Residents Seeking Ways to Move Beyond Gambling-Only Image
Rick Langenberg
Professional consultants and organizers of a $300,000-plus master plan project in Cripple Creek, including the first ever full-fledged economic development and tourism study, say the ambitious blueprint for the town’s future over the next two decades is right on target.
But planners still are hoping for more community input from local residents and specifically want them to complete a detailed questionnaire that probes their views on the types of businesses, services, and attractions they would like to see, and the type of growth they oppose.
The firms involved in the heavily-watched project are cautiously optimistic about meeting the aggressive timeline, calling for the new updated master plan to get completed by the end of 2025, if not sooner. In fact, a recent update provided by the planners, Kimley-Horn and Leadline Project Management, have cited the completion of a draft economic development and tourism strategy by April, along with proposed land use recommendations.
The next community-wide master plan meeting will present more details, based on the questionnaire results and findings from community outreach sessions. A date hasn’t been set for this meeting, but officials expect it to take place soon.
To date, the group has done several community engagements, including an open house held at the Chamonix casino and hotel. The owners of Chamonix and Bronco Billys, Full House Resorts, have invested $100,000 into the planning project for the economic development and tourism phase of the effort. This is a dicey subject that has never been pursued with much vigor in previous master plan efforts.
In the community engagements, orchestrated by Kimley-Horn and Leadline, consultants just listened to the desires of local residents and the town’s main stakeholders. “We really want to hear what the community has to say,” said Blake Young, a planner with Kimley-Horn.
Getting Beyond Gaming
Not surprisingly, the initial conclusions rendered by residents indicate a strong desire to diversify the economy and become more of a family-friendly community. The consultants have cited the primary theme of building Cripple Creek “into a vibrant, inclusive, and family-friendly community,” based on the early resident input they have received. As part of this main goal, they say residents and local stakeholders really want “to go beyond gaming.” “The community wants to shift Cripple Creek’s image from a gaming only hub to a family-friendly destination with rich history, outdoor recreation, and unique local businesses,” stated the consultants in their latest report.
Moreover, they noted that residents threw out a slew of ideas, including forming an arts district, having more outdoor activities, and establishing additional locally branded businesses.
But in their initial update, they don’t outline many specific details. In the community meeting attended by TMJ News, the open session featured a bombardment of wishes, such as launching a tubing or ski hill, organizing mountain biking races, designing a public golf course and more park and recreation amenities, and having many new businesses, including a brewery, dog care center, expanded grocery store, and veterans’ hub, just to mention a few. And many outlined wishes for a western-theme attraction and many more events.
In their new update, the consultants cited a number of other goals outlined by community members, aimed at addressing affordable housing and the need for better infrastructure; increasing support for small businesses; more community engagement and marketing and heightened attention in the areas of environmental and recreational development. But they didn’t go into specific details. These will be unveiled more during the next community meeting during which a formal presentation will occur.
Then, the real work starts, as the plan authors must come up with ways to make these development and tourism ideas happen.
Overcoming Past Failures
Ever since the beginning of gaming, town leaders have toyed with the desire to make Cripple Creek into more of a destination area that didn’t rely so much on Lady Luck to survive. But a number of ventures, including ones proposed by city leaders, never materialized. Some were dubbed by a few colorful nicknames, such as the “Williamsburg of the West” or “Libby Town” after a plan compiled by a previous mayor, Ed Libby.
But with the development of the new Chamonix casino and hotel project, coupled with additional lodging and housing ventures, many sees this dream as finally having a chance to become realistic. The no-limits gaming environment also has opened the door for more development dollars.
Plus, never before has so much attention been focused on a master plan. This one, in fact, is being fueled by significant investment into the project by the state. The last time the town updated its comprehensive plan was in 2009. At that time, the master plan project didn’t generate that much interest, and has rarely been talked about in recent years.
That is not the case this time, as the city council will play a big role in moving the current master plan venture forward, according to the proposed schedule recently unveiled by the consultants.
Along with the push for a master plan, town leaders may entertain the prospects of becoming a Main Street community through a state-wide historic preservation program. Many communities throughout the state are part of this program, such as Victor and many towns in central and on the West Slope of Colorado. A previous presentation at a council workshop was made by Gayle Langley, the main street coordinator for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The council appeared interested in possibly joining the Main Street movement,but emphasized that they wanted to hear more from the community and local businesses. A Main Street meeting for local businesses has been tentatively scheduled for early February.
