Community Development

The City received applications for:

• A site plan for the Plaza Apartments, including 31 multi-family units located at ​512 28 ¾ Road
• Three new short-term rentals
  

Staff approved:

• A site plan for Enstrom’s to construct a new 53,276 square foot manufacturing ​and warehouse facility located at 450 28 Road
• A preliminary/final plan for Zenon subdivision for 10 lots on 3.22 acres located ​at 3023 F ½ Road
  

Impact Fees

The City, in coordination with TischlerBise, will hold its second Stakeholder Group ​and community meetings on impact fees on Thursday, August 29. Information ​about the City’s impact fee process is available at EngageGJ.org.

Sustainability

Staff attended the Chamber of Commerce's Energy Summit on August 14 ​presenting on a panel discussing electric vehicle (EV) charging station installation ​for the private sector, which aligns with EV readiness plan strategies.

Community Development

Housing

On August 15, City Staff presented the City's ADU initiatives, including the ADU Production Program, to around 60 housing leaders ​statewide at the Housing Strategies Peer Exchange hosted by DOLA. In fiscal year 2024, the ADU Production Program has approved ​18 ADUs for 17 homeowners, with $172,696 allocated and additional funding available for three to six more ADUs. To further these ​efforts, staff is collaborating with CMU's Construction Management program to organize a student contest to develop pre-approved ​ADU plans, aiming to further streamline the development process and the costs associated with developing plans for local ​homeowners.

The City issued a request for a Statement of Qualification for the development of the Sawmill Site located north of Las Colonias Park ​and at 1441 Winters Avenue. Approximately 20 developers attended the pre-proposal meeting. Responses are due September 4.

The Housing Strategy Refresh process, led by Root Policy Research, includes community and industry input sessions on September ​3 and 4. Root Policy will present a draft strategy update to City Council at the workshop on September 16.

The City supported a proposal by the Grand Junction Housing Authority for the Housing Colorado Design Charette competition, ​focusing on the potential future development of affordable senior and/or family housing at the five-acre site in Matchett Park. The ​project was selected to participate in a charette with Housing Colorado in partnership with the University of Colorado Denver ​College of Architecture and Planning. The charette will be conducted in late September.

An invitation to submit Letters of Request for the Affordable Housing Incentive is online and will be available until August 25.

Community Development

Houselessness

In response to recent changes in the statewide Continuum of Care (CoC) and ​Balance of State (BOS) management and to implement Unhoused Strategy One, ​staff have been working to enhance community understanding and improving local ​system processes for access and increasing participation in completing housing ​assessments for placing unhoused individuals on the By-Name list (unhoused ​housing waitlist). This includes participating in CoC case conferencing and housing ​voucher allocations for the chronically unhoused.

Additionally, staff have trained a new service provider from Loving Beyond ​Understanding for the Neighbor-2-Neighbor Team, focusing on the LGBTQ+ ​community, and coordinated a housing assessment event with the Center For ​Independence and Neighbor-2-Neighbor to enroll more disabled clients on the By-​Name List.

To understand any shifts or changes in the unhoused population, staff have been ​working to engage unhoused individuals in a survey. To date, 90 surveys have been ​completed at various locations throughout the City.​

Staff have been invited to present on the Unhoused Strategies and Implementation​ Plan at the Mesa County Women’s Group on August 28 and discuss houselessness​ and connectedness at the Mesa County Community Summit from Sept. 31 - Oct. 1.​

Fire

Fire Restrictions

The Mesa County Sheriff, the Bureau of Land ​Management (BLM), and fire chiefs representing ​municipalities and fire protection districts lifted ​Stage One fire restrictions effective Friday, ​August 23, 2024. This applies to all of Mesa ​County, including BLM-administered public lands. ​Fire managers have determined that the criteria ​for imposing fire restrictions are no longer being ​met. Recent rains and cooler temperatures have ​helped ease the fire danger caused by this year's ​extremely hot and dry summer. The moisture ​level in vegetation that supports rapid fire growth ​has recovered to seasonally appropriate levels.

General Services

Annual Chip Seal Program

The City of Grand Junction annual chip seal program is ​crucial for maintaining roadway infrastructure and ​improving the Pavement Condition Index (PCI). The city is ​divided into 12 maintenance areas, with one area chip ​sealed each year. This year, the program successfully ​covered 142.2 lane miles of asphalt. Before the chip ​sealing, the Projects and Operations team conducted ​extensive crack filling and patching to ensure a durable ​finish. The project, executed by a 29-member team, was ​completed 10 days ahead of schedule, thanks to ​innovative practices that led to significant time and cost ​savings. Notably, the introduction of traffic cones during ​the fog seal process reduced labor needs by half, cutting ​the process by two days and saving approximately ​$30,000. The success of the 2024 chip seal program ​highlights the team's dedication, collaboration, and ​ingenuity, resulting in long-term benefits for the City.

