The Dillon Town Council voted to approve plans for a major new development on the Dillon Reservoir waterfront on Tuesday, March 19.
At the public hearing, the five-story structure with 200 condominium units, three restaurants and retail spaces were discussed. The plan is proposed for 626 Lake Dillon Drive, where the Best Western Ptarmigan Lodge and Arapahoe Café are located.
Redevelopment Of The Town Core
The project was proposed by developer Jake Porritt in an effort to redevelop the town core.
Cheri Ryan, the executive director of the Summit Chamber, said the project has the potential to “foster economic vitality” and “have a very large impact on sales tax revenue.”
Council member Tony Scalise — who voted for the development — said that he believes the project will help accelerate the redevelopment of the town core.
“I think this project can jump start this town,” Scalise said.
Branded Residences
Individual owners of the 200 condo units would own their units but be able to rent them out as short-term rentals through a management company like Marriott, Hyatt or Hilton.
The building will feature public amenities such as a rooftop terrace, bar, observation deck, ground-level plaza, swimming pool and an additional rooftop area for residence guests only.
Approximately 480 parking spaces would be provided in a two-level parking structure beneath the development.
The size and scale of the building was a talking point raised by residents who spoke during public comment at the meeting.
As a solution, Porritt said his team moved the building 78 feet away from Lake Dillon Drive to create a “view corridor” down the street in order to maintain views of the reservoir and mountains from other parts of town.
The height of the building steps down as grade steps down to maintain a roughly 55-foot height. The observation deck is about 64 feet in height, according to the application.
The area where the project is proposed is in a residential high zoning district, which allows structures to be 43 feet in height. The application for the project was submitted as a planned unit development with one of the requested variances from the zoning code being the height of the building.
Metropolitan Districts
Last year, the Dillon Town Council voted in favor of establishing metropolitan districts to financially support the plans. Public infrastructure, such as roadways and sewer improvements, are necessary elements to be considered in the plans.
More than 75% of the tax base for the metro districts will be generated by the project at 626 Lake Dillon Drive.
