SUBJECT:
Title
Resilience Action Plan Next Steps
Department
DEPARTMENT: Environmental Services
Presenter
PRESENTER(S): Emma Marino, Sustainability & Water Conservation Specialist
Eryka Thorley, Sustainability Division Manager
end
Time
TIME ESTIMATE: 15 minutes
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Fiscal
FISCAL SUMMARY:
N/A
Policy
POLICY ISSUES:
Erie's first Resilience Action Plan supports resilience related goals and best practices identified in Erie’s 2019 Sustainability Plan, 2025 Beneficial Electrification Plan, 2024 Comprehensive Plan, and 2023 Home Rule Charter. Additionally, it supports the in-progress Sustainability Action Plan update which identified resilience as one of its four main guiding principles. Respondents to the 2025 Community Survey listed Sustainability Programs (water conservation, solar/renewable energy, waste diversion, etc.) as the highest priority in terms of how much focus and effort the Town should dedicate (outside of essential services like police, water, sewer, and streets).
Recommendation
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff request direction regarding any needed clarification or changes to the Draft Resilience Action Plan prior to bringing it to Council for adoption.
Body
SUMMARY/KEY POINTS
• The Resilience Action Plan (RAP) Draft was presented to Council in a study session on Oct. 7, 2025, then returned as a Consent Item on Nov. 18, 2025.
• At the Nov. 18 meeting, some Council Members expressed concerns regarding potential added costs to new development in Erie, specifically within the Unified Development Code and general code updates.
• The RAP identifies possible strategies to explore and does not mandate any specific actions. It is intended to establish a strategic focus on resilience research and engagement in Erie.
• In late 2025, the Sustainability Division was chosen to work with a second group of CU Boulder students to further explore specific resilience strategies in Erie (specifically HOA pilot workshop series, extreme heat events, and/or identification and research resilience hub potential locations and next steps).
BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
Erie’s first Resilience Action Plan (RAP) was designed to strengthen the Town’s ability to adapt, thrive, and grow in the face of climate, economic, and social challenges. The Plan identifies risks and adaptive strategies for the Town to explore to improve community preparedness for extreme weather events and social vulnerabilities. Erie stands at a pivotal point in its development with evolving environmental concerns, population growth, and increasing infrastructure demands. The Plan outlines a forward-looking vision with actions to explore to ensure the Town remains secure, sustainable, and equitable into the future.
The three key areas for building long term resilience in the Plan include the following:
1. Infrastructure
2. Land Management
3. Community
Each chapter provides background on the topic, a list of current progress, accomplishments, goals, strategies, and potential community partnerships.
The Town is working with a second University of Colorado Boulder Masters of the Environment cohort to further explore implementation opportunities from this initial plan and develop an Implementation Guide. The Guide will include at least one of the following focus areas:
1. A Homeowner’s Association (HOA) resilience workshop series, targeting Erie’s neighborhood communities to learn more about and begin strategic implementation to increase resiliency across the Town.
2. Identifying sites that could serve as resilience hubs including analysis as to why the location would be a good fit, documenting community engagement strategies, an existing and lacking resource assessment, and related mapping.
3. Develop an implementation plan to increase resilience during extreme heat events for the Town of Erie. This could include creating a guide for this hazard, strategic mapping, co-benefits such as nature-based solutions, researching specific impacts in Erie and current conditions, working with local HOAs and partners to create and deliver related education and outreach materials.
Staff would appreciate Council direction on whether the presentation and attachments address Council Members’ initial concerns regarding the Resilience Plan and potentially increasing the costs of new development. Based on Council direction, staff will prepare a final RAP for Council adoption and support with the current Sustainability Action Plan update, which staff will bring to Council later this year.
priorities
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attachments
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Presentation
2. Draft Resilience Action Plan
3. Cost Impact of Energy Efficiency Codes and Building Electrification Memo 1.30.26.docx
4. Rocky Mountain Institute - Economics of Electrifying Buildings 2018