HomeMy WebLinkAboutTom Allender skier parking memo revised 3-4-10 � � .
emo
To: Mauriello Planning Group
From: Tom Allender, Resort Planning Director
Date: 3/4/10
Re: Effects of Ever Vail on Skier Distribution and Parking
A. Introduction
This analysis was prepared by Vail Resorts'Vail/Beaver Creek Resort Planning Department
to evaluate the impacts of the Ever Vail project on skier numbers, Vail portal utilization,
and skier parking. The analysis utilizes data collected and reported by the Town of Vail and
Vail Resorts on existing conditions and parking trends in the Town of Vail. The findings of
the analysis is that the Ever Vail project will have a beneficial impact on skier parking and
enhance the overall mountain/town experience of locals and guests.
B. Background and Existing Conditions
Skier Numbers
According to data collected by Vail Resort in 2009 the day with the most skiers (for the
purpose of this report, "skiers" includes snowboarders) on Vail Mountain was January 10
(a Saturday a full week before Martin Luther King holiday on the 19th) with 17,100 skiers.
First scans at the four existing Vail portals indicate the following breakdown of portal
usage:
Golden Peak 17% or 2,907 skiers
Vail Village 31% or 5,301 skiers
Lionshead 48% or 8,208 skiers
Cascade Village 4% or 684 skiers
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Lift facilities at these portals have a per hour capacity of:
Golden Peak 2,400 skiers per hour
Vail Village 2,800 skiers per hour
Lionshead 4,800 skiers per hour
Cascade Village 1,800 skiers per hour
Peak morning lift utilization occurs over a 2.5-hour period; therefore each of the portals is
operating in balance between skier usage and lift capacities.
Parking Structures
The Town has two primary parking structures within the Town of Vail: Vail Village and
Lionshead Parking Structures. Land for these parking structures was originally provided to
the Town by Vail Resorts. The Town issued bonds to construct these parking structures.
User fees and a lift tax collected by the Town on all lift tickets sold by Vail Resorts are used
to fund the operation, maintenance, and debt service on these parking structures.
Both parking structures provide skier parking and also the bulk of parking serving the
commercial square footage of the Villages. In Vail Village,the parking structure also
provides parking for many of the residential and lodge uses that were constructed without
2
or with limited on-site parking. So the existing parking structures serve a mixed-use
market of skiers, retail, and restaurants, along with residential and lodging uses.
The Vail Village parking structure has a capacity of 1,150 parking spaces and the Lionshead
parking structure has a capacity of 1,250 parking spaces.
According to a study conducted by RRC on behalf of the Town in 2009, 95 percent of the
vehicles parking in the Town's parking structures are primarily skiers and the average
number of persons per vehicle was 2.6.
When these structures are at capacity,based on this research there is on average of 3,120
persons parking within the Vail Village parking structure and 3,380 persons parking within
the Lionshead parking structure (assumes 2.6 people per car from TOV analysis).
In the 2008/2009 ski season, the Vail Village parking structure filled a total of 50 days out
of a 150 day season (note below that parking on the frontage road resulted on 24 of those
50 days).
Overflow Parking on Frontage Road
According to studies conducted by the Town of Vail and reported to the Town Council, in
the 2008/2009 ski season there were a total of 24 days when cars parked on the Frontage
Roads in Vail. The average number of cars parking on the road was 355 cars in 2009. This
compares to an average of 483 cars parking on the Frontage Road in 2000.
Based on the Town's analysis of 2.6 persons per car and percentage of those parking that
are skiing (95%), there are 877 skiers resulting from the cars parked on the Frontage Road.
If we distributed these skiers that are parked on the Frontage road to the portals by their
reported preferences,we assume the following:
Golden Peak 88 skiers (10%)
Vail Village 324 skiers (37%)
Lionshead 324 skiers (37%)
Cascade Village 140 skiers (16%)
3
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C. Ever Vail Programming and Parking
Programming of Uses
The Ever Vail project includes the following program (numbers are approximate and list
not comprehensive):
• 10,000 sq. ft. of VRD recreation space
• 12,000 sq. ft of market
• 70,000 sq. ft. of on-site employee housing
• 120 room Rock Resorts hotel
• 358 dwelling units
• 14,000 sq. ft. of restaurant
• 52,000 sq. ft. of retail
• 33,000 sq. ft. of office
• 9,000 sq. ft. of conference/meeting room
• 20,000 sq. ft. of spa
• Maintenance facility
• Parking and Loading facility
4
• Transit/bus stop facility
• New gondola
Parkin�
The underground parking structures developed as part of the Ever Vail project will serve
the same types of uses as both the Vail Village and Lionshead Parking Structures - a mix of
uses including commercial uses, skiers, and residential uses.
