The Dillon Urban Renewal Authority, by a vote of 5-2 Tuesday night, Jan. 28, instructed staff to move forward with drafting a public-private partnership with Developer Jake Porritt, who has promised to reshape Dillon’s downtown.

In a chaotic meeting that stretched until 10:45 p.m., the Urban Renewal Authority — which is composed of the same members as the Dillon Town Council — heard dueling proposals for redevelopment downtown.

A local development group called Lake Dillon Place, LLC, presented an alternative to Porritt’s proposal at the corner of Lake Dillon Drive and East La Bonte Street, and town residents and property owners spoke for and against both projects.

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But, ultimately, the Urban Renewal Authority decided to partner with Porritt, who has proposed a grocery store, restaurant, commercial space and parking garage on the street corner.

“This is where we are as an evolution of all the time and energy spent,” Porritt said at the meeting. “I’m excited. I hope tonight that we take the steps to move this along so we can actually get some revitalization in the downtown core.”

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The Dillon Urban Renewal Authority was created in order to support development and remediate blight in town. In parts of downtown Dillon, property owners only own the footprint of their building, while the surrounding land is owned by the town, complicating redevelopment.

A town-owned parking lot at the corner of Lake Dillon Drive and East La Bonte Street was the impetus for Tuesday’s meeting. In order to potentially transfer the land to Porritt, who had expressed interest in redeveloping the area, the Urban Renewal Authority issued a legal notice seeking proposals for the property.

Porritt’s company, JGJP LLC, and Lake Dillon Place LLC, which lists Dillon resident Laura Johnson and local developer Scott Downen as managers, responded to the legal notice with proposals. Both development groups gave presentations on Tuesday.

Porritt and his team said that their plans aim to remediate blight by eliminating and replacing the Payne building, a building that has been cited for health ordinance violations, on East La Bonte Street. He noted that he is under contract to purchase the Payne building as well as the adjacent building where Pug Ryan’s brewery currently stands.

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The parking garage project will provide additional parking in town, which Porritt said he has learned is one of the top issues in town, especially during amphitheater concerts. The retail space, grocery store and restaurant will also generate sales tax revenue for the town, he said.

Porritt said that the parking structure would have 289 total spaces. He said 53 of those spaces would be dedicated back to the town to make up for the spaces that currently exist at the town-owned lot that would be incorporated into his development.

Porritt and his team pushed back on claims by some town residents that the metropolitan district he worked with the Dillon Town Council to establish would be bad for the town. He said the metro districts, which are a quasi-governmental organization that can be formed under Colorado law, will help fund public infrastructure associated with the development plans.

Downen, the former owner of Columbine Hills Concrete, noted in Lake Dillon Place’s proposal that he has been involved in developing other projects in Dillon, including the Sail Lofts and the Dillon Ridge Apartments.

Downen stated Tuesday that Lake Dillon Place is proposing high-end condominiums, workforce housing, retail space and restaurants on the town-owned parcel at the corner of Lake Dillon Drive and East La Bonte Street.

“This parcel is a premier corner lot in the town of Dillon,” Downen said. “It is the town of Dillon’s crown jewel. Our vision is to incorporate an inviting corner with firepit seating creating common lingering flex space and outdoor services that would keep people on our corner with the views of the lake.”

Additionally, Downen said Lake Dillon Place’s “Plan B” would take it a step further by removing the Payne building, extending Schroeder Avenue all the way through to East La Bonte Street and adding a two-story parking garage, additional commercial space and a three-story residential building.

Downen also presented a “Plan C” that would instead locate the parking garage with about 180 spaces between Buffalo Street and Main Street. This would encourage walking through the town core while reducing traffic in the town core, Downen said.

While Lake Dillon Place does not own the Payne building, Downen said that the town could acquire it through eminent domain or through the process of condemnation.

“The property is available one way or another, no matter who owns it,” Downen said. “The town does have access to this property.”

Johnson said that Lake Dillon Place offered to pay the town $1.4 million for the town-owned parcel. She said that one of the benefits of the Lake Dillon Place project is that it would not require metro districts.

“Lake Dillon (Place) is proposing something fundamentally different,” Johnson said. “Our project will be designed and built by local developers, contractors, investors, who understand Dillon and the unique needs of our mountain community.”

Citizen comments

In citizen comments made both at the Dillon Town Council meeting and the Dillon Urban Renewal Authority meeting on Tuesday, members of the public raised concerns about both proposals.

Dillon resident Barbara Richards raised concern about the metro districts, which she said there is “no need” for. Richards noted that one document that the Trevini Square metro districts associated with Porritt’s redevelopment plans filed with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs lists a total of $3 billion in authorized, but unissued, debt.

