The Town of Estes Park has requested Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD) consider the addition of a transit facility/parking structure to the ongoing NEPA study for the Downtown Estes Loop project as a potential alternative project, town officials announced late Monday.
This transit facility/parking structure project, with a potential to be located in the area of the Post Office parking lot, was included as Phase 2 in the Town’s 2013 application for Federal Lands Access Program funding (FLAP).
Paul Fishman said he’s in favor of the Loop, though it’s not his preferred option. He’s glad to hear parking would be addressed in the proposed alternative.
“I have advocated for more parking downtown for a decade now, so I’m definitely supportive of moving forward. The need for more parking is overwhelming,” he said. “It meets all the criteria of the grant application of why FLAP even exists for the park. This would be a great transit hub to help shuttle people to the park. Then once they’re downtown, they can shop and eat here. They don’t have to hop another shuttle.”
A preliminary conceptual design was shown to the community as it considered options for the FLAP application. However, the structure design and precise location would be determined only after a successful Environmental Analysis and project design, town officials say.
Whether or not this project will be added to the Downtown Estes Loop’s NEPA study as a possible alternative project will be determined by the FLAP program decision committee and Central Federal Lands Highway Division, the project leader for the Downtown Estes Loop NEPA study.
Retiree Tom Dority said he’s glad to see the town trustees exploring other alternatives.
“Some addition to the parking available to guests … that certainly has a direct impact on the time people spend at restaurants or stores in this town,” he added. “That’s important.”
Village Goldsmith owner Karen Jirsa, who’s against the Loop, said she’s glad other alternatives are being looked at, but she remains a little skeptical.
“It sounds like a reasonable possibility. The process seems strange or out of order, since they told us nothing else would be considered by the FLAP grant,” she said. “But I’m encouraged there are other options on the table.”
Over the past nine months, the town, together with its partners — Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD) and Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) — have conducted a public EA process including scoping, alternatives development and environmental analysis to evaluate transportation improvement options along three primary roadways through downtown Estes Park: Elkhorn Avenue, Moraine Avenue and East/West Riverside Drives.
The NEPA screening analysis to date shows the one-way couplet as the best “build” alternative and the only current road alternative that can be pursued within the available funding.
Additional information on the NEPA study for the potential Downtown Estes Loop project may be found on the project website www.downtownestesloop.com or by contacting the project team at info@downtownestesloop.com or 480-7045.
