Sunday, August 17, 2008

Copper Mountain Approves Plan

Summit County commissioners recently approved a plan to re-distribute about 420 units of previously approved, unbuilt density at Copper Mountain, focusing development in the core of the resort.

Copper Mt. officials said the redevelopment will breathe new life into the resort's base area by building a critical mass of beds and commercial activity with the addition of new residential units and a condo-hotel on the site of the Chapel parking lot.

The approved amendment to the resort's planned-unit development — a site-specific master plan — is a scaled-down version of several previously denied proposals. The earlier versions included significant new density that was unacceptable to the county.

“We're very pleased with the approval we received for the PUD amendment today,” said Copper president and chief operating officer Gary Rodgers, thanking the commissioners, as well as county and resort planners for all the hard work on the project.

Monday, August 11, 2008

County Adds Open Space

The county has finalized a $350,000 acquisition of a parcel of land along a half-mile of Green Mountain Reservoir shoreline (north of Breckenridge), eliminating the potential for development and protecting wildlife habitat and view corridors.

“Development on this site would have been highly visible from Highway 9 and almost any point on the reservoir,” said Brian Lorch, director of Summit County Open Space and Trails.

“With this site in public ownership, we can work with the U.S. Forest Service to manage the whole area for public benefit.”

The McDonald Flats property also provides habitat for rare non-game wildlife species and big game.

“This is another key piece in protecting the heritage of the Lower Blue Basin," said Summit County Commissioner Tom Long.

“We feel fortunate that the Knorr Ranch family members, who have ranched in the valley for generations, worked with us to protect their legacy.”

The county's Open Space Advisory Council will take public input to develop a management plan for the property.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Dillon Reservoir Hosts Races

The Dillon Reservoir was flooded with sail boats yesterday afternoon, as the Alpine Bank Dillon Open kicked off.

The 86 boats were divided into 10 fleets. One-design keelboat fleets — similar type of boats that race against each other without a handicap — include Etchells, J22, J24 , J80, Ensigns, Santana 20, Stars and Ultimate 20s.

A separate fleet, labeled the PHRF, allows dissimilar boats to race against one another and be scored with a handicap system based on the estimated speed of each boat. The J24 fleet was the largest with 12 boats. The dinghy sailboat fleet, called Lasers, was raced on a separate course also on the reservoir.

Participants and boats came from Texas, Georgia, New Mexico and South Dakota. Some bring their own boats, but with the cost of gas, the number of boats towed in from out of town has declined. Some crews were sailing with local skippers that they may or may not have met before, while others manage to borrow or charter a boat and bring their entire crew.