Condo Proposed for Burgess Creek Road

Condo proposed for Burgess Creek Road
Development group poses 11-story Steamboat Highlands
By Tom Ross - Reporter Steamboat Pilot
Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Steamboat Springs — A development group based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is proposing an 11-story condominium hotel on Burgess Creek Road immediately north of the existing Kutuk and Bronze Tree projects.

Brian Bavosi, project manager for Vertical Arts in Steamboat Springs, said that when Steamboat Highlands enters the public hearing process, the name of an international five-star hotel management company associated with the project is likely to become public.

The owner of the development is Gamir/Reilly Development, a privately held real estate development and management company that has built hotels and condominium projects at a number of vacation destinations in Mexico. They include Pueblito Escondito and Aldea Thai in Playa del Carmen.

Steamboat Highlands would be built on 2.11 acres comprising an elongated triangular strip bounded by Burgess Creek Road and Storm Meadows Drive. Burgess Creek runs through the property.

Jeff and Kristi Brown of Steamboat Springs sold the site to Henderson, Nev.-based Ski Country LLC for $11.5 million in November 2007.

Development plans on the site call for demolishing the 1970s era Ski Country Building.

The completed project would include 214,268 square feet of residential space and 9,500 square feet of commercial space. Conceptual drawings show a ballroom, spa and food service areas.

At the tallest peak of the roof of one penthouse suite, the building would measure almost 137 feet, well in excess of the allowable height limit of 63 feet in the zone district.

The developers acknowledge that they need a variance for the height of the building.

Among the interesting proposals in the plan is a pedestrian bridge over Burgess Creek Road, which would provide the first viable link for foot traffic to and from The Ranch development to the north.

City Planner Jason Peasley said challenges to the project include ensuring the structure addresses Burgess Creek in a desirable way and getting sufficient water pressure to the upper stories. Pluses include a plan to daylight the creek where it currently flows through a culvert in a parking lot.

Bavosi said the developers see an opportunity to build improved pedestrian trails linking the project directly to the ski area base.

Peasley agreed the project holds the potential to create the kind of pedestrian access called for in the redevelopment of the base area.

“This site has very good connectivity to Ski Time Square and with the right improvements, it could make a very good pedestrian environment,” Peasley said.

Peasley said the Steamboat Highlands developers have asked for a pre-application review of the project intended to give them feedback before they seek a development permit. No public hearings have been scheduled.

Bavosi added that the development team is in the process of determining how many residential units the building might include.
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To obtain information on any property in Steamboat Springs with Buyer Representation, contact Michelle Diehl, GRI Broker Associate at Century 21 Ski Town Associates. WEB: SteamboatDream.com E-MAIL: MichelleDiehl@comcast.net CELL:(970)846-1086.