Two plans in Summit County continue to move along, Coppers no-new-density plan and Silverthorne's River Front Development. Both are ambitious plans and have previously faced stif opposition. Both Deanna and I like the new reformatted plans and are excited to see them move forward. Since Copper is our favorite place to ski we like the revised vision in keeping with maintaining the open space.
Copper's no-new-density base area blueprint got a first formal review by the Ten Mile Planning Commission Thursday. It has been scaled back greatly from previous versions, the latest plan generated a few site-specific concerns as planners and resort officials discussed density, land use, transportation and parking.
"There are some people concerned about particular pieces. But for the most part, there were no major objections," Copper spokesperson Lauren Pelletreau said after the meeting.
At issue is a major amendment to the resort's planned unit development (PUD), a neighborhood master plan that spells out site-specific development. The next public hearing is set for Oct. 11 at the Bighorn conference room at the resort's conference center, with open space and trails, public amenities and employee housing on the agenda.
In its latest development scenario, the resort envisions no-net-loss of open space, and wants to boost trail connectivity and improve transportation throughout the resort.
The resort worked closely with county planners and resort stakeholder groups during the past year to address some of the lightning rod issues, said Copper president and chief operating officer Gary Rodgers.
Based on that feedback, the resort decided to develop a plan that focuses on relocating the development density authorized under the existing zoning, which includes 591 unbuilt "equivalent-units" (EUs) of density. The resort wants to transfer 420 units within the resort to locations where it makes sense based on market demand, according to Rodgers.
A flagship hotel on the site of the current Chapel Lot is still a key part of the plan. Rodgers said the hotel is big part of ensuring a vital and economically sustainable resort core.
Silverthorne's new riverfront development took another step in the approval process on Wednesday.
The Silverthorne Town Council approved the preliminary planned unit development for Blue River Crossing, a 38-foot, mixed-use structure planned at 421 Rainbow Drive across the river from the Silverthorne Pavilion and Town Center.
Plans have scaled back from a height of 50 feet and a mass of more than 92,000 square feet originally proposed 10 months ago.
Developer Jerry Miller, vice president of Florida-based Greenwald Group, is proposing 61 parking spaces in an underground garage and 13 spaces in the Pavilion overflow lot to meet his 74-space requirement.
Right now, the overflow lot has seven spaces, but Miller wants to add 13 and receive credit against his parking requirement for doing so.
Under a proposed parking agreement between Greenwald and the town, the Pavilion staff could cone off 10 parking spaces for special events whenever necessary.
Other council members were pleased with the shared parking agreement.
Blue River Crossing still needs to gain final PUD approval before it's a done deal.
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However Silverthorne has been the fastest growing in the last ten years and that trend still continues today. 