HomeMy WebLinkAbout4. skier parking memo revised 10-26-10
1 V.A. Resort Planning Memo To: Mauriello Planning Group From: Tom Allender, Resort Planning Director Date: 10/26/10 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
2 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 Golden Peak Vail Village Lionshead
Cascade 17% 31% 48% 4%
3 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%)
4 C. Ever Vail Programming and Parking Programming of Uses The Ever Vail project includes the following program (numbers are approximate and list not comprehensive): • 12,172 sq. ft.
of VRD recreation and DEVO space • 13,293 sq. ft of fresh food market • 49,660 sq. ft. of on‐site employee housing • 102 room Rock Resorts hotel • 381 dwelling units • 15,695 sq. ft.
of restaurant • 52,000 sq. ft. of retail • 34,669 sq. ft. of office • 9,807 sq. ft. of conference/meeting room • 12,620 sq. ft. of spa including spa retail • Maintenance facility • Parking
and Loading facility 10% 37% 37% 16%
5 • Transit/bus stop facility • New gondola Parking 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 1,478 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 (categories were rounded):
Private residential + hotel 513 spaces Commercial/retail 270 spaces Employee parking replacement 289 spaces Skier parking (excess of required) 400 spaces Surplus parking 7 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 1,478 parking spaces proposed, approximately 670 of the spaces are available to the general public on a daily basis to accommodate skiers and shoppers, similar to the
Town’s parking structures. Gondola Operation The new Ever Vail gondola will be a high‐speed gondola with cabins holding up to 8 occupants. The new gondola will have the capacity of moving
2,000 skiers per hour. The gondola will transport skiers to the top of the mountain at Eagle’s Nest but will also have a upload and download location at the current base of chair 26
(Pride Express). Chair 26 will be removed to accommodate the new gondola. To return to Ever Vail, skiers will be able download the gondola at this location for a 3.5‐minute ride back
to Ever Vail. Turn Station Ever Vail
6 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 2,416 persons and a related skier population of 923. These numbers are derived from the bed base being proposed
in Ever Vail including dwelling units, employee housing units, and hotel rooms. 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 270 parking spaces available to the public for commercial uses located within the project, for a total of 670 available
parking spaces. Like the Vail Village and Lionshead Parking Structures, and consistent with the Town’s recent parking study, 95% of these 670 spaces will likely be occupied by skiers.
The additional 400 parking spaces are intended to alleviate the Frontage Road parking and accommodate the shifting parking demand created by the new gondola as stated in the Lionshead
Redevelopment Master Plan. The addition of these 400 parking spaces, plus the additional 270 retail spaces, accommodates the average need of 355 cars parked on the Frontage Road. In
fact, considering the entire 670 total available parking spaces, this parking facility accommodates all but two days of overflow parking as documented in 2009, which were 715 and 688
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): Golden Peak 16% or 2,819 skiers Vail Village 28% or 4,977 skiers
7 Lionshead 44% or 7,884 skiers Ever Vail 10% or 1,800 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 18,024. 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 +1,800 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 1,336 (1,800‐ 324‐140). 16% 27% 44% 3% 10% Lionshead Cascade Ever Vail Vail Village Golden Peak
8 These skiers could then be re‐distributed between the following lifts: 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 additional 283 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 ManageTo 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 18,024; well
within the established manage‐to number. LIFT Percentage Distribution Over 2.5 Hrs Utilization Ever Vail Gondola 5 67 27 Low Lionshead Gondola 3 40 16 High Chair 8 1 13 5 Low Chair 15
5 67 27 Med Vista Bahn 3 40 16 Med Chair 6 1 13 5 Low Chair 7 29 388 155 High Chair 2 53 708 283 High