HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-17 A Resolution of the Vail Town Council Approving the Town of Vail Strategic PlanRESOLUTION NO. 17
SERIES 2026
A RESOLUTION OF THE VAIL TOWN COUNCIL APPROVING THE TOWN OF
VAIL STRATEGIC PLAN
WHEREAS, the Vail Town Council constitutes the governing body of the Town and is
empowered to adopt laws, ordinances and resolutions consistent with the authority of the
Municipal Home Rule Charter and Colorado Revised Statutes;
WHEREAS, the Vail Town Council received significant public input on strategic
priorities from Town of Vail residents, students, business owners, and guests through the
public process that occurred with focus groups, 2025 Community Survey, post-visit guest
surveys and multiple other public outreach programs;
WHEREAS, theVailTownCouncilandStaff also reviewed and recognized the ongoing
work and goals identified in the 2024 Strategic Plan;
WHEREAS, the Strategic Plan identifies the strategic priorities and results the Vail
Town Council will achieve in the next one to five years and will provide strategic direction for
decision-making including resource allocation during the development of the annual budget
and establishment of department and employee work plans;
WHEREAS, the Strategic Plan allows for continuity during changes in leadership,
provides a means to align Council strategic results with the Town budget and human
resources and causes decision-making to be proactive rather than reactive; and
WHEREAS, adoption of the Strategic Plan advances efforts to protect the health,
safety, and welfare of the community.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VAIL TOWN COUNCIL OF THE
TOWN OF VAIL, COLORADO, THAT:
Section 1.The Vail Town Council hereby adopts, by reference, the Town of Vail Strategic
Plan, dated May 5, 2026, which shall be kept on file in the office of the Town Clerk.
Section 2. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its passage.
INTRODUCED, READ, APPROVED AND ADOPTED This 5th day of May, 2026.
___________________________
Barry Davis, Mayor Town of Vail
ATTEST:
________________________
Stephanie Kauffman, Town Clerk
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Working Draft to Town Council on May 5, 2026
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Executive Summary – 2026 Five Year Strategic Plan
Vision: To be your favorite mountain town.
Purpose: The purpose of the strategic plan is to identify and address the most important issues the
Town of Vail is facing in the next five years. This plan will be used to align resources around
measurable goals to address those critical strategic issues.
Trends/Issues Council Considered: Key trends and issues considered in this plan include:
Value and Vibrancy: Commercial rental rates are pushing unique/locally owned businesses
(retail, food and beverage) out of Vail and impacting the vitality and vibrancy of Vail’s
commercial areas. Unpredictable winters, varying service levels and increasing costs on and off
the mountain are also trends impacting the perception of value for our guests.
New Residents: With new homes for approximately 1,000 new residents coming becoming
available in the next three years, does Vail have the amenities to support new younger
residents? Continuing to enhance our sense of community for both existing and new residents
will be critical to Vail’s success and creating new leaders in the future.
Financial Sustainability: In the next several years the Town will add to its financial reserves
after investing in three large capital projects (Timber Ridge Village, Southface Vail and Dobson
Arena). Continued fiscal discipline as these large capital projects are completed will be
important in continuing to have strong financial sustainability.
Desired Results/Goals; Given the above-mentioned trends the Vail Town Council identified three goal
areas supported by a fourth (Ensure Good Governance) which is an ongoing goal.
• Create a Vibrant Vail Experience. Town policies, incentives, and special events will support
year-round vibrancy and entrepreneurial initiatives from locally owned business so that guests
and residents want to be in Vail’s commercial areas because they are fun, inviting, and
aesthetically attractive.
• Build a Strong Community. Successfully completing Timber Ridge, and Southface affordable
housing developments, providing adequate childcare opportunities, creating places for our
community to connect (library, recreation center) and cultivating our next generation of residents
and leaders will be critical in building our sense of community.
• Protect Our Mountain Environment: Reducing Town of Vail greenhouse gas emissions,
protecting Gore Creek and the natural environment in and around Vail will continue to be
priorities for the Town. In addition, being resilient to natural and manmade emergencies along
with climate change will be critical to protecting our community and economy.
The Town of Vail must continuously work on good governance to support the above-mentioned goals
and to provide a high level of customer service. In the next several years there will be a focus on
ensuring our land use and housing policies will be clear, understandable, and of course achieve
community goals. Departments will identify opportunities to measurably improve customer service.
The town will also work on ensuring financial sustainability and that we are communicating proactively
and transparently with the Vail community.
