Our Activities Are Tied To Our Objectives
Below is a list of some of the activities we hope to undertake in order to achieve our objectives. The list is not all-inclusive. Instead, it provides examples of what things we may do over time, consistent with limited resources. Given that we seek to preserve Falcon's identity as a harmonious mix balance of rural and urban lifestyles, we anticipate spending significant effort advocating for responsible development at meetings of the El Paso County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners. It is important to understand what "responsible development" means. It does NOT seek to stop all development or to ensure all development is rural. Rather, it means to find a balance that respects the rights of the existing home owners and allows developers to help us grow. That balance includes such things as meaningful density transitions, compatible land uses, and ensuring sufficient infrastructure is included to support the growth.
Objective 1: Foster and preserve a strong sense of community and build resiliency
Work with news stations to explicitly include Falcon in weather forecasts and to include Falcon issues in news coverage
Develop slogans/public outreach elements to advertise and promote Falcon’s identity (e.g., could be something like signs on entrance roads; local billboards; etc. saying “Welcome to Falcon! Our Rural-Urban Oasis” or something similar)
Design and print tri-folds, flyers and/or handouts promoting Falcon and our identity
Submit articles to The Gazette, The New Falcon Herald, and others promoting Falcon
Develop and make presentations to government officials highlighting area characteristics:
> Population and Demographics > Area characteristics (e.g., rural and urban; rustic and modern) > Economic impact > Explosive growth > Myriad governing agencies (e.g., County, Metro Districts, etc.) > Residents’ mind set and concerns
Work with Fire Department, Sheriff’s Office, etc. to help them communicate messages such as fire safety, gun safety, fireworks being illegal, etc. and to identify funding and other needs so Friends of Falcon might be able to help raise awareness of them
Build and operate a mailing list (e-mail distribution) to send out news updates
Provide outreach encouraging the use of “Falcon” in addresses versus “Peyton”
Hold community meetings to raise awareness of local developments and listen to community concerns and areas of interest
Send questionnaires to political office candidates with a focus on Falcon related issues and distribute responses to residents to help them choose suitable candidates of their choice (IMPORTANT: Friends of Falcon does NOT endorse candidates or positions on ballot measures. We simply hope to provide information on where candidates stand on various issues to help residents make informed voting decisions.
Objective 2: Ensure development is compatible with existing infrastructure and uses, and with the Falcon area's rural-urban character
Advocate for responsible development (see definition in the page introduction)
Raise awareness of area development proposals (e.g., through e-mail, news stories, newspaper articles, etc.) and encourage citizens to engage with public officials as appropriate
Review development proposals and provide inputs to the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners
Advocate and educate proactively through myriad media venues
Objective 3: Attract Businesses and Services
Kinds of Businesses: Franchised stores (e.g., Ace Hardware, Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.); Restaurants (particularly ones not in the local area such as ice cream, new burger chains, casual/sit-down restaurants, and moderate/upscale restaurants); Movie Theater (and/or other performing arts venues)
Kinds of Services: Medical facilities (e.g., small hospital, emergency room); Full time Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); Official US Postal Service Post Office
Actions to Attract Businesses and Services: Learn the organizations' criteria for expansion; Communicate with regional managers and parent organizations to raise awareness of population size and demographics in order to highlight the customer base; Ensure organizations know the distances (appx 30 mins driving) to the nearest other competitors; Raise awareness of franchise opportunities and encourage new franchises