During a work session on Sept. 22, the Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) heard a presentation from Director of Development Eva Kruse on the results of a community survey conducted for input to help guide the county’s new comprehensive plan.
Kruse noted that the survey had 366 responses, “which was phenomenal.”
She mentioned that the primary focus from the respondents was on housing and water supply within the community.
She also explained that a focus group was conducted with representatives from various water districts in the region, adding, “we got a lot of input from that.”
Kruse reviewed results from the survey, indicating that 93 percent of respondents were full-time Archuleta County residents.
According to the presentation, “The respondent pool skews strongly toward established full-time homeowners in the Pagosa Lakes area and toward residents aged 55 and older. This shapes how the results should be read, particularly on housing, where respondents were substantially more concerned about the local workforce than about their own households.”
Kruse noted during the work session that “respondents were split on how much growth was appropriate, but they definitely were strongly aligned on how it should happen.”
She explained that 87 percent of respondents wanted new developments to pay their “fair share” of infrastructure costs.
According to the results presentation, which can be found in its entirety online at www.archuletacounty.gov/county-government/development-services/archuleta-county-comprehensive-plan, “water is the top priority.”
The presentation explains that 67 percent of respondents “named securing a long-term water supply among their top three priorities for the next 20 years.”
Kruse mentioned that the “setting and the small-town character” are things that residents value the most.
According to the presentation, “Natural beauty and mountain setting” were named by 84 percent of respondents as reasons for living in the community.
The presentation also notes that “The county rates well as a place to live and poorly as a place to earn a living,” with Kruse noting that the majority of respondents indicated the county is a good place to live but ranked poorly as a place to earn a good living.
Kruse also explained that 781 written comments were received through the 366 responses, and she expressed gratitude for residents taking the time to fill those out.
Kruse commented that the number of written comments received “means a lot of people actually took time to fill that out.”
She also mentioned that over the past three months she has had numerous meetings with constituents who were curious about what’s going on in the community.
She noted that some of those meetings were with people expressing support or opposition for certain developments or regulations.
“I’m happy to take it all because that’s what it’s about,” she said, noting that the written comments from the survey are super valuable.
Kruse noted that 80 percent of survey respondents indicated that there was not enough affordable housing available in the community, adding, “of course, we know this.”
According to the presentation, 92 percent of respondents “are concerned that local workers in healthcare, education, service, and public safety can find housing they can afford in the county.”
Kruse explained that the drafts of the water supply and strategic growth elements of the comprehensive plan will be presented at the next Archuleta County Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. in the commissioners’ meeting room at 398 Lewis St.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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