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2026 Five Year Strategic Plan
1. PURPOSE AND INTRODUCTION
This Strategic Plan’s purpose is to create measurable and meaningful results for our
residents, businesses, and guests to address the most important issues facing the Town of
Vail. This Strategic Plan, once approved, will provide a framework to align both human and
financial resources to achieve critical results in addressing our community’s most important
issues.
On January 19 and 20, 2026, the Town Council met and updated the Town’s strategic plan
that was created in 2024. This update includes a vision statement, mission, priority issues,
and strategic results/goals. This plan is focused on improving the lives of our customers who
are our residents, guests, businesses, and employees that live, work, and play in Vail. To
ground the Town Council on our customers’ perspectives, the meeting on January 19th started
with a robust discussion on feedback from focus groups, community surveys, and trends that
may affect Vail in the future. That feedback informed the strategic issues and results included
in this Plan.
The Strategic Plan is intended to be updated every two years after a Town Council election.
Town Council members in creating this plan are asked to consider long-term strategic issues
but focus on creating meaningful results for our customers in the next two to five years.
2. MISSION AND VISION
Our vision provides a direction and destination of where, as a community, we want to move
towards in the future. The mission or purpose of the Town of Vail defines why we exist as a
local government in serving our residents, businesses, and guests.
After two days of reviewing stakeholder feedback and strategic issues, the Town Council
created the following aspirational vision statement, which is premised on being a strong, vibrant
community so that we can provide exceptional service and value for our guests.
The Town of Vail’s vision is:
To be your favorite mountain town.
This vision:
Is about your connection and devotion to the place, whether you live, work or play here.
Being the best is rankings-oriented and hard to define, so we have set our sights on being
your favorite, i.e. your go-to answer when someone asks, “What is your favorite mountain
town?” Vail. No brainer.
Are we a resort or a community? Both, at the same time. We are a mountain town, here for
all to enjoy what Mother Nature gave us.
In February 2024, the Town Council articulated the following mission statement:
The mission of the Town of Vail and the services we provide is to provide exceptional
public services, to people who live, work, and play here so they can connect to the
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community and to nature, create memories, find opportunities to thrive, and have the
time of their lives.
3. PROGRESS FROM 2024 STRATEGIC PLAN
The Town Council completed a strategic plan in 2024, and we are still actively implementing this
plan. Significant resources have been committed to the execution of three major capital projects
including Dobson Arena, Timber Ridge and Southface. The 2024 Strategic Plan can be found
on the town’s website. The last update on progress was presented to Town Council on Oct. 21,
2025. The public dashboard is available at https://performance.envisio.com/dashboard/Vail.
Plan progress highlights include:
Create a Strong Community and Create Affordable Housing Opportunities
570 homes for locals are currently under construction, including the town’s first Habitat
for Humanity homes.
With new homes the Town will need to actively engage community members to explore
an discover opportunities to meaningfully connect community member with each other
and provide physical spaces and programs to facilitate those connections.
Support Our Workforce
Significant council contributions to the Minturn Family Enrichment Center and new Early
Childhood Education Center in Avon.
Provide an Authentic Vail Experience
Launched the new early winter season “Stoke Sessions” concert series.
$55 million Dobson Ice Rink renovation is being created to enhance town events and
continue a tradition of ice programs including Yeti games.
Transportation
Year-round managed parking, creation of the Transit Route Optimization and Arrive Vail
plans, and pedestrian improvements in West Vail.
Residents and employees of the Eagle River Valley are increasingly using transit with
significant enhancements in CORES regional bus service and continued improvements
in Vail’s transit system. Improved transit service is expected to reduce parking on the
Frontage Rd during the ski season.
Environmental Sustainability
Initiating, after receiving a $1.8 million grant, the initial node of a geothermal district and
finalized the town’s first car share program.
This update will supersede the 2024 plan and build upon it.
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4. 2026 STRATEGIC PLAN
The following section includes the vision, mission, priority issues, and results from the January
19 and 20, 2026 planning sessions.
Vision: The Town of Vail’s vision is:
To be your favorite mountain town.
Mission: The mission describes our purpose and the fundamental services we provide to the
community and the desired impact of those services.
The mission of the Town of Vail is to provide exceptional public services to people who live,
work and play here so they can connect to the community and to nature, create memories,
find opportunities to thrive, and have the time of their lives.
