Winter Park’s New Town Manager Shares His Vision for the Community
Winter Park’s newly appointed Town Manager, Jon Peacock, brings more than 25 years of experience in public administration and a clear leadership philosophy centered around two simple questions:
“Are we doing the right things, and are we doing them well?”
These questions have guided Peacock throughout his career and now serve as the foundation for his work leading the Town of Winter Park.
Peacock officially stepped into the role on January 12, bringing with him a strong focus on affordability, collaboration, and long-term planning as the community navigates growth and change.
“I’d much rather be an organization that does the right things poorly than the wrong things well,” Peacock said.
A Career Dedicated to Public Service
Peacock’s career began in academia as a political science and public administration professor at the University of Wyoming. While he enjoyed teaching, he eventually transitioned into government work to be closer to the impact of public policy on communities.
He later worked at the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, where he gained valuable experience at the state level. However, Peacock says he found the work somewhat removed from the people it served.
“It was very interesting work, but very disconnected from actually providing service to folks and understanding the impact that your work is having on a community,” he explained.
That realization led him to local government, where he could see firsthand how policies affect residents’ daily lives.
Before joining Winter Park, Peacock spent 15 years as the County Manager for Pitkin County, home to Aspen and Snowmass Village. Earlier in his career, he also served as County Administrator in Mesa County, during a period of rapid growth in the early 2000s.
His connection to mountain communities runs deep.
“Winter Park is still a place where a family can come and fall in love with the mountains,” Peacock said. “It’s changing - all mountain communities are - but there’s still an authenticity here that really attracted me.”
Affordability: A “Four-Legged Stool”
One of Peacock’s top priorities is addressing affordability, which he describes as a “four-legged stool” consisting of:
Housing
Transportation
Childcare
Healthcare
According to Peacock, all four must work together to support a sustainable mountain community.
Housing Challenges
Housing remains the most visible pressure point for Winter Park. Finding a balance between workforce housing, rental options, and for-sale homes continues to be a major challenge.
“(Housing) is going to continue to be a challenge that the town needs to be looking at strategizing around,” Peacock said.
One potential solution could involve leveraging new hotel developments. By purchasing units within these developments, the town may be able to convert existing infrastructure into affordable housing.
“It’s not a growth driver, but converting existing development to affordable housing may be an opportunity,” he explained.
The Fraser River Valley Housing Partnership is currently conducting a housing needs assessment to better understand the community’s income levels and housing gaps. That data will help guide future housing strategies.
“There will be more affordable housing,” Peacock said. “We need that. The question is what kind of product best fills the gaps we have now and in the future.”
Transportation and Regional Growth
Transportation is another major factor in the affordability conversation.
The Fraser Valley’s free public bus system, The Lift, has expanded significantly in recent years and will soon extend service to Grand Lake. However, the expansion has also created funding challenges among the towns that support the system.
Peacock said the town plans to revisit its intergovernmental agreement with regional partners to ensure the transit system can continue to grow and meet community needs.
“There’s a lot of work to continue to do as the community changes, the resort changes and the workforce dynamics change,” Peacock said.
One of the most exciting possibilities on the horizon is a proposed gondola system connecting downtown Winter Park to Winter Park Resort. The project is part of the resort’s larger expansion plan known as Winter Park Unlocked.
If completed, the gondola would serve as a public transportation system, linking the Mountain Passenger Rail platform at the resort directly to downtown Winter Park.
“In order to catalyze private development, there needs to be a lot of public infrastructure,” Peacock explained. “That could be parking, aerial transit systems… these are all things we’re talking about.”
Childcare and Healthcare
The final two pillars of affordability are childcare and healthcare, both of which remain ongoing challenges in resort communities.
Peacock said stabilizing the childcare workforce, investing in facilities, and helping providers strengthen their business models are important steps moving forward.
Healthcare access - including both physical and behavioral services - is another priority for rural mountain towns.
“If you can crack those four nuts,” Peacock said, “people can start to be more self-sufficient across all the different jobs and roles it takes to make a resort community work.”
Big Plans for Winter Park’s Future
Looking ahead, Winter Park’s future is closely tied to redevelopment around the resort base area and downtown corridor.
Much of this work will involve the town’s Urban Renewal Authority, which uses tax increment financing to fund public infrastructure that supports private development.
The town may also explore relocating municipal facilities like Town Hall and the police station as redevelopment plans evolve.
“These are big decisions that are going to set the trajectory for Winter Park for decades,” Peacock said.
In the short term, the town is monitoring snowpack levels, potential spring runoff, and state legislation that could impact housing and redevelopment efforts.
Staying Focused on What Matters
Despite the complexity of these projects, Peacock says his approach remains grounded in the same guiding questions that have shaped his entire career:
Are we doing the right things, and are we doing them well?
Through collaboration, long-term planning, and a focus on community needs, Peacock hopes to help Winter Park navigate growth while preserving the character that makes the town special.