Dillon Mayor Carolyn Skowyra said the town of Dillon has always been “on the move” — sometimes literally, as the town itself has shifted multiple times since its founding over 100 years ago. 

This has led to an ever-changing town layout that’s left fewer opportunities to walk, play or otherwise spend time without needing transportation than other towns in Summit County. A discussion unfolded recently at a Dillon Town Council meeting about how to change that.

“Our Town Council is very committed to looking at redevelopment opportunities in the downtown core,” Dillon Town Manager Nathan Johnson said. “One of the things that they’ve identified is just overall redevelopment and making it more of a pedestrian-friendly, user-friendly area that has a vibrancy of shops and restaurants.”

Johnson defines the current town core as the area surrounding Dillon Town Hall along Lake Dillon Drive from Buffalo Street down to LaBonte Street. 

“What (Dillon Town Council) is really honing in on is mixed use,” Johnson said. “We need density in the town core to make these businesses work — restaurants, retail, office space, you name it.” 

Skowyra said Dillon’s development during the 1960s and 1970s heavily influenced Dillon’s layout today. 

“The primary concern was automotive traffic — where you’re going to put cars and how much room they need,” Skowyra explained. “So really, when you pull into Dillon, you have these big, wide, open streets, and what I mean by walkable is we’re going to try to focus on the human beings’ interaction with our community.”

Both Johnson and Skowyra envision a more vibrant future for Dillon and its core. 

Skowyra specifically talked about the town core becoming a “self-contained unit.” She envisions an area where people can go to the supermarket, access child care and visit a restaurant on foot. 

Skowrya added that Dillon already has many amenities to offer — the…