Issues and Results: The following critical issues and results tie back to the feedback the Town
received from the community. The 2026 Strategic Plan recognizes that completing three of the
largest capital projects in Vail’s history including Timber Ridge Village, Southface Vail, and the
Dobson Arena remodel is critical and must be successfully completed with applicable
development partners (Triumph, Corum, VRD respectively). It is also recognized that with each
significant development project, there are inherent risks that will need to be managed and
mitigated as with any development. These projects will continue to require significant human
and financial resources in the next two to three years. The issues and results mentioned below
reflect the necessity to successfully complete these three projects.
It should be acknowledged that are is strong interconnectivity between the issues mentioned
below. For example, results related to community also support creating a vibrant guest
experience. Having a strong community enables us to provide a high level of customer service
and a vibrant experience.
The Town Council worked toward consensus in developing the following strategic priorities and
results. Also, results are analogous to goals. The word “result” is used in that it has a stronger
connection to what our customer experiences in achieving a desired result. For each strategic
result below there are corresponding results and attachment B includes specific actions to
achieve each result.
A. Strategic Priority – Create a Vibrant Vail Experience: The Town of Vail has experienced
an escalation in commercial rents that makes being a local entrepreneur with a brick-and-
mortar store, particularly for food and beverage operations challenging. The trend of more
exclusive national/international brand businesses pushing out unique locally owned
businesses creates the risk of homogenizing Vail Village and Lionshead. At the same time
with an increase in employee housing, there will be a greater demand for locally serving
businesses, particularly food and beverage. Another trend the Town must directly face is
providing value and vibrancy to our guests and residents whether we have good snow years
or not. Providing and communicating opportunities to have fun and an incredible
experience in Vail regardless of snow conditions will be increasingly important in the future.
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Desired Results:
A.1 By December 2028, realize a net 5% increase in locally owned and operated store
front businesses.
A.2. By December 2028, create policies, programming and organizational culture for the
local business community to embrace and promote vibrancy and an environment of fun.
A.3 By December 2026, the Town Council will receive and approve a development
agreement to accomplish the community goals outlined in the West Lionshead Master Plan.
A.4 By December 2027, residents and visitors will have access and utilize a playbook of
diverse and compelling activities that are available in the Town of Vail throughout the year.
B. Strategic Priority – Build a Strong Community: With the Residences of Main Vail now
completed, along with Timber Ridge Village and Southface Vail, the Town will have created
642 new homes for our community between the three projects. This new housing will
provide homes totaling 1021 bedrooms. Creating a strong community that supports a world
class guest experience was seen as being a critical issue in 2024 and continues to be an
ongoing need and opportunity in the future.
Desired Results:
B.1 By March 2027, create policies and an organizational culture where community
members and/or groups can utilize Town facilities.
B.2 By December 2029, parents/caregivers working in Vail needing childcare have access
to affordable childcare located where they need it.
B.3 By December 2031, Vail residents will experience an 820 unit increase in locally owned
and occupied homes in residential neighborhoods, with construction beginning on the East
Vail parcel by 2028. (Note: 820 includes the 570 units being built now and 250 new homes
in the next 5 years)
B.4 By December 2027, the Town Council will make a decision regarding the development
of a community-anchored recreation center.
B.5 By February 2028, the Town of Vail will begin intentionally developing the next
generation of leaders within our community.
C. Strategic Priority – Protect Our Mountain Environment: The high alpine natural
environment of Vail and the Gore Creek Valley makes the Town and Vail Mountain a truly
magical place for the Vail community and our guests. Our future as a community and local
economy is very much tied to how we care for and live in harmony with our natural
environment. With climate change, Vail also must be resilient to the changes that affect our
valley and surrounding region. Both reducing our impact on the natural environment while
also being resilient to a changing environment will be increasingly important in the future.
Desired Results:
C.1 By December 2027, Vail and its partners will have a cohesive wildlife/environmental
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management plan for the Gore Valley to continue to promote, protect and enhance our
natural habitat.
C.2 By December 2029, Gore Creek will meet the requirements to no longer be a 303(d)
listed impaired waterway which would reduce near term risk of losing the gold medal fishery
status.
C.3 By December 2027, the Town Council will receive and approve a community resiliency
plan including economic, environmental, wildfire and organizational resiliency, including
evacuation and continuity of operations plans.
C.4 By December 2030, the Town will achieve a 50% reduction in carbon emissions and by
December 2050, the Town will achieve an 80% reduction in carbon emissions against the
2014 baseline.