The project currently contains approximately 1,551 parking spaces,the majority of which
are located in sub-surface multiple level parking facilities located on both sides of Red
Sandstone Creek. The general breakdown of parking spaces is:
Private residential 480 spaces
Commercial/retail 300 spaces
Employee parking replacement 310 spaces
Skier parking (excess of required) 400 spaces
Other parking 61 spaces
While the parking provided in Ever Vail is similar in the mixed purposes of the Lionshead
and Vail Village Parking Structures, it also contains parking for 100% of the residential
uses. Of the approximately 1,551 parking
spaces proposed, 700 of the spaces are
�� t _
available to the general public on a �
daily basis to accommodate skiers and ' � -
_
, .� �:' , � �
shoppers, similar to the Town's parking ,.
structures. �� ` -,���,,�
;� �,����.3, �„ �� �- '-.�°, ,�:
'�`'�� '�`
Gondola Operation ��,. � _ � -
� � � �
The new Ever Vail gondola will be a �,, ' �'��� ��,;; a _" �K
high-speed gondola with cabins holding � � `�� � :����-i�` '��s � { ��
., ,�,�. t�:�•'•:� - � ��
,�
up to 8 occupants. The new gondola ��p����" .� �4� = �,�� ' � •�°�
will have the capacity of moving 2,000 �/� t " ����"�� '��
skiers per hour. The gondola will '� ���t • "�� �' ���� �' � ;� `'�,=�
� � `. grr;
transport skiers to the top of the � � � ���' i�' � ;, � �.A�
mountain at Eagle's Nest but will also � :.�� ' '���� '�
have a upload and download location at �;,.�, ��''+ �
the base of chair 26 (Pride Express). � �" ' � � ,'�.. . � \�`'':
�' ���T�� �
+ +�r �� Turn Station '
�' .;l� y` ��;�- N�� �:Fi
Chair 26 will be removed to - „ �r ; r
�� , , � te,�,. � �� �k �' �k�� ,A �',,
accommodate the new gondola. To '_��t i . ��J ,� '�..� ��; � * "� r •
�- �: � fi �
�' �'=�
return to Ever Vail, skiers will be able �"�� r,;��:�� N�� �"����; , �"� � ` � p
download the ondola at this location �`'�� '' ��3� �' � � � � '•'
g ����"��'��;�,`��` ��.�� ' , � ,��:�;�
�-.t-.r r t 1 � � � } ,r�
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. . .. � t , '°.d�' 1`.. � c dd",_ '�
for a 3.5-minu te ri de bac k to Ever Vai l. � �- �°
�"�!� �:t���'��������� •�
5
D. Population, Parking, and Portal Effects from Ever Vail
Ever Vail Population
The Ever Vail project will have an effect on parking characteristics and portal usage within
the Town. Using the table below,with assumptions about occupancy derived from historic
M-Trip reports, skier participation from surveys and using the same assumptions derived
from the Town's studies,we find that the Ever Vail project will produce a peak population
of 2,330 persons and a related skier population of 884. These numbers are derived from
the bed base being proposed in Ever Vail including dwelling units, employee housing units,
and hotel rooms.
Bed Base QJnits Bed Raorns Rilinws per rm Total Pillows %a Rented °r`o Occupied %Sking Skier Pop
Employee Housing 48 2.5 2 24i7 95% 95% 28%d 6i
Hotels Rooms 124 1.0 3 35fl 74°10 75%n 71°/0 142
Residential Dwelling Llnits 358 2.5 2 ],79D 74% 75%a 71% 7Q5
Tnkat Possible Po ulation 2,39d Total Skier Po ulatian 908
Parking Impacts of Ever Vail
Based upon data developed by the Town of Vail in 2009,there was an average of 355 cars
parked on the Frontage Road for a total of 24 days of the ski season. The Ever Vail project
is providing 400 parking spaces for use by the general public above and beyond demand
created by the Ever Vail project. In addition,there are 300 parking spaces available to the
public for commercial uses located within the project, for a total of 700 available parking
spaces. Like the Vail Village and Lionshead Parking Structures, and consistent with the
Town's recent parking study, 95% of these 700 spaces will likely be occupied by skiers.
