$300,000 Cripple Creek Master Plan Project Nears Finish Line
Consultants Retreat from Disneyland-like Downtown Revitalization Bid
Final Community Engagement Meeting Generates Impressive Turnout
Rick Langenberg
Consultants are nearing the finish line in completing a $300,00 master plan project for Cripple Creek, with city council approval action slated for later this summer.
And not surprisingly, the latest version axed a number of ambitious features from a previous proposal that called for moving city hall, demolishing the current parks and recreation facility, establishing a new recreation center near the high school and creating a major food hub and restaurant area at the town hall government site.
In fact, the latest plan, presented before residents at a community engagement session last week, offers a more toned-down version of a revitalized downtown, with the initial phase concentrating on enhancing the Pocket Park next to city hall, and establishing a pedestrian mall area on the 200 block of Bennett Avenue and finding a new home for the police station.
It marked a major rehaul from an earlier plan that got a less than enthusiastic response from elected leaders and city officials. Plan leaders were told to redirect their efforts towards working with what the town has in place now.
“We were swinging for the fences,” quipped Blake Young of Kimley-Horn, the main consultants for the project, in describing some of the earlier concepts with a price tag in the millions.
Still, he cited the same theme of trying to make Cripple Creek a destination area and one that highlights its unique “history, culture and character.” The main comment they have received from residents and current business owners deals with making the town more family and event-friendly and getting beyond their current gaming-only reputation. Moreover, the plan is aimed at giving town leaders a way to make their community less reliant on Lady Luck for their survival.
Reaction to this phase was mixed by many meeting participants. Most raved about trying to revitalize Myers Avenue, the home of the town’s Old Homestead House Museum, which once was the site of the more notorious hub of Cripple Creek life in the 1890s.
However, some worried about not focusing enough on the main street and asked questions about the creek restoration. And the idea of emphasizing a project that would benefit only a few property owners was raised too by a city department director.
Young, though, countered that the town could use a little competition in the non-gaming business sector, which in turn would spark activity in a section that sports many vacant buildings that previously housed casinos.
And worse of all, they have owners not willing to sell these structures at a reasonable price or even upkeep them. But if development occurs in another part of town, then this mind set could change. “Cripple Creek could use a little competition here,” admitted Young.
Other phases of the plan got much support, especially the initial phases that would concentrate on the Pocket Park enhancement next to city hall, beatifying the downtown, doing a pedestrian mall area and securing a new home for the police department.
Salvato cited this latter venture as critical. He stated that the cop shop’s current home inside the historic Bell Brothers building is not functional.
The plan develops a 20-year vision for Cripple Creek, with some real lofty goals in latter part of the redevelopment push, such as a convention center.
Mayor Annie Durham described the new plan as definite step in the right direction.
“It is just so much more feasible than what was presented before,” said Durham, at the close of the final community engagement. “It really works in concert with our Main Street project.”
More importantly, Durham lauded the strong turnout and extensive feedback from residents. The city has a lot at stake with the plan, as it received a considerable hunk of grant funds to finance the new master plan project, comprised of both a comprehensive land use blueprint for the town and an economic and tourism plan. It also received a $100,000 contribution from Full House Resort, the owners of the Chamonix Casino & Hotel.
The final plan will soon land in the laps of the city council, which will have the final say.
City officials hope to finalize the plan and get it approved by this summer. Salvato stressed that this plan, although just offering a conceptual vision of the town’s future, will come equipped with definite of teeth. For example, if a new development or project emerges that clashes with aspects of the comp plan, the alterations would have to get done to the master plan before any land use or zoning adjustments occur.
