summary of loans/bonds, the interest rate on each of these, and when they mature.
Council asked staff to look at the whole budget to provide feedback, as well as some specific budget questions that require more discussion:
- Raising the business license fee from $75 to $100- Council was supportive of this increase and directed staff to review this license fee so increases are not overwhelming.
- Streets position- Council approved the addition of this street maintenance position.
- Part-time building inspector- Council approved the addition of this part-time building inspector position.
- Police- take home vehicles- Council would like to include this in the budget to support recruitment and retention of police officers. Council would like to review the take home vehicle policy once it is written.
- Town Council wages and childcare stipend that could only take effect after the next election for new Council Members elected in April 2024- Council directed staff to look at an increase in Council wages, rather than singling out childcare, to assist future Council Members to overcome a wide range of hurdles around serving on Council. Council was supportive of putting a placeholder amount in the budget and looking at the question as part of a required ordinance at a later meeting.
- Planning Commission wages- Council would like staff to research other communities and their planning commissions and come back with more information to inform a discussion regarding Planning Commission wages at a future Council meeting.
The first reading of the ordinance to adopt the 2024 Town of Frisco budget will be during the October 10, 2023 Town Council meeting.
Frisco Arts and Culture Council (FACC) Appointments
In January 2023, Town Council approved through resolution the Frisco Five-Year Arts and Culture Strategic Plan, which recommends the creation of a Frisco Arts and Culture Council (FACC). Subsequently, Ordinance 23-01 was passed by Town Council on January 24, 2023 establishing the Frisco Arts and Culture Council.
Town Council appointed seven members to the FACC in May 2023, after receiving 12 applications. In July 2023, two of the appointed FACC members, Mark Addison and Jessica Johnson, notified the Town that they would be unable to continue to serve on the FACC due to personal and scheduling issues. Subsequently, Council Members Andy Held and Elizabeth Skrzypczak-Adrian reviewed the five applications from those not appointed in May, and Council Member Held asked staff to reopen the application process, which remained open from July 20-28 and resulted in three additional applications. Council Members Andy Held and Elizabeth Skrzypczak-Adrian reviewed all eight applications and recommended to Town Council that Jamie Callahan and Diane Harty Schlaefer be appointed to the two vacancies. Subsequently, Council voted to approve their appointments on the consent agenda.
Proposed Amendments to the Planned Unit Development Section of the Town Code
The Unified Development Code (UDC) establishes a procedure to depart from certain requirements within the code through rezoning to a Planned Unit Development (PUD) Overlay District. A PUD Overlay District is a tool that communities use to promote creative design efforts on the part of owners, builders, architects, and developers, and to produce developments that meet the objectives of the Town’s Community Plan.
The PUD Overlay District is generally used when there is special public interest that does not coincide with the traditional zoning in a geographic area. The PUD Overlay District may only be used when an application is not able to meet the requirements of a standard zone classification. The PUD is a mapped area with restrictions in addition to, or less than, those in the underlying traditional zone. Rather than attempt to create a new zoning category, an overlay zone is superimposed over the traditional zone and establishes additional regulations or reduces or extends the existing uses.
Over the past several years, property owners have inquired about utilizing the PUD rezoning process; usually as an attempt to provide additional housing or reduce setbacks to protect sensitive environmental areas. These inquiries have not advanced into rezoning applications due to the existing PUD regulations containing requirements that are not necessarily conducive to the available vacant land in Frisco including:
- Usable open space requirement of 55% of the site
- Thirty (30) foot perimeter setbacks
June and August 2023 Review of PUD Regulations and Requirements
Town Council reviewed the existing PUD regulations and requirements during the June 27, 2023 meeting. During this work session, Council noted that the existing PUD regulations and requirements did not encourage creative developments that propose workforce housing as a public benefit, and as a result, Council directed staff to propose amendments to the UDC. Staff reviewed the proposed amendments to the UDC during the August 22, 2023 work session, where Council directed staff to move forward with modifying the PUD Overlay District with the following modifications located in the Staff Report:
180-2.4.2B REZONING TO A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT
Since the August 22, 2023 work session, “type of use” has been reinserted into the code, which allows any uses to be proposed within a PUD; regardless of the underlying zone district requirements.
Additionally, in response to Planning Commission feedback on August 17, 2023 a modification has been made to Section 180-2.4.2.E.3 that clarifies any modification to the number of dwellings still requires review.
180-4.3 PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY (PUD) DISTRICT
Staff proposed a complete strike-through of the existing section 180-4.3 of the UDC. Changes made, as presented at the work session include:
- Criteria for PUD rezoning proposals based on the community benefit. Developments proposing affordable housing as a community benefit have different listed standards than a development proposing to protect open space as a community benefit.
