HomeMy WebLinkAboutRevised Web Site Content Update_Post Neighborhood Meeting_050808Three site plan options for development of town-owned land in West Vail were presented at a community meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. May 7 in the Vail Town Council Chambers, 75 S. Frontage
Rd. The site plans include a fire station and employee housing and are part of a master planning process which has been underway since January at the direction of the Vail Town Council.
The planning area totals 4.86 acres and includes the Chamonix property and the former Wendy’s restaurant site.
Residents of the West Vail neighborhood and others interested in the development project attended the meeting and provided feedback and suggestions to the staff and consultant team.
The town has hired Stan Clauson Associates, Studio B Architects, and Drexel Barrell & Co. to lead the master planning process and to prepare preliminary designs for the site following
a series of goal-setting and information-gathering meetings. The options include various combinations of one to four-bedroom for-sale units plus potential rental units for town employees,
a 15,000 square feet fire station, dormitories to house 18 firefighters and a potential ambulance district component. Housing densities range from 18 units per acre to 32 units per acre;
all the alternatives include garage parking and common open spaces for the use of residents.
The Town Council has identified 11 development goals and design parameters to direct the master planning process:
The site is to be used for development of a fire station and employee housing.
Housing for fire department employees should be considered in the design of the fire station.
An ambulance substation could be an ancillary use on this site.
Energy-efficient and sustainable design and construction techniques are important. Certification by a particular program (LEED, Green Globes) is to be investigated, although not mandatory.
Housing developed on the site should be primarily deed restricted, ‘for-sale’ employee housing, should include a mix of one, two, and three bedroom units and should include limited rental
opportunities for Town of Vail employees.
The site should be optimized to provide the greatest amount of employee
housing.
Re-zoning the property to the Housing (H) District is preferred to allow flexibility in design and development.
Additional traffic onto Chamonix Lane should be limited.
One-story of development at grade with Chamonix Lane is acceptable.
All financing and phasing options will be considered.
New pedestrian circulation and access routes should be provided around the site, along Chamonix Road and/or Lane, to ensure connectivity of the surrounding neighborhood to other areas
within West Vail. Existing pedestrian paths through the site are to be eliminated.
Following the May 7 community meeting, next steps will be to refine the designs for presentation to the Town Council on May 20, along with a recommendation on an alternative. The process
is to be completed in June and will include the preferred development scenario and associated cost estimates to be reviewed by the Town Council prior to adoption of the master plan.
A previous master plan for the Chamonix property was approved in 2005, which included a provision for medium density housing of 18 units per acre and a fire station. Acquisition of the
former Wendy’s property, however, provides new opportunities for integrating the design of the two properties with the surrounding neighborhood. This includes locating a fire station
on the former Wendy’s property for improved emergency services access and expanding density for deed-restricted housing on the Chamonix site.