Todd Powell
The Frisco Town Council unanimously voted to adopt a new strategic plan at its regular meeting Tuesday night, a guiding document that outlines goals and implementation strategies for the council over the next 18 months.
The document, officially titled the 2019-2020 Town of Frisco Strategic Plan, is separate from the Frisco Community Plan currently in development by town staff — a broader policy framework based around the community’s core values identified by Frisco residents.
Instead, the plan is a much more focused look at the town’s specific prioritized goals, along with proposed actions to achieve the goals and even presumptive timelines to keep elected officials and staff on schedule and on the same page. Town officials and staff held a two-day workshop in April to determine a list of priorities and goals for the next 12 to 18 months, and Frisco town manager Nancy Kerry provided council with an update on the project during the meeting on Tuesday.
“Understanding council’s vision and goals and aligning them with the work that town staff is doing is absolutely vital to continuing to support the quality of life and values of Frisco residents,” said Kerry. “It is a privilege to be able to serve with our town staff to bring council’s vision and goals into action.”
The plan, similar to the community plan, is divided into five strategic priorities including building an inclusive community, a thriving economy, a sustainable environment, vibrant recreation amenities and quality core services. While each section of the plan includes a number of goals, the town notably highlighted four “high priority” goals in the areas of housing, sustainability, infrastructure and the economy.
Perhaps the most notable of the priority goals is the implementation of new housing solutions. The plan calls for the adoption of a five-year (roughly 2020-25) strategic housing plan built around reports and recommendations from the town’s housing task force by August this year. The goal also recommends leveraging the town’s partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation to develop a new, mutually beneficial housing project, with hopes of adopting a memorandum of understanding with CDOT by July.
The town has already made considerable progress in their sustainability strategy. Their highest priority goal, the adoption of the Summit Climate Action Plan and a 100% renewable energy plan, has already been completed. What remains is the implementation of the action plan. The strategic plan involves a complete energy audit of town facilities, implementing climate action initiatives into next year’s budget and adopting the Summit Sustainable Building Code, all by this December.
The third high priority goal is to identify new revenue streams for the town by analyzing different options, such as expanding recreation and rental options at the Peninsula Recreation Area and at the Frisco Bay Marina — an ongoing process expected to last through the end of next spring. The goal also calls for a thorough cost of services study by February.
Finally, the last high priority goal outlined in the strategic plan is to strengthen the town’s infrastructure resiliency. The plan requires a complete scope life cycle assessment of all town infrastructure, and the development of a five-to-10 year asset management and replacement plan.
“This council is committed to supporting Frisco businesses and residents with this strategic plan, which is intended to enhance the great quality of life and healthy community that we expect in Frisco,” said Mayor Gary Wilkinson. “The plan sets actionable goals with stated deadlines to ensure that we are all working together as a team with a mutual understanding of where we want to go and what we want to achieve.”
The complete 2019–2020 Town of Frisco Strategic Plan can be found in the town’s latest town council packet.