Recent votes in Dillon regarding how to handle a revitalization of the town core and the fallout from proposals raised and then dashed have not gone the way I wished they would have. That’s OK. That’s what democracy is about — everyone gets a say, and sometimes you’re on the winning side, sometimes you’re not. But a new council being in place brings with it the opportunity to look anew at these issues and brainstorm ideas that will meet the area’s need for a facelift and the necessity for increased revenue. I can only hope that as a town we can move past the rancor and divisiveness that has embroiled our local politics and begin some truly constructive planning for the future.

I’m no expert on small-town governance or civil engineering, just a citizen who knows what he likes and who may be a bit representative of some segment of the population the council represents. So, while I know a little about things like zoning laws, taxation and economics, and representative democracy, it’ll be up to the experts in our local government to turn my Dillon downtown core wish list into reality. Given that, here’s my two cents on what I’d like to see happen in Dillon’s core.

A good place to start would be to ensure that all parcels under consideration and in play for redevelopment are included as a whole in the planning to ensure cohesiveness. It’s understandable that not all of those areas would be developed at the same time, but it’d be important that there’s a vision that ties them together aesthetically and perhaps even architecturally.

I’d love to see Dillon’s downtown core as a contiguous but non-linear shaped walkable area anchored by the Amphitheater and Marina to the south and whatever is going to replace the Best Western on the north. This area would house retail and restaurant space as has been proposed and enhancements to the open space by the lakeshore. There would be vehicle traffic restrictions throughout, ensuring that pedestrian travel is safe and unencumbered. Think of the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, but with the added attractions of the Amp and a swim beach area similar to the one at the Frisco Marina.

We need to take the opportunity to include additional housing, including deed-restricted workforce housing in this design. I think proposals for accommodations over first floor retail and restaurant space make a lot of sense, though I’m not a fan of buildings dedicated solely to housing in the downtown core. Ensuring some of those accommodations are for workers and locals might help keep the area lively year-round as there’d be full-time residents nearby to keep things dynamic during shoulder seasons. I also agree with the many comments that have been made about the location for parking facilities. They should be in close proximity to this downtown core but not contained therein.

It’d also be nice to include open and public gathering spaces for things like the Farmer’s Market, tree lighting, art shows, and free weekday afternoon concerts where folks can sip adult beverages from local breweries while listening to cool tunes and kids can dance and zoom around safely. Having these activities near retail and hospitality offerings in the core would also help ensure the economic vitality of those businesses and provide for much needed tax revenue for the town.

That’s a brief snapshot of what would bring me and my family down to the waterside more often. Figuring out how to finance such an endeavor and turn it into reality is the unenviable task of the Town Council. Outreach and listening sessions, as promised by new council members, must include both full and part-time residents. Many part-timers may feel left out of this decision-making process because they lack the right to vote, though as I have mentioned before there is a solution for that. Full-time residents’ concerns may be top of mind for the council, but given the makeup of the area and the taxes and other revenue that part-time residents generate, it’s important that they too be recognized as part of the community and be given a seat at the planning table.

Such a revitalization effort won’t be easy, and council should consider working with expert urban renewal organizations that can harvest constructive community input for an overall/holistic vision of the downtown core. By utilizing surveys, questionnaires, and focus groups to gather citizen input, that organization can also play a pivotal role in crafting a roadmap to transform vision and planning into reality. Once the plan has been solidified, it’ll be Town Council and staff’s job to work their way backward from where we want to be to where we are now, identifying issues with regulations, private property, and financing that will need to be addressed to pave the way to the creation of a downtown core that Dillon residents will want to frequent and can be proud of.  

Tony Jones' column "Everything in Moderation" publishes biweekly on Thursdays in the Summit Daily News. Jones is a veteran of the IT industry and has worked in the public and private sectors. He lives part-time in Summit County and Denver. Contact him at eimsummit@gmail.com.