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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 04/08/2025 PUBLIC HEARING April 8, 2025 Present: Jeanne McQueeney Chairman Tom Boyd Commissioner Matt Scherr Commissioner Jeff Shroll County Manager Beth Oliver County Attorney Becky Close Clerk to the Board This being a scheduled Public Hearing,the following items were presented to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration: Constituent Input • Chairman McQueeney opened and closed constituent input, as there was none. Commissioner Updates Commissioner Scherr had no updates to share. Commissioner Boyd expressed gratitude for the community's support during the Dobson Ice Arena transition. Chairman McQueeney stated that the annual highway cleanup had been postponed due to snowmelt but reassured the community that it would happen. She expected it to take place the first weekend in May. County Manager Updates Jeff Shroll thanked Jesse Meryhew,the Facilities Director, for his efforts on the ice rink and his commitment to finding a solution. He also acknowledged Director Reid,Josh Miller,and Jody Doti at Eagle County Regional Airport for their hard work and relationship building,which resulted in Delta Airlines adding a new flight from JFK next ski season. Consent Agenda 1. Resolution 2025-037 Approving the Service Plan for the Confluence Early Childhood Development Service District File No. SD-009518-2025 Trent Hyatt, Community Development 2.Amendment No. 5 Between Woolpert Inc and Eagle County For Parallel Taxiway B Paving Ph. 1 Josh Miller,Airport 3. Construction Services Agreement for the Eagle County Maintenance Service Center Building G slab alteration between Eagle County and RA Nelson-Pulled Kristin Degenhardt,Project Management 1 04/08/2025 Commissioner Scherr moved to approve the Consent Agenda for April 8,2025 as presented, excluding item#3. Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. Business Item(s) 1. Resolution 2025-038 Approving the Use of Open Space Funds for the Conservation of the East Vail Bighorn Sheep Habitat Property Located in Eagle County,Colorado Commissioner Scherr moved to approve the Resolution Approving the Use of Open Space Funds for the Conservation of the East Vail Bighorn Sheep Habitat Property Located in Eagle County, Colorado. Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous. 2. East Vail Bighorn Sheep Habitat Property Funding Agreement Brittany Parker, Open Space and Natural Resources Executive Summary: Eagle County and Town of Vail desire to place the East Vail Bighorn Sheep Conservation Property under a conservation easement to permanently preserve the wildlife habitat and scenic qualities, and the County desires to contribute Open Space Program funding towards the permanent preservation of the Bighorn Sheep Conservation Property. Marcia Gilles, Eagle County Open Space Director, introduced the partners on the project: Jonathan Staufer, Town of Vail; Jessica Foulis,Eagle Valley Land Trust(EVLT); and Kristen Bertuglia,Vail's Environmental Sustainability Director. Ms. Gillis then discussed the background of the Open Space Fund and the support it receives from the Open Space Advisory Committee. The EVLT Conservation easement encompassed 147 acres, spanning four parcels. The Town of Vail requested$5 million to partner with the Vail community in acquiring and conserving these acres. The property,valued at$17.5 million,was situated in a prime development area. The acquisition aligned with several criteria set by the EC Open Space Advisory Committee, and staff and OSAC recommendations supported the proposal. Chairman McQueeney appreciated the clear explanation of the evaluation criteria used to formulate the recommendations and asserted that it fostered a better public understanding of the process. Mr. Staufer expressed gratitude to the staff, Open Space Committee, Eagle Valley Land Trust, and CPW for their efforts. He stated that the acquisition resulted from a nearly decades-long community-led process to conserve vital wildlife habitat for a bighorn sheep herd that had inhabited the area since the last ice age. Mr. Staufer believed this endeavor aligned with Vail's philosophy of environmental stewardship. Ms. Foulis, EVLT, expressed her appreciation and gratitude to all the partners who helped conserve this property. She believed that a lot of thoughtful work had gone into this process. Ms. Bertuglia felt that it was feasible to address the community's needs while safeguarding the endemic herd. Commissioner Scherr thanked all the thoughtful work that went into this very public process. He cited the human dimension of natural resources. Commissioner Boyd explained that wildlife habitat was a valuable resource to preserve. Chairman McQueeney was pleased that the county could assist with one of the best remaining opportunities to protect this critical habitat for this iconic herd of bighorn sheep. 