March 2014 CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP Summary Report
Background On Saturday, March 15, 2014, the City of Castle Pines leadership team participated in a strategic planning workshop. This report summarizes the process and outcomes of the workshop. The primary purpose of the event was to develop and prioritize goals to support the longterm vision of Castle Pines. The revised vision statement represents a slight modification from the 2013 Vision Statement (see right). The workshop culminated in the development of six goals that were identified as top priorities for the City. Supporting strategies were developed for each of the six goals. Participants The following elected officials and City staff participated in the event. 2013 Vision Statement Enhance our community s unique character by ensuring excellent infrastructure, safe neighborhoods, maximum citizen participation and conscientious development that balances open space, residential and commercial uses. Mayor Jeffrey Huff Mayor Pro Tem Tera Radloff (Ward 1) Councilmember Rex Lucas (Ward 1) Councilmember James Einolf (Ward 2) Councilmember Resa Labossiere (Ward 2) Councilmember Roger Addlesperger (Ward 3) Gregg Fisher, Treasurer Don Van Wormer, City Manager Facilitation services were provided by Kate Binning of Merge Resource Group, Ltd. Report Organization The workshop followed a facilitated process with an agenda consisting of large group, small group and individual exercises. The purpose and outcomes of each exercise are described in separate sections of this report as follows: Goal Themes Long Term Considerations Initial Goal Development Goal Prioritization Goal Refinement & Top Priorities Revisiting the Vision Statement Expectations & Next Steps Page 1 of 9
Goal Themes After a short presentation on the history of past vision and goal building efforts, participants identified four new goal themes (i.e., topics) in addition to the six themes represented by the 2010-2011 Goals. The new goal themes are identified in bold italics below. The following ten goal themes served as the starting point for subsequent small group discussion. Community Image & Branding Parks, Trails & Open Space Revenue & Fiscal Health Economic Development Infrastructure Plan Combined Services Transparency, Accountability and Efficiency Citizen Communication Foundational Structure The group briefly discussed the 2013 vision statement; however, the topic was deferred until later in the workshop. The workshop agenda was purposely structured to engage the group in goal development first before attempting to vet out revisions to the vision statement. Long Term Considerations Participants were asked to consider the following three questions to foster discussion regarding the long-term (i.e., 20-year horizon) outlook for the City. The phrases following each question were responses given by the participants. What will be different? Regional growth Rueter-Hess Reservoir (water, recreation) Water scarcity Ridgegate and Castle Rock buildout Town Center and Canyons development Light rail extension south to Ridgegate New roadway connections Less physical separation between communities More people Aging population Page 2 of 9
What do you want to stay the same? Experience of Castle Pines Destination for locals living here Perfect place to live Save natural assets and differentiators (bison, open space, etc.) How might the City need to adapt to deal with change? Ensure ideas and vision for the community are implemented Secure resources to make it happen 30 year-old community requires maintenance and enhancement; don t let image of existing community fall behind Cohesion between established and new areas Address aging population and changing demographics Be more savvy with economic development Be more proactive Build expertise of staff and use outside resources when necessary Utilize other County initiatives to engage community (e.g., Volunteer Connect http://www.volunteerconnectdc.com/) Address cultural shifts and expectations to engage and provide volunteer opportunities More interagency cooperation MAYOR JEFFREY HUFF REVIEWING 'CRYSTAL BALL' COMMENTS DURING THE WORKSHOP Other comments: During this session, participants offered perspectives on and asked for more information related to slide 21 (Now and Approved Non Residential). Slide 21 is provided on the following page. o Some participants felt that although the market has dictated what has been developed in the past, future non-residential development could be guided or handled more proactively to increase market share. o Compared to rapid growth to the north (Lone Tree) and the south (Castle Rock), the City has had little non-residential investment in recent years. o Zoning (allowable) versus actual built statistics were requested for other local municipalities. o The Douglas County Senior Initiative was suggested as a resource. o 2010 Census data was requested. Page 3 of 9
STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP PRESENTATION SLIDE 21 Initial Goal Development After reviewing the Benchmark Report (National Research Center, July 2012) and perspectives regarding City assets and challenges, participants broke into two small groups to develop draft goals with supporting strategies for six themes. Different themes, which were identified in the previous exercise, were selected by each group. The resulting themes, a summary of the initial goals, and the issues that the goal addressed are provided in Table 1: Initial Goal Discussion Outcomes. At the conclusion of the exercise, each group shared their three initial goals with the other group for consideration. Page 4 of 9
