The Nederland Downtown Development Authority (NDDA) met on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, to discuss the potential of updating their Plan of Development.
The NDDA discussed a proposal from Studio Seed and Progressive Urban Management Association to draft an update to the Authority’s Plan of Development for a total cost of $39,875. The plan outlines the NDDA’s vision for downtown development, and was recommended to be updated by consultants Downtown Colorado Inc.
Studio Seed was listed as the ideal candidate due to their current work with the Town of Nederland on the Downtown Subarea Plan, which focuses on development of the Central Business District, which is currently being developed in conjunction with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.
Board members reviewed the proposed scope of work from Studio Seed, which also laid out the timeline for the project, estimated at four to six months from an initial kickoff meeting, through research, review, and public engagement, all the way to a developed plan.
The questions before the Board were whether to work with Studio Seed for the proposed price, whether to budget for an additional $37,500 for “optional tasks” such as design concepts and market assessment, and whether to use an available $80,000 of the Wayfinding project’s budget (supposedly on hiatus through 2024) to pay for the work.
Board members were also asked whether the update to the Plan of Development should wait until the Comprehensive Plan and subsequent Downtown Subarea Plan are completed. The Comprehensive Plan is expected to be completed and approved by the Board of Trustees by February; the Subarea Plan is currently ready for public review, with a presentation planned for October.
There was some question as to whether the NDDA is required to update their Plan of Development at this time, whether enough has changed since the last update of the plan in 2017. Board member Steve Karowe stated his opinion that the cost of the update exceeded the benefits of the result, and felt that the Authority could update the plans themselves with less expansive consulting from Studio Seed.
Board member Scott Papich expressed his belief that, despite the cost and the community potentially experiencing “planning fatigue,” the significance of the plan’s dictates was important enough for the Authority to pursue it.
Regarding the cost, Board member Everett Nielsen inquired about what deliverables or results are to be expected from the “optional tasks” listed in Studio Seed’s proposal. Such tasks include design concepts, which could cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000; and marketing assessments, costing from $12,500 to $17,500.
Representatives for Studio Seed answered that the results depend specifically on what the NDDA chooses to prioritize, and added that their consulting work includes team building exercises, prioritizing of goals, collaborative work sessions, and focus groups with downtown stakeholders.
There was some interest from the Authority regarding aligning their goals and objectives for downtown development along with the Town of Nederland’s own plans. It was proposed that the Plan of Development should be discussed with the BOT during the next joint meeting.
Town Administrator Jonathan Cain also suggested discussing the plan with the BOT during strategic planning meetings, to take place early next year after the Comprehensive Plan update is complete.
NDDA Executive Director Kate Masingale noted that she will be having more one-on-one conversations with each member of the Board over the next month in order to refine the agreement with Studio Seed and to have the matter return to the agenda for next month’s meeting.
The Authority also voted unanimously to approve spending $1,230 from the organization’s remaining Traffic and Safety budget to provide traffic flagging services for the Nederland Farmers Market’s Harvest Fest event on Sunday, October 6.
Cain reviewed the projected sales tax revenue for 2024, which indicated the Town was trending below its total revenue from 2023. Cain noted that there are fluctuations in downtown business as some shops close and others set to open, but added that the bump in revenue from summer tourism has only yielded about $60,000.
“I wouldn’t say that we’re in a crisis, but we’re at a point where we really need to think about the sustainability of this town and where we’re getting the money from to make sure it remains a community of people that can live here and can thrive here,” Cain said.
Cain explained that with the cost of running a business in the mountains constantly going up, with the Town requiring many needed infrastructure updates, and with the cost of Nederland’s contract with Boulder County Sheriff’s Office to rise indefinitely, the Town is in need of a sales tax-driven solution to bolster the budget.
It was expressed that the NDDA could assist in the efforts of coming up with solutions, especially with downtown infrastructure such as sidewalks.
The Nederland Downtown Development Authority meets the second Wednesday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 6 p.m. and will be held online as well as in person at the Nederland Community Center.
For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/downtown-development-authority.