Porritt Group partner and attorney Caroline Kwak said in a citizen comment that there has been “false information” that’s been spread about the development team, attorneys and the metro district.

In particular, Kwak took issue with the claim that the metro districts have authorized $3 billion in debt. She said Richards has been told many times by various entities that that is not true and that the metro districts at a maximum have been authorized to issue $120 million in debt.

“At this juncture, I as an attorney felt it was important to address some of the comments that are, I don’t even want to say borderline, but are unlawful and are rising to the level of tortious interference with contractual and business relationships we have with people who are citizens of the town,” Kwak said.

Rex Roberts, another partner on the Porritt Group development team, noted that he was born in Eagle County and has extensive local ties. Roberts said that Porritt’s team has been verbally abused and subject to “mean, vicious lies.”

“It has not been the conduct of passionate people wanting what’s best,” Roberts said. “It’s been pitchforks and torches and an unwillingness to open a legitimate dialogue.”

Dillon resident Shannon Fausel responded that residents have a “legal right to disagree,” and local resident Robin Robson said that the Porritt Group is putting all the dissenters into one group.

“I’m not gaining anything from this other than trying to protect my town and to have people speak to me in such a way because I love my town and I didn’t go along with what they wanted is ridiculous,” Robson said.

Chris Locke, the owner of Pug Ryan’s Brewery, who noted he is under contract to sell his building to Porritt, said that the Lake Dillon Place project would obstruct access to parts of his building required to conduct his business. 

Locke said the Lake Dillon Place project would eliminate town-owned parking spots that his business and other businesses in the area rely on. Other local property owners also raised concern that the Lake Dillon Place project would eliminate parking.

Nick Dunham, who owns the laundromat in the Payne building, said that the building is in disrepair. He said he is in favor of Porritt’s plan to replace the building.

“I’m the mom-and-pop place, and I’m saying we really need change,” Dunham said. “I really hope it happens.”

Urban Renewal Authority discussion

Renewal Authority member Dana Christiansen said that when researching Downen, he found “several derogatory things,” such as a situation in 2017 when a whistleblower reported chemical spills into Dillon drains. Columbine Hills Concrete was a subcontractor for the work, according to a Summit Daily News article on the topic.

Christiansen also took issue with Johnson’s behavior at a meeting of the Dillon Town Council in September, claiming she raised her voice at the council members. He said if Porritt had done that it would have been “disqualifying.”

“This is a pretty transparent 11th-hour attempt in attempting to throw the sticks in Mr. Porritt’s project again,” Christiansen said.

Of the two proposals, Christiansen said that Porritt’s proposal “is the only one that addresses blight” because Porritt has the purchase of the Payne building under contract, while the other proposals do not. 

Renewal Authority member Oliver Luck agreed that the Porritt proposal “is removing, in my estimation, the biggest blight in the town core.” Member Rachel Tuyn also agreed, noting the parking improvements Porritt’s project would offer.

Renewal Authority member Renee Imamura noted that Porritt has been working with the town for close to three years. While Imamura said that, “I’m glad that we had another proposal,” she said she is in favor of moving forward with Porritt’s proposal.

Renewal Authority Kyle Hendricks said he is concerned that the other members aren’t pushing for workforce housing with Porritt’s project. Hendricks also said that he hasn’t heard from anyone in town that is not associated with the metro districts, who is in favor of the metro districts. He raised concern about how quickly the metro districts and other proposals by Porritt have been advanced.

“Selling the last best view of the lake from the town core to build a parking garage or grocery store seems like a pretty poor decision,” Hendricks said. “If we could have residential properties there and workforce housing there that would be pretty awesome.”

Renewal Authority member John Woods said that he is in favor of Porritt’s proposal and is “excited about finally developing that area down there.” Woods added that he does not want Lake Dillon Place to “lose faith” because there are “other places in Dillon that can also be improved.”

Renewal Authority member Carolyn Skowyra said that she is not in favor of Porritt’s project and believes that the metro districts are not good for Dillon. Skowyra said that she feels that the Renewal Authority and the Town Council have been “bullied into making quick decisions.” She noted that a recall election is scheduled for March and the makeup of the Town Council could change, so there is no reason to rush.

Moving forward, Skowyra said she hopes the town’s governing body will hire a team to do a financial analysis of Porritt’s proposal and the metro districts and that there will be opportunities for locals to provide input on the project details. 

“I think we should take our time negotiating each and every one of these, getting all the information we can and — for once in this process — put our foot down and say we need time to make the best decision for Dillon,” Skowyra said.