2 04/08/2025 Commissioner Boyd moved to approve the East Vail Bighorn Sheep Habitat Property Funding Agreement. Commissioner Scherr seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous. Commissioner Scherr moved to adjourn as the Eagle County Board of County Commissioners and reconvene as the Eagle County Housing and Development Authority. Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous. Eagle County Housing and Development Authority 1. Resolution Authorizing Changes to the Eagle County Good Deeds Program by Eagle County, administered by the Eagle County Housing and Development Authority Kim Bell Williams,Housing Executive Summary: The Eagle County Good Deeds program, which has been in place since 2021,has provided a cash payment in exchange for either a resident occupied or price capped deed restriction on an open market property. Since the inception of the program,the median home sales price has changed from$850,000 in 2021 to $1,600,000 in 2024 which facilitated the need to increase the program limits to $1,250,000 in order to catch more of the local resident home buyers and inventory.Additionally, several points of clarification are provided for in the updated Program Guidelines. In addition,this phase 2 of the Program Guidelines will allow for the Community Partner Program,which would give an entity the opportunity to provide an additional 15%buy down with ECHDA for a total of 30%purchase of a Price Capped Resident Occupied Deed Restriction. This Community Partner Program will provide deeper affordability for home buyers through Good Deeds. The approval of these updated Guidelines will launch this new partnership! The program has provided for more than 126 deed restrictions over 3 years,and assisted more than 350 persons with permanent deed restricted housing. The program has provided for 1/3 resident occupied and 2/3 price capped units overall. The many successes of this program have been recognized across the state, and country, as a successful housing program to be modeled by other communities. Kim Bell Williams,Housing Director,presented Phase 2 of the Good Deeds Program. She explained that the Housing Authority runs the program,but it is authorized by Eagle County. The Board will vote on a final resolution for Phase 2 at their next meeting. The goal of today's presentation was to update the Board on changes to the program and its future direction. Jesus Camunez,Broker Associate with Housing, explained that the program allowed for price-capped or resident-occupied deed restrictions on certain properties. ECHDA proposed increasing the maximum eligible purchase price to $1,250,000 to provide greater access to up-valley homes while ensuring long-term affordability. Patty Liermann,with the Town of Avon, shared her appreciation for this collaborative effort. Commissioner Scherr inquired about the next home buyer class offering. Matt Andrews with housing stated that the next class was May 14th and the schedule was on the Housing website,housingeaglecounty.com Commissioner Boyd believed partnerships were incredibly important,as housing was a regional issue. Chairman McQueeney appreciated the program's efforts to remain current and accessible. 3 04/08/2025 Commissioner Boyd moved to adjourn as the Eagle County Housing and Development Authority and reconvene as the Eagle County Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Scherr seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous. Work Session(s) - Eagle County Room 1. Demonstration Garden at the Eagle County Building Kate Kirkman,Resiliency Executive Summary: Eagle County has a funding opportunity to support the creation of a xeric(water-wise) demonstration garden at the east entrance to the Eagle County Building. The project provides a highly-visible demonstration to highlight water-saving elements that contribute to a more resilient environment. This work session will provide an overview of the project. 2. Regional Roadmap for Net Zero New Construction Tori Franks,Building and Resiliency Executive Summary: Eagle County's consultants and partners, Lotus Engineering and Walking Mountains will provide an overview of the Regional Net Zero Roadmap for net zero new construction. ECG staff will provide the BOCC an update on where ECG is in on the Regional Roadmap and outline potential next steps. sox OfEgo, There being no further business f o the meeting was adjourned until April 15,2025. ti �O t 4'4nn Attest: . Divr ` (Nit) �Q Clerk to the Board Chai n 4 04/08/2025