D. Strategic Priority – Ensure Good Governance: There is both the need and opportunity,
while the Town is financing three large capital projects, to focus on improving the efficiency
and effectiveness of its services, policies, and customer service. Given there is limited
capacity for new capital projects, particularly while Timber Ridge is being completed and
sold out, there is the opportunity and need to solicit customer feedback at a Departmental
level and identify areas of improvement in day-to-day operations. Another need is to ensure
the Town’s complex land use and housing codes are clear, concise and achieve the policy
goals of the Town. The Town is committed to excellent customer service but there is the
need to be able to define what excellent customer service means and how to measure it at
both an organizational and departmental level.
Desired Results:
D.1 By December 2027, the Town of Vail will simplify and streamline communications to
ensure information is transparent and accessible to the community.
D.2 By July 2027, the land use and housing codes are clear, concise, legally defensible,
and achieve the Town’s policy goals.
D.3 By December 2027, the community will experience a customer focused organization
and culture through the development of customer-focused strategic departmental business
plans.
D.4 By December 2027, the Town will pursue and implement innovative financial strategies
to ensure the viability of our community for the next 50 years and deliver best-in-class
services.
5. NEXT STEPS
Staff would propose approving this plan via resolution as a next step after the language for vision,
mission, priority issues, and results are acceptable to the Town Council. Attached is an action plan
to support the completion of the above-mentioned results (Attachment B).
This strategic plan is focused on the next 2 to 5 years. Moving forward, staff will provide quarterly
updates on progress related to results. A dashboard will be on the Town’s website and used for
updates. It is recommended that after a Town Council election (every two years) the Strategic Plan
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is reviewed and updated as necessary.
Finally, staff will create business plans for each Town Department to ensure that the Council
strategic results are effectively implemented, and the Town Manager, department heads, and
individual staff members are aligned and accountable to achieve the results. The business plans
for departments would also speak to the day-to-day services that Departments provide for their
customers. Feedback from departmental customers will be solicited and used to develop goals and
actions to ensure the highest level of customer service based on available resources.
Attachment A: Trends and Feedback Considered
Attachment B: Action Plan
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ATTACHMENT A: TRENDS AND FEEDBACK INCORPORATED INTO PLAN
I. BACKGROUND ON TRENDS CONSIDERED
Staff synthesized the current state of implementation of existing strategic priorities, community
survey information, previous discussions in the community and with Council, local, state-wide,
and national trends and would acknowledge the following trends/issues for Council’s
consideration:
A. Big Three Capital Projects: With the Residences of Main Vail now complete, along with
Timber Ridge Village and Southface Vail, the Town will have created 642 new homes for
our community between the three projects. This new housing will provide homes totaling
1,021 bedrooms. In addition, the remodel of Dobson Arena is underway. The following is
a summary of those three projects.
Timber Ridge Village: The Town is in the shoes of a developer, and we are
actively managing risk in selling out Timber Ridge and then we will be leasing up
Southface in two to three years. If Timber Ridge sells out the Town will recoup
$38,614,769 of the $40,523,046 cash contribution it invested into the project and
will have adequate resources to pay for the $25,449,948 million the Town has
committed to purchasing homes in the project.
Southface Vail: Construction at Southface started in May 2025 and is expected to
be completed in the Fall of 2028. There are a total of 268 units including studios,
1, and 2, bedrooms. The construction cost of this project is $164 Million. At the
time this plan was prepared Southface is on time and budget.
Dobson Arena: Dobson is an approximately $55 million remodel of the 45-year-
old Dobson ice rink. The project is being paid for from tax increment financing
funds generated through the redevelopment of Lionshead. At the time this plan
was written, this project is on budget and schedule. An operating agreement has
now been executed between the Town of Vail and the Vail Recreation District.
Dobson will be an important opportunity to continue to have incredible ice
programs and increase our ability to have concerts, special events, and host
large group events in conjunction with our lodging community.
These three projects will continue to absorb significant staff and financial capacity for
the next two years. They also will create new opportunities for addressing our
housing challenges and improving economic vitality. This plan contemplates that
significant resources continue to be committed to the completion of the above
projects. Specifically, the Housing and Finance Departments will be actively
managing the housing projects. The Public Works Director and Facilities Manager
are managing construction and completion of the Dobson project, along with the
Economic Development team’s involvement in curating the process around special
events and corporate events at Dobson. Fortunately, we have the Cumming Group
to help support project management for all three projects.
