"Vail's Front Door proposal is another essential step in enhancing the guest experience and maintaining Vail's reputation as a premier resort destination, which inevitably contributes to the future economic health of our community,'' says Charlie Penwill, vice president of marketing for Vail Reorts Development Co. and project manager for Vail's Front Door. '' It's the place where we create a lasting first impression with our guests as they are accessing the ski mountain."
Revitalization plans for Vail's Front Door encompass approximately four acres of land located at different sites within the uppermost portion of Vail Village, extending from lots P3&J on the east to Vail Road on the west and including the ski yard around the base of the Vista Bahn chairlift.
Proposed components include:
* Vista Bahn Ski Yard: Vail Resorts has been considering a variety of designs for this 1.5-acre site, including heated plazas and walkways, an escalator to the base of the slopes, public art, expanded seating areas, and extensive landscaping with water features. Public spaces conducive to small community events in the shoulder seasons and summer also are proposed for incorporation into the architectural design. The company also would like to build a new skier services facility underground, which would include lift ticket offices, ski and snowboard school, public restrooms, ski storage, all located below the terraced steps and landscaping.
* Vail Village Park: At lots P3&J, a .25-acre site that has served as surface parking across from the Christiania Lodge since 1962, Vail Resorts has agreed to the concept of a community park and underground parking at the request of the neighbors. Surface parking would be significantly reduced, making room for a more aesthetically pleasing area that also enhances the Town of Vail's protected view corridor to the Gore Mountain Range.
* Upper Vail Village Streetscape Renovation: Vail Resorts will make a major contribution toward enhancing the streetscape in the uppermost portion of the village. The company has committed to contributing a minimum of $1 million to projects identified and approved by the Town of Vail and Vail Resorts.
* Mountain Road: In the area just west of the Vista Bahn chairlift and behind the Lodge Tower, Vail Resorts is proposing to move all of the vehicular and service parking into a two-level underground structure. The company also would build a new road, replacing the existing gravel service road, to connect the eastern portion of the village via an underground tunnel. New pedestrian and bicycle-friendly connections and heavily landscaped areas would be incorporated into the overall design of the site.
Also, an 11,000-sf spa would be added on the mountain-side of Vail's flagship hotel, the Lodge at Vail, which is owned and operated by Vail Resorts.
* Lodge at Vail Residence Club: The company intends to finance the projects through the sales of a new Lodge at Vail Residence Club, which will feature 12 fractional-ownership residences located behind the Lodge Tower property. Each of the 10, 2,500-sf duplexes and two, 2,500-sf single family residences will blend into the topography of the site. A 5,600-sfoot club also will be built on site to serve residents of the new construction and those who currently own units at the Lodge at Vail, Lodge Tower and One Vail Place. The clubhouse will feature a lounge and bar, ski and boot storage, a concierge, a library, a teen activity room and an outdoor heated pool.
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