The Town of Dillon, Colorado—located in the mountains of Summit County—is home to the Dillon Marina, the world’s highest-elevation marina at 9,017 feet above sea level.

MSA’s waterfront team first met with Dillon Marina management in 2006, setting the stage for the development of the 2008 Waterfront Master Plan. This plan coordinated previous report information from a variety of consultants’ efforts and made a cohesive structure of the strategic thinking. It further synchronized the marina’s dreams and graphically presented workable options. The master plan report identified thirteen potential marina-related improvements and prioritized them based on need, logical sequencing, and cost effectiveness. Between 2008 and 2019, the marina management worked diligently to complete eight of the improvement projects. These included shoreline stabilization, utility and infrastructure development, road realignment, launch ramp improvements, expanded parking for the adjacent amphitheater, a new wave attenuator, and realignment of a bike route. MSA teammates assisted with much of this work, including utility design for infrastructure in 2009, and new projects added to the plan such as shoreline and stormwater improvements in 2010, fire protection upgrades in 2012 and replacement of the marina’s gangway in 2014.

In 2019, the Town asked MSA to revise and update the Dillon Waterfront Master Plan Report for the community. MSA reviewed the marina’s accomplishments to date and wrote a new document that serves as a road map for taking Dillon’s waterfront facilities to the next level. The Town’s goal is to continue to build upon their reputation as a water-based recreation destination, and expand upon their year-round offerings including paddling and stand-up paddleboard activities, boating and sailing, fishing, ice fishing, snowshoeing, kiteboarding, ice skating, and the creation of a broader sense of place, aesthetic and connectivity.

The Waterfront Master Plan Report documents concepts and strategies for furthering the development of the waterfront of Dillon through a series of phased projects. MSA is working collaboratively with Town and marina management, project stakeholders, business owners and residents to identify top priorities for implementation, with an eye on bridging the gap between waterfront and upland properties and funneling tourist traffic to the area.

In conjunction, the Town of Dillon requested that MSA also create a Dillon Town Core Walkability Study as a companion to the waterfront plan. This document details improvements to Dillon’s business district, Village Place Center, and looks for opportunities to improve pedestrian and multi-modal use, ADA accessibility, streetscaping, green space, multi- and shared-use trails, and connectivity to the waterfront. It aims to create a distinct personality for the community, including more art, cultural, entertainment and dining options. And, it is helping Dillon capitalize on the gorgeous scenery along its perimeter–views of the Gore and Ten Mile mountain ranges.

As with the 2008 efforts, these two reports—the Waterfront Master Plan and the Town Core Walkability Study—are tightly interwoven and improvements documented in one report are reflected in the other.  The recommendations in these reports have been enthusiastically embraced by the Town and implementation projects for the near future are in the planning stages.