The additiona1400 parking spaces are intended to alleviate the Frontage Road parking and
accommodate the new gondola as stated in the Lionshead Redevelopment Master Plan.
The addition of these 400 parking spaces, plus the additional 300 retail spaces,
accommodates the average need of 355 cars parked on the Frontage Road. In fact,
considering the entire 700 total available parking spaces,this parking facility
accommodates all but one day of overflow parking as documented in 2009, which was 715
cars parking on the Frontage Road.
Portal Effects of Ever Vail
One of the effects of removing cars from the Frontage Road and placing them in the Ever
Vail below grade parking facilities will be the distribution of skiers to the various Town
portals. As stated previously,there were an estimated 877 skiers in 355 cars (on average)
that are distributed throughout Vail. Some assumptions were made about which portal
those skiers would use based upon their location along the Frontage Road. These skiers
are spread across the various portals. Based on removing these cars from the Frontage
Road we have to reduce the number of skiers using each portal and assume those skiers are
now in Ever Vail parking facilities. Below is the resulting distribution of skiers at the
various portals to Vail Mountain (modeling Jan. 10, 2009):
6
Golden Peak 16% or 2,819 skiers
Vail Village 27% or 4,977 skiers
Lionshead 44% or 7,884 skiers
Ever Vail 10% or 1,785 skiers (bed base + frontage road skiers)
Cascade Village 3% or 544 skiers
The estimated skier number with the addition of Ever Vail, modeling Jan 10, 2009 would be
18,008.
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E. Mountain Effects from Ever Vail Gondola
Based on the above analysis the following changes would occur to skier populations of the
various portals.
Golden Peak -88 skiers
Vail Village -324
Lionshead -324
Ever Vail +1,785
Cascade Village -140
For this discussion, it can be assumed that the Cascade Village and Lionshead skiers are
going to Eagle Nest resulting in an increase in the Eagles Nest population of 1,342 (1,807-
324-140).
7
These skiers could then be re-distributed between the following lifts:
LIFT Percentage Distribution Over 2.5 Hrs Utilization
Ever Vail Gondola 5 67 27 Low
Lionshead Gondola 3 40 16 High
Chair 8 1 14 6 Low
Chair 15 5 67 27 Med
Vista Bahn 3 40 16 Med
Chair 6 1 14 6 Low
Chair 7 29 389 156 High
Chair 2 53 711 284 High
The majority of the increased Eagles Nest skier population will choose either Chair 2 or 7
when leaving Eagle Nest. While these two lifts are currently at a high level of utilization, an
additiona1284 skiers represents one tenth of the lifts capacity of Chair 2. It should be
noted that the increase in the number of skiers at Chair 2 is somewhat overstated. Some
percentage of the 324 skiers removed from the Vail Village portal (due to removing parking
from the Frontage Road and that are now assumed as using the Ever Vail portal) and that
end up at Chair 2,would have arrived there from Mid Vail anyway (i.e., arriving at Mid Vail
and skiing down to Chair 2). Additionally as Chair 2 has a large transportation component,
skier density on the associated trails is not anticipated to change noticeably.
F. Summary of Benefits and Effects to Skier Parking
The Ever Vail project as proposed will have very little effect on the number of skiers
visiting the various portals to Vail Mountain but will result in a significant reduction in the
number of vehicles parked along the Frontage Roads. Based on the current parking
capacities proposed in Ever Vail there is only one day that cars may be present on the
Frontage Roads based upon the experience in 2009.
The town's capacity for parking increases from the 2,400 current parking availability in
Lionshead and Vail Village to 3,100, a 22% increase over what exists today. This does not
include the other increases in parking supply coming on-line in the Town which include
100 private parking club spaces in Arrabelle,the 125 private club parking spaces at the
Front Door, and the 250 quasi-public parking spaces within the Solaris project.
G. Effects on Manage-To Number
By agreement with the Town of Vail and the Forest Service,Vail Mountain operates with a
"manage-to" number of 19,900 skiers. In the last 30 years. The manage-to number was
exceeded three times: in 2001 by 239 skiers; in 2004 by 394 skiers; and in 2007 by 367
skiers.
Using Jan. 10, 2009 as the model, it is anticipated that Ever Vail would increase the number
of skiers on the mountain to 18,008; well within the established manage-to number.
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