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B. Operational/Policy Enhancements: As we have experienced complex Special
Development District (SDD) applications and closely examined our current housing
policy, staff has concluded that our town code needs to be updated, clarified, in some
places fixed to effectively implement the policies of the Town and provide improved
customer service. The Land Use Code and interconnected housing regulations are the
best examples of where policy changes over time have created a hard-to-understand
and inefficient policy structure. Examples of areas of specific change include: a SDD
process that does not provide for an opportunity to examine and debate a conceptual
plan from a developer (without the developer spending significant money on design).
Council in the spring of 2026 asked staff to accelerate the creation of a sketch plan
process for Special Development Districts. The housing code has four different sections
interwoven into the land use code. It’s complex and hard to understand even for staff.
There are also operational actions that need to be addressed. The good news is that
the Town has invested in technology in the last year to fix a broken permit tracking
system and better manage deed restrictions. However, to be a world class resort
community the Town needs clear, effective municipal codes and operational tools to
manage our complex land use and housing processes.
Also, there is the opportunity and need for our departments to actively solicit feedback
from customers, just like the Council did to create this strategic plan, to improve day-to-
day operations and create Departmental business plans to ensure alignment to council
priorities and improve the efficiency of day-to-day operations.
C. Housing Strategy: The existing goal set in 2017 is to create 1000 additional homes for
Vail employees. With the projects mentioned above and other projects the Town is now
on track to create 850 of the 1000 new homes by 2027. Staff believe it is critical to
complete the Timber Ridge and Southface projects in combination with redeveloping
internal housing policy, processes and data before initiating any significant new housing
projects. Staff and the Vail Local Housing Authority have begun working on this and an
updated housing strategy is at Memo_2026_Housing_Strategies_SemiAnnualUpdate.pdf.
D. Vibrancy and New, Younger Demographic: A trend we are continuing to see in Vail
and other mountain resorts is ever-increasing commercial rents (which is counter to the
national trend of decreasing commercial demand) which make unique, locally owned
retail and food and beverage businesses less economically viable. In their place, we
have seen more private clubs, ski lockers, and high end international/national retail
stores. Of particular concern is the loss of food and beverage businesses that cater to
locals and our employees. A notable exception to this trend is Avanti, which is a
wonderful example of a creative food and beverage business that caters to both locals
and guests. Another trend which is positive (but we need to be prepared for it) is with
the new housing mentioned above, the Town may experience 800-1200 new residents.
Some may certainly be relocating from free market units in Vail, but there will be a
significant increase in employees and younger people living and working in Vail. This
trend in the next 5 years requires the Town and the community to assess whether we
have the services and amenities to support this new population. An example of an
opportunity to address these trends is the Vail Public Library that is increasingly
providing a diversity of programs and spaces for residents and employees to connect
with each other, learn, have fun, and make new friends. We will need additional
programs and facilities to address this positive trend resulting from the Town executing
on its housing goals. A recreation or fitness facility has been discussed as a need. Staff
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would recommend that we update a recreation plan with the Vail Recreation District to
evaluate the need for new recreational and community amenities.
E. Value and Defining What a Premier Mtn. Resort Community Means Today: The
Town’s longtime vision was to be the “premier mountain resort community in the world.”
Historically, Vail could gauge its value to its customers by ratings in Ski Magazine.
When “Vail, Colorado” shows up in the most recent (last ~12 months) resort rankings, it
generally lands top-tier but not #1. Vail is strong in “best overall destination” lists, a little
lower in skier-survey performance lists, and punished in value/affordability lists.
Across the two major “best resorts” lists where Vail is actually ranked recently, it sits
between #6 and #12 (average #9) with excellent brand strength, while affordability-
focused rankings flag it as expensive.
After COVID and with the evolution of the Epic Pass, the Town of Vail now must market
itself in both the winter and summer. We must also consider that the number of people
skiing is not growing so we are facing increased competition for fewer skiers. The key
leader in international growth is Mexico, which represents approximately 10% of our
destination trips.
As we review information on net promoter scores we want to better understand the
perceived loyalty to Vail by our guest.
Summer NPS (likelihood to recommend) was 74 which exceeded both prior summer
and prior winter. Detractors in summer see Vail as expensive, which leaves some
feeling the overall value of the experience doesn’t justify the cost.
Winter NPS (likelihood to return) was 64, decreasing from 70.8 in winter 23/24.
Guests perceived cost concerns as the biggest perceived barrier to future visitation.
Staff would suggest that instead of chasing ratings in magazines that we focus on
improving and enhancing our net promoter score and ensure that we are providing the
very best experience we can to our guests.
