The Town of Breckenridge has approved the revised Master Plan for Breckenridge Ski Resort which will guide ski resort development for the next 20 years. Highlights of the plan include new housing to be developed on Peaks 7 & 8, and gondola construction to join the town and the resort, to be completed by the 2006-07 season.
The Master Plan agreement has already allowed the ski resort to proceed with the construction of two new state-of-the art, high-speed lifts the Peak 8 SuperConnect and the Independence SuperChair on Peak 7. These changes enabled the resort to open 165 acres of much-needed intermediate terrain during the 2002-03 ski season. In the course of one season, the new Peak 7 terrain has become one of the most popular areas to ski and ride at the resort, has spread out skiers on the mountain and made moving from peak to peak easier for guests.
"We believe this master plan represents a solid framework for a cooperative partnership to achieve the goals of the Breckenridge Ski Resort and the community," said Breckenridge Mayor Sam Mamula. "The Breckenridge Ski Resort continues to prove to be a leader and a good corporate member of the community with their commitments to parking, density reductions, preservation of open space and the environment in the critically sensitive habitat of Cucumber Gulch, and support of childcare and skier service improvements."
The ski resort committed to a wide variety of public benefits in the plan including dedicating more than 50 acres of open space in the Cucumber Gulch area, and a voluntary reduction of density on in-town land to follow the guidelines established in the Joint Upper Blue Master Plan. The ski resort also committed to giving over one acre of land to the town for the inter-modal transportation center, limiting commercial density to 15,000 square feet, permanently providing 2,500 parking spaces, and donating $200,000 to improve childcare in the community.
"To continue to be one of the most visited ski and ride destinations in North America and provide the level of guest experience for which Breckenridge has become known worldwide, it is critical that the Town and ski resort share a common vision. With our amended master plan, we have struck this common vision with the Town of Breckenridge to move forward with a plan that meets the growing needs of the resort and local business community while simultaneously protecting the environment," said Roger McCarthy, chief operating officer for the Breckenridge Ski Resort.
Experts on wildlife, wetlands, land planning, hydrogeology, architecture and traffic were part of the process to finalize the amended Master Plan. The Master Plan was last amended in 1986 when Aspen Skiing Company owned the resort. The following agreements are highlights of the amended Master Plan:
1. The Breckenridge Ski Resort is setting new standards by recognizing the need to reduce density through the elimination of as many as 110 single-family home equivalents, or 25 percent of its planned Peaks 7 and 8 development, as recommended by the Joint Upper Blue Master Plan. Additionally, both the town and the ski resort will protect the Preventative Management Area in Cucumber Gulch through a joint conservation effort that includes monitoring water quality and the contribution by the resort of more than 50 acres of wetlands and related ski area property.
2. The Town and the resort also believe preserving the historic character of Breckenridge is critical, and accordingly, the resort intends to transfer up to 240 single-family home equivalents off of the Sawmill, Watson and Parkway Center parking lots, located near the center of town. The transferred densities will be used to support the Peaks 7 and 8 development plan as well as development on other ski area properties.
3. The plan calls for the proposed development of 501 single-family equivalents on Peaks 7 and 8 including approximately 15,000 square feet of retail, rental and restaurant space; and almost 60,000 square feet of a new skier services facilities that will house skier dining, ski and snowboard school offices, ski storage and childcare.
4. In a major initiative to alleviate vehicular congestion in town, the resort and the Town formed a partnership for the construction of an approximately $16 million gondola designed to run from the Watson and Sawmill parking lots to the planned development at the base of Peak 7 and then will turn and head across to the Peak 8 base area. Vail Resorts and the developer of Shock Hill are finalizing easement agreements that will allow the gondola to have a loading area in the Shock Hill development. The partnership also includes $4 million for construction of the Skyway, a half-mile skiway that will take skiers and snowboarders from the Four O'Clock Run on Peak 8 down to the Watson and Sawmill parking lots. Vail Resorts has committed to complete the "Skyway" skiway no later than December 2006. The base of the gondola also will serve as the site of a future inter-modal transportation center for the resort town. The Town is planning to fund approximately $6.7 million of the gondola and skiway from future tax revenues.
5. Lastly, the resort will contribute $200,000 toward the support of childcare facilities for the community and is giving over an acre of land to the Town for the inter-modal transportation center.
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