Estes Park, Colorado
The gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park in northcentral Colorado, Estes Park sits in a forested valley surrounded by wooded mountain terrain. In 2020, wildfires burned 400,000 acres in the vicinity and forced a full evacuation of the community. Tourism and continued growth and development in high-risk areas around Estes Park raise issues for safety, vehicle access, water supply, electrical system reliability, and insurability.
In 2021, the Town of Estes Park reached out to CPAW for assistance in updating landscaping regulations to encourage creation of defensible space around homes and use of native plants. CPAW reviewed the town’s landscape codes and provided recommendations on the codes themselves as well as how to integrate them into the land use planning process. CPAW is also providing recommendations for the town’s Land Use and Development Code update.
In 2023 Estes Park completed its Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) update with input from CPAW.
In response to its recent growth and safety concerns, Estes Park hired a consulting firm in 2023 to update all its municipal land use codes and regulations. CPAW will work closely with the consultants throughout the updating process to ensure that wildfire mitigation is consistently addressed – from landscaping to building codes to road construction and utilities.
Snapshot
- 2021 CPAW Community
- Population: 5,900
- Growth Rate: 1.5% (2010-2022)
- Fuel Type: Timber-understory