Parks And Recreation

Monument Trail Phase II

In partnership with the Colorado West Land Trust ​and the Transportation and Engineering Department, ​an Invitation for Bids (IFB) has been released to ​select a contractor to build the Monument Trail ​Phase II. Funded partly by a $500,000 GOCO grant, ​the second phase will connect the Lunch Loops ​trailhead to the Jurassic Flats trailhead. This is the ​last 1.5-mile in the 10-mile paved Redlands Loop Trail ​that connects downtown and many outdoor ​amenities. The first section of the Monument Trail ​was completed in 2019, and the final section is ​planned to be completed in early 2025.

Pump House Repair

Several pump houses, including Pomona, Honey ​Comb, and Lincoln, have been restored to their ​original state by installing new siding and a fresh coat ​of paint. This project represents one of the many ​ongoing endeavors undertaken by the department to ​maintain and enhance the condition of its facilities.

Parks And Recreation

Orchard Mesa Pool Annual Maintenance

The OM Pool was temporarily closed August 7-12 for annual maintenance and ​deep cleaning. During this time, the floors were pressure washed, the pool was ​super chlorinated, scrubbed, and vacuumed, the lobby and restrooms were ​painted, the locker room floors were resurfaced, the diving boards and stands ​were painted and resurfaced, all the windows were washed, the lobby carpet was ​professionally cleaned, and various pool-related areas were reorganized. These ​activities made a substantial difference in the facility's appearance and have ​been received well by the public.

Summer Camp Wrap-Up

The Parks and Recreation Department offered seven licensed Summer Camp ​options to the community this year, including Little Sunshines, STARS, SCORE, ​and Tween Camp, at various locations throughout the City. The 2024 Summer ​Camp programs ran for 10 weeks, from May 28 - August 2. The camps had an ​enrollment rate of 98 percent, with 3,437 out of 3,500 available spots filled. This ​invaluable community program serves more than 800 families annually, ​providing quality activities that allow participants to cultivate meaningful ​relationships, enhance self-confidence, and explore the wonders of Grand ​Junction through various field trips during the summer months.

Police

Freshman FYIs

Grand Junction Police Department ​Officers assigned at CMU taught the ​incoming freshman about campus ​safety during "Freshman FYIs" over ​the last few weeks.

Visit Grand Junction

Lodging Industry Performance

Grand Junction's weekly hotel occupancy rate, from August 11 through August ​17, was 78.9 percent, according to STR hotel-metric data, which is 4.8 percent ​higher compared to the previous week's occupancy rate of 75.3 percent. ​Grand Junction's 78.9 percent occupancy rate is 17.9 percent higher than the ​national weekly occupancy rate of 66.9 percent for the same weekly period.

Grand Junction's month-to-date occupancy rate through August 17 was 77.2 ​percent, which is 2.4 percent lower compared to the same period in 2023.

Public Relations Results

Diario Las Americas highlighted Grand Junction in “Colorado Fall is Around ​the Corner,” showcasing the Grand Mesa and Crag Crest Trail. This outlet has ​a viewership of 407,170.

U.S. Travel Association Educational Seminar for Tourism ​Organizations (ESTO) Conference

Elizabeth Fogarty attended the U.S. Travel Association ESTO conference, which ​is a gathering of tourism professionals focused on discovering new ​technologies, exchanging ideas, hearing about the latest trends, and learning ​best practices.

Visit Grand Junction Data

Visit Grand Junction strategically utilizes data to target consumers from high-performing origin markets based on behavioral and ​demographic attributes. While all direct flights play a role in Visit Grand Junction’s strategy, additional resources and investment are ​placed on marketing new direct routes, while continuing to leverage the most promising markets. This briefing outlines the key ​actions taken, the measurable results achieved, and how these efforts have influenced current passenger arrivals into Grand Junction ​Regional Airport.

Since January 2024, Visit Grand Junction has expanded investment in the California market, particularly to support Santa Ana and San ​Francisco, as well as the existing Los Angeles flight. These efforts include weekly social media campaigns, engaging website ​personalization content, and a half a million-dollar investment in programmatic advertising. These initiatives represent 16.3 percent ​of Visit GJ’s total global advertising spend, underscoring a concentrated effort within these markets. Click here for a breakdown of ​Visit Grand Junction’s marketing initiatives in California.

The impact of these campaigns is apparent based on the increased engagement by California consumers from these regions, as ​evident in the surge in visitor guide downloads, website traffic, and other digital platforms. Raising brand awareness has resulted in ​an increase in passengers arriving from California. More importantly, the passenger distribution data reveals a promising trend: Out ​of the total incoming and outgoing flights between Grand Junction and California, 44 percent of total passengers are California ​residents traveling to Grand Junction. More specifically, 48 percent of passengers are incoming from Santa Ana, 37 percent from San ​Francisco, and 50 percent from L.A. This demonstrates the effectiveness of Visit Grand Junction’s targeted campaigns in attracting ​California residents to Grand Junction. Click here for a breakdown of Visit Grand Junction’s marketing results in California.

The positive trends in engagement and passenger distribution are a testament to Visit Grand Junction’s strategic marketing ​campaigns. By investing in focused social media outreach, personalized website content, and customized advertising, Visit Grand ​Junction has effectively heightened awareness, generated interest, and successfully influenced California residents to visit Grand ​Junction by plane.