- Removal of 30% open space requirement for projects that have a workforce housing community benefit.
- Removal of thirty (30) foot perimeter setbacks for projects that have a workforce housing community benefit.
- Addition of a workforce housing requirement:
- All PUD developments shall provide a minimum of 25% workforce units. Deed restricted unit(s) shall be occupied by a member of the household who earns the majority of their income in Summit County, or from an employer based in Summit County.
- Occupant(s) of workforce unit shall not own any interest alone, or in conjunction with, other developed residential property.
- No short-term rentals shall be permitted within the deed restricted unit(s).
- In response to Town Council feedback at the August 22, 2023 work session, the 30’ perimeter setback for PUD’s proposing a community benefit of open space has been removed.
Staff notes that by removing specific restrictions from Section 180-4.3, it does not mean that development can be constructed with no setbacks, height restrictions, etc. When an application is submitted for a PUD rezoning, the Town reviews which development standards of the underlying zone district the applicant is proposing to differ from. If these are not agreed upon, and approved, all requirements within the underlying zone district would still apply. All sections of the Frisco Town Code apply to development within a PUD, with the exception of any stated differences that the Town approves within the PUD plan and narrative. The Town takes into consideration what flexibility from the Town Code the application is requesting and analyzes if the project’s overall benefit to the community warrants flexibility to certain town code requirements such as setbacks or parking requirements.
Town Council approved the adoption of Ordinance 23-24 on the first reading.
Agreement with Xcel for Electric Charging Stations at Public Works
Over the past year the Town has been working with Xcel Energy to begin transitioning the Town’s light duty vehicles to electric vehicles. The Town completed the Fleet Electrification Assessment Program which identified the most efficient way to transition the Town’s fleet to electric. Now that this study is complete, the next step in the process is to install the primary electrical infrastructure that will power the charging units that are scheduled to be installed next summer. This project will ultimately allow the Town to charge up to 22 vehicles at one time.
This process would require the installation of electrical infrastructure that will provide electricity to the proposed 11 vehicle charging units that will be located at Public Works. In order to install this infrastructure, Xcel Energy requires the Town to grant an easement for the cable pathway and the transformer pad. Exhibit A that is attached to the staff memo, shows the easement areas to be granted by this ordinance. According to the EVSI Agreement, this easement will sunset in 10 years, at which time, ownership of the installed primary infrastructure will be switched over to the Town. The Town will pay for, own, and maintain the chargers and secondary infrastructure once installed. Xcel Energy will own and maintain the primary infrastructure for that 10-year period. Ordinance 23-23 will grant Xcel Energy the required easements on Town property to install the infrastructure.
Through the Electric Vehicle Supply Infrastructure (EVSI) program, the Town will incur no costs associated with the installation of this infrastructure. There will be future costs incurred by the Town to purchase and install the charging units once the infrastructure is installed during summer 2024. Funds for this portion of the project have been included in the 2024 Capital Projects budget.
Town Council approved the adoption of Ordinance 23-23 on the first reading.
Ordinance Approving Service and Granting and Easement for Comcast for the Granite Park Housing Project
Granite Park, also known as 619 Granite Street, is the start of several Town projects to create workforce housing for Ten Mile Basin residents and employees. Since this is a joint venture with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), it will also allow CDOT to provide more housing to their current or prospective employees who maintain and operate the I-70 and Highway 9 corridors. To afford the residents of the property access to cable, internet, and voice services, it is necessary for the Town of Frisco to work with prospective providers to provide those services to the property. Throughout the design and construction process, the ownership team has reached out to several providers to see who could meet the need and provide these services at this property. At this time, only one provider, Xfinity, can offer cable, internet, and voice services to the residents provided that the Town enters into an agreement with the provider.
The prospective agreement that is being presented to Council is Xfinity Communities Service Agreement Service Order. If this document is approved by Council, it will take effect once the first certificate of occupancy is issued for Granite Park and will be active for 10 years. The ownership team for the project has opted to utilize some of the project budget to install much of the infrastructure that is needed for these services, so the Town and CDOT can retain ownership throughout the lifespan of the facilities. Xfinity would be providing all the services that enter the facilities and would be responsible for removing those in the future if the agreement were ever to be terminated. The benefit of this agreement is that it is non-exclusive and if another provider were to be engaged in the future, they would be granted access to the infrastructure that has been installed, at the owner’s expense, to provide their services to residents.
Town Council approved the adoption of Ordinance 23-35 on the first reading.
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.