Table 1: Initial Goal Discussion Outcomes Theme Issues Addressed Initial Goal Summary Revenue & Fiscal Health Lack of study and fiscal projections Develop accurate assessment of current and projected costs and revenues; Need consensus on reasonableness of assumptions; Target to complete by Q4 Infrastructure Economic Development Parks, Trails & Open Space Combined Services Community Aging pavement; Potential need to increase revenue in order to meet expectations; Lowest sales tax in county may provide an opportunity Existing and future vacant building space and parcels; Implement Commercial District Assessment (Downtown Colorado, Inc. 2012) Lack of plan; Multiple providers; Sales tax only current revenue source Variety of services provided by multiple HOAs and groups, which may be costly and inefficient Sense of belonging; Community and level of desired connection is personal Focus on roads and right-of-way; Move from reactive to proactive; Complete road plan; Staff developing 5-year street plan to be completed by November 2014; Engage stakeholders; Stringent oversight of cost; Use of new technology Sustain existing businesses; Embrace opportunities; Build expertise; Use modern redevelopment practices; Create uniqueness; Develop public/private partnerships Develop plan which includes existing facilities, new parks and regional connections; Consider active and passive uses; Work closely with developers; Explore grant options Quantify opportunities to combine HOA and City services; Research current practices and what the City might be able to offer; Complete analysis by the end of the fiscal year Provide opportunities and places for people to connect; Invest time and money locally; Nexus to economic development and land use planning; Increase awareness of opportunities for people to connect and spend time here Source: City of Castle Pines Strategic Planning Workshop, 2014. Page 5 of 9
Goal Prioritization Participants were asked to prioritize the six initial goals presented in the previous exercise, Initial Goal Development, along with four other themes from the Goal Themes list (page 2). Each participant was given ten dots to place across the ten goals to signify the level of importance and preference to focus on for the remainder of the workshop. The following list provides the resulting goal prioritization with the number of dots each topic received in parentheses. 1) Revenue & Fiscal Health (20) 2) Infrastructure (15) 3) Economic Development (11) 4) Parks, Trails & Open Space (7) 5) Transparency & Accountability (5) 6) Community (3) 7) Combines Services (3) 8) Foundational Structure (2) 9) Citizen Communication (1) 10) Image & Branding (1) Goal Refinement & Top Priorities Participants again broke into small groups to refine the goals and supporting strategies that ranked highest in the Goal Prioritization exercise. The refined goals and strategies are presented in the following section entitled 2014 Strategic Planning Goals. These goals represent top City priorities for the remainder of this year. Of note, the City recently began an extensive Communications Plan effort. Participants suggested that 9) Citizen Communication is a critical component of 5) Transparency & Accountability. CITY LEADERS COLLABORATING ON 2014 STRATEGIC PLANNING GOALS Page 6 of 9
2014 Strategic Planning Goals 1. Revenue & Fiscal Health Goal: Develop an accurate projection of future costs and revenues based on reasonable assumptions. Strategy: Prepare a Request for Proposals to secure professional services to provide trend analysis, growth assumptions, cost projections and level of service. 2. Infrastructure Goal: Move from current project/season-based strategy to a long-term, planned capital improvement program. Strategy: Implement a tool to inventory and then systematically and consistently identify, measure, and report capital replacements or improvements. o The initial focus will be on roads (pavement management system) with future expansion to include all City assets. o The tool will consider fiscal constraints and project out at least five years. 3. Economic Development Goal: Proactively influence the vitality of Castle Pines gateway commercial area. Strategies: Avoid negative impact to existing businesses and employees. Enlist outside expertise. Communicate, cooperate and develop necessary partnerships to guide development in the desired direction. Highlight opportunities to strengthen the City s gateway. 4. Parks, Trails & Open Space Goal: Provide a comprehensive parks, trails and open space system throughout the City that also provides regional connectivity. Strategy: Create a comprehensive parks, trails and open space plan that includes different funding options and public/private partnerships. Page 7 of 9
5. Transparency & Accountability Goal: Be transparent and accountable. Strategies: Implement a Communications Plan with defined goals. Provide a web site that supports the Communications Plan. Evaluate metrics that demonstrate Plan reach and two-way communication. 6. Community Goal: Create opportunities and physical places to foster a sense of belonging and personal investment in Castle Pines. Strategies: Develop a means to increase awareness of opportunities for people to connect locally. Strengthen sense of community with physical places in future development/redevelopment projects. Page 8 of 9
Revisiting the Vision Statement The City s current vision statement was developed in 2013. Many participants felt it was still relevant. A slight modification was suggested to remove the phrase maximum citizen participation and replace with a strong sense of community. This modification is a reflection of the workshop s repeated emphasis on community and sense of belonging. With this change, the word community at the beginning of the statement was redundant and therefore removed. The updated vision statement is presented below. The vision statement may undergo further revision as the City s Communications Plan efforts unfold. City of Castle Pines - REVISED Vision Statement Enhance our unique character by ensuring excellent infrastructure, safe neighborhoods, a strong sense of community and conscientious development that balances open space, residential and commercial uses. Expectations and Next Steps In closing, the group reflected on how to turn the strategic goals into action. The following issues and expectations were discussed: The new strategic goals will serve as milestones to gauge the City s progress on top priorities. The City Manager will develop an action plan to address each of the strategic goals. The action plan may include the use of outside experts. Funding will need to be identified to support the strategic goals. Future Council Agenda Topics should now coincide with the new strategic goals. The Future Council Agenda Topics list, which is typically included in each City Council packet, will undergo a format and content modification. Councilmembers should consciously remind themselves of the collective goals and prioritization discussed at the workshop when suggesting new Future Council Agenda Topics. The group should meet again in six months to discuss the progress of strategic planning efforts. Page 9 of 9