Recall effort in Colorado mountain town of Dillon centered around council members' support of development plan
While it only took 14 signatures to begin the recall process of three city council members, the whole town of Dillon is focused on the outcome and what it means for the future of the "sleeping giant" in Summit County.
The members of the council who are facing recall are Dana Christiansen, Renee Imamura, and John Woods. CBS Colorado has reached out to these council members for comment but has not heard back as of yet. As for why those three, Barb Richard, a successor candidate who's looking to replace one of them should the recall pass, said it's based on a breakdown of representation from the council and the public on big issues, particularly with one developer and his plans for the city.
"There is one developer that has been given way too much power in Dillon and that developer is shaping the development of Dillon without using the input from the community," Richard said. "Town council has refused even though the community has requested many times to have a public process, the town council has refused to bring in the community and let the community decide what kind of redevelopment it wants."
The conceptual design and site plans presented to the city council during a recent meeting outline the scope of the project designated for Lake Dillon Road and LaBonte Street, including a parking garage and restaurants near the area where a Best Western hotel is currently, and the old, shuttered Arapahoe Cafe still stands. The metropolitan district suggested by Jake Porritt and the Porritt Group JGJP Dillon inspired Laura Johnson, a recall petitioner, to sound the alarm for what she said that plan would do to the town for decades to come. In a pamphlet, Johnson outlines the financial burden Dillon would be saddled with should the plan proceed.
- Giving away 50% of future Sales & Lodging Tax—up to $68 million
- Increasing property taxes up to 3x for property owners—including those in workforce housing—with up to ⅔ of the tax going to the Metro District
- Diverting critical funding from our Summit School District, Fire & EMS, and County Services (libraries, roads, bus services, Health & Human Services) to benefit the Metro District
- Giving away ½ acre of town-owned prime real estate – for free - (corner of LaBonte & Lake Dillon – diagonal to our beloved Arapahoe Café)
She referenced a CBS Colorado story about a neighborhood $434 million in debt by Your Reporter in Douglas County Olivia Young when citing her concerns, saying that the problem will become Dillon's should the plan proceed.
"That story by Olivia, the neighborhood in Castle Rock that is now almost a half million dollars in debt to the metro district developer for bonds that were issued 40 years ago..." Johnson said. "It is almost now accrued interest, and shows no end in sight... that's exactly what I am concerned about in the town of Dillon."
Richard believes there are other options besides going with Porritt for the future of Dillon.
"Developers always want the world," Richard said. "That is why we have planning and zoning and why we have town council because developers always want the world."
"I do believe that you can make a good amount of money by doing a normal scale project, you don't have to destroy the whole ambiance of Dillon by doing something with so many variances it doesn't even meet the character."
The town is looking to revitalize and bring in new businesses after a series of closures, including the Arapahoe Cafe where these developments seem to center. It's a prime piece of land that sits next to the Dillon Amphitheatre, with stunning views of the reservoir and Peak One, as well as Buffalo Mountain. But finding the correct plan has taken some finagling. While the city council has agreed to move ahead with Porrit's plan, for now, should the recall pass for the three members of the council, Richard at least has sworn to slow things down, if not change the direction of the plan completely.
"This has fired everyone up," Richard said. "I told the council in the summer I had never seen the community so angry, it was like a hornet's nest, everyone trying to tell the council 'this is not where we want to go' but they were not trying to listen."
Ballots need to be returned to the city council in Dillon by March 4 at 7 p.m. CBS Colorado will update this story with new information when the vote results come out.