F. Aging Infrastructure: Vail is now 60 years old, and the Town has aging infrastructure
nearing the end of its useful life. Dobson Arena was identified in the 2024 strategic plan
as a facility that needed renovation and that is occurring. Town Hall is aging but recent
capital investment in its HVAC system has provided another 5-10 years of life for the
building. Currently the most significant capital need is continuing to maintain the Village
and Lionshead parking structure. Arrive Vail has provided a concept of how to both
address the infrastructure needs of the Village Parking structure, improve the guest
arrival experience, and provide additional transit capacity current and future needs. The
Civic Area may also provide opportunities for community gathering spaces and/or a
municipal complex.
G. Revenue: The Town has grown significantly in terms of programs, while also increasing
the number of employees needed to support these expanded services. In addition, costs
have increased substantially in terms of both operating and capital expenditures and the
town has spent down reserves on major capital projects over the last several years.
Additional revenue sources may need to be considered to support solutions for aging
infrastructure, marketing Vail year-round, attracting, and retaining outstanding
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employees, aggressively competing as a resort, and providing an excellent level of
customer service.
H. Changing Climate: There is both the need and the opportunity to become more resilient
in poor snow ski season which will make us even stronger during seasons with strong
snow. The 2025/2026 winter season was the worst snowpack recorded in Colorado.
The Town will need to be increasingly resilient to address these trends and is actively
creating solutions in addressing its significant greenhouse gas emissions
communitywide and in town operations. Core Transit provides an opportunity to reduce
vehicle miles travelled (and the associated emissions) and the cost to employees to live
and work in the Valley. Future mobility initiatives are also needed to achieve the town’s
emissions and sustainability goals. The McKinstry/Geothermal project has the potential
to be a groundbreaking project for renewable energy and provide a pathway for
significantly reducing the Town carbon emissions for snow melt and to be more resilient
in the future. In addition, the Town needs to develop and market non ski activities both
in good and poor snow season to improve our economic resiliency.
I. Redevelopment Opportunities: The Town of Vail and Vail Resorts have completed an
update to the Lionshead Redevelopment Plan for West Lionshead. The demand for retail
and commercial areas have evolved rapidly in the last five years, particularly after
COVID. Maintaining a competitive resort community requires evaluating what our
residents and guests need in the future for amenities and ensuring the Town has the
highest quality built and natural environment. West Vail is a significant opportunity to
create a retail and housing opportunity to meet the Town’s needs in the future. West
Lionshead also could address parking on the Frontage Rd and improving skier drop off
to a major portal.
West Vail is also an opportunity to improve retail and food and beverage offerings for
locals. This requires cooperation from property owners. Additional incentives may be
needed to achieve the vision of the West Vail Master Plan – like the DDA that is being
considered for West Lionshead.
II. FEEDBACK AND ISSUES
Staff compiled themes from the town’s most recent Vail Community Survey, last fielded in the
spring of 2024, and post-visit guest surveys from winter 2024/2025 and summer 2025.
Respondents were asked to rank their priorities for the town, with the top five including:
1. Creating a continuum of housing for locals, ranging from seasonal employees to retirees
2. Protecting wildlife habitat and restoring habitat connectivity
3. Improving the health of the Gore Creek Watershed
4. Increasing access to childcare for those who work in Vail, where workers want it
5. Creating and enhancing annual events that are consistent with Vail’s unique vibe (ex:
GoPro Mountain Games, Bravo!)
As part of both summer and winter post-visit guest surveys, overall affordability was of
greatest concern, with parking as a factor affecting likelihood of returning to Vail and
recommending Vail to others. For guests, parking is a pain point. Parking received the lowest
satisfaction scores from all visitor groups at 3.3 overall last winter – this is consistent with the
past three years. Nearly 1 in 5 open-ended comments called out parking specifically, with
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many asking for cheaper or more convenient options. Guests cite both cost and availability as
concerns, especially with the introduction of summer paid parking and confusion over public
versus private parking. Guests asked for lower rates, cheaper or validated options, clearer
signage/shuttle loops and a simpler parking experience.
Finally, in preparation for this strategic plan the Town’s facilitator and Town Staff conducted
several focus groups including:
Town residents
Young business leaders
Town staff and Directors
Business leaders in the Vail Economic Advisory Committee
Interviews with Town Council members and the Town Manager
Notes from these focus groups were shared with the Town Council on February 19, 2026.