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Town of Frisco Colorado

Town of Frisco, Colorado

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Peak One Parcel

Peak One

The Peak One Parcel is a 12.68-acre piece of land purchased by the Town in 1998 for municipal purposes. The land is located between the Summit County recreation path and Belford Avenue in the southwest part of town. An unimproved portion of Second Avenue runs through the parcel, connecting to a trailhead parking lot located on U.S. Forest Service land.

The Peak One Parcel is an option toward developing a solution to Frisco’s middle-class housing crunch and is particularly well-suited to a new neighborhood with a diverse mix of housing types and incomes that can offer both market-rate and affordable units. Earlier this year, Frisco hired the firm of Perry Rose to help develop a master plan for the site.

This planning process focuses around public input and consensus building, and is being conducted through a series of public meetings.  During the first meeting on October 27, 2007, members of the public participated in a collaborative process to consider alternatives for the use of the Peak One Parcel as a socially and environmentally responsible mixed-income housing community.  Click here for a summary of the first meeting.

Based upon feedback generated during the first town hall meeting, alternative concept plans were created.  During the second meeting held on November 29, 2007, three concepts were presented, and the community provided critical and constructive evaluation of the options.  Click here for a summary of the second meeting.

Based on the input and feedback generated during the first two public meetings, a sub-areas map and example site plans of development scenarios was created.  During the third meeting held on February 16, 2008, an open house, the public was asked to provide feedback on the sub-areas concept.  Click here for a summary of the third meeting.

Town staff, along with Perry Rose, are now evaluating the feedback provided during the third meeting, and will identify next steps in the development of the Peak One Parcel Master Plan within the next couple of months.

From the public feedback during these meetings, a draft master land use plan will be presented to the Town Council for review during a public worksession.  Staff also sent out a Peak One brochure to all boxholders and property owners to gain additional input.  After the council worksession, a final plan will be formalized for additional public input and then presented to Town Council during a public meeting for adoption.

Once a master land use plan is created by the community, the next step will be to annex the property into town limits. From there, the town will undertake a process to hire a partner to develop the parcel in the manner outlined in its master plan.

Q and As

Q. Why the Peak One Parcel?
A. This is one opportunity the town has towards developing a solution to Frisco’s affordable housing need. It is the town’s only sizable area (12.68 acres) that has the capacity to establish a mixed income neighborhood and make a considerable impact to the town’s housing need.

Additionally, Town Council goals and two public planning documents recommend housing for the site. The 2006-2008 Town Council goals state to create a plan for housing on the parcel. The 2005 Frisco Master Plan dedicates an entire chapter to the need for additional affordable housing in the community. The Ten Mile Basin Master Plan adopted in 2001 and updated in 2005, designates the Peak One Parcel for “community facilities and affordable housing.”

Q. Isn’t the Peak One Parcel an important piece of open space for the town? What about the wetlands and other wildlife habitat there?
A. Parks and Open Space are critical to Frisco’s quality of life. Currently, the Town of Frisco owns approximately 329 acres of park land, including the Peninsula Recreation Area, which alone is 217 acres. Furthermore, the Town of Frisco has agreements with the U.S. Forest Service and Denver Water to use an additional 640 acres of the Frisco Peninsula for snowshoeing and Nordic skiing. Summertime uses on the PRA include hiking, biking, multipurpose sports fields and disc golf.

Also, Summit County is very fortunate to have hundreds of thousands of acres of National Forest, including some areas federally designated Wilderness Areas, and other designated open space that is owned by local or federal government. In fact, more than 80 percent of Summit County’s land mass is open space in the form of lands owned by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Summit County designated open space.

Q. Couldn’t the town just sell the Peak One Parcel for high end housing and use its proceeds to purchase existing in-town or in-county units for affordable housing?
A. Selling the parcel for high end housing will essentially not provide the town with the end goal of maintaining a livable Frisco community. The income that would be generated with the sale of the Peak One Parcel would most likely not be able to provide as much of a return of purchase of existing units for affordable units, as will the development of the parcel into a mixed income neighborhood.

Ideally it is important to remember that in order to sustain the Frisco community, the town needs a mix of housing to support current and future residents as their needs and conditions change; and, the town also needs a balance of housing that is affordable and suitable for different employment levels. Development of the Peak One Parcel will be a step towards ensuring the town sustains itself as a community. The town also is looking into many other options for providing affordable housing, as outlined on these town web pages.

Q. Doesn’t the parcel first need to be annexed into town boundaries?
A. Because the parcel is currently not located within town boundaries, yes the parcel will need to be annexed prior to its development into a mixed income neighborhood. Annexation requires properties wanting to be annexed to meet the town’s zoning requirements for annexation (Zoning Annexation, Chapter 180-, Frisco Town Code), which includes two public meetings before the town’s Planning Commission and Town Council.

In order to first provide a vision to the community of what is envisioned for the Peak One Parcel, Town Council has directed staff to establish a master land use development plan for it. Once that is in place, it will be known how the parcel is envisioned to be developed, and annexation can then take place.

Q. How can I get involved in the planning process for the Peak One Parcel?
A. For more information and to find out more details on the planning process that is underway for the Peak One Parcel, please contact the Town of Frisco Planning Department at 970.668.5276 x3041 or email to planning@townoffrisco.com.