VAIL, Colo.—Nov. 1, 2017—Vail Mountain View Residences Phase II, located on the frontage-road site of the former Apollo Park condominiums, is before the Vail Town Council on Tuesday, November 7 as proponents declare an opportunity to add residences to the Vail Village along with 15 Employee Housing Units (EHUs) and 20 lock-offs for active, short-term rentals.
“Because of the unique history of the Vail Mountain View project, we have an extraordinary opportunity to create much-needed EHUs, which make up 50 percent of the total units in the project. We will have 15 rental employee housing units and 15 free-market residential units,” said Pete Carlson, developer of the project and principal of Gore Creek, LLC. “The original developer, in 2006, had the foresight to build underground parking for 111 cars. With that additional parking capacity in place, we met with Town of Vail staff and the neighborhood to determine what would work best on the site.
“After months of input and countless improvements and design changes, we are re-submitting the project. In talking to the community’s largest employers and business organizations, we know that there is a critical need for accommodations such as these located within the Village, with underground parking and within minutes of the resort, the medical campus and the dining and retail community. There are not many opportunities, nor much land, left to address that need,” Carlson continued.
“The vast majority of the community is in full support and the changes reflect virtually all of the input that Town of Vail staff recommended to us. We think this is a phenomenal opportunity for the Vail community without any Town subsidy,” said Dominic Mauriello, principal of Mauriello Planning Group. “Were it not for the specific parking infrastructure in place, this project would not be possible.”
“The Town of Vail has a mandate — not a suggestion — a ‘mandate’ to add 1000 EHUs to the community in the next 10 years,” said Chris Romer, CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership. “This zoning application allows for 15 quality new construction units with on-site parking and infrastructure that are ready to go. It seems like such an obvious and vitally important win for the community. We commend the Vail Town staff for their creative solution to a dire problem that affects each and every business in our community.”
This meeting on Tuesday is actually a re-hearing as there was a notification glitch in previous hearings. This will be the first of two hearings to approve or deny the developer’s request. Should the approval be granted, construction and completion could be done within 14 months with employees ready to move in during 2019, Mauriello said.
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