Monday, August 31, 2020

Breckenridge Town Council concerned with proposed 284-unit neighborhood

 


A proposal for a new neighborhood containing 284 units in the northern portion of Breckenridge did not sit well with Breckenridge Town Council as members had numerous concerns about the plan. The proposal, which was presented to council by Tom Begley on behalf of the applicant, Miller Property, asked for an increase in density to the development, which is planned to combine deed-restricted, market-rate and lowered AMI-rate units. 

Specifically, the proposal refers to an existing annexation agreement for a total of 162 units for a development area between Stan Miller Drive and the Blue River, north of the Alta Verde housing project. The proposed project includes 86 market-rate units and 198 deed-restricted units, which are rental apartments and proposed to be averaged at 100% area median income levels — although staff noted that the applicant had indicated that they are open to working with the town to reduce this to 80%. 

According to a memo to council from Nichole Rex and Laurie Best, housing planners and managers for the town, the applicant is open to prohibiting short-term rentals in 44 single-family residential units of the 86 market-rate units and providing deed-restricted accessory dwelling units on these 44 homes. The proposal also included buildings with commercial space on the bottom floor and residential space above.

Council members were concerned about the demographic mix, as theoretically all of the market-rate homes could be owned by second-home owners rather than locals. The structure of the neighborhood places duplex homes along the river where short-term rentals are allowed, single-family homes clustered behind the duplex homes and the apartment buildings and mixed-use space on the edges of the development.

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Fall colors might arrive early due to Colorado drought

 

 If you're planning on taking a trip to see the changing colors of the leaves this fall, you may want to check your travel dates so you won't miss them. 



Colorado is in a state-wide drought and the lack of rain and long heat waves this summer could change how quickly leaves turn colors and fall from the trees.


According to Colorado’s State Forest Entomologist, Dr. Dan West, rain is the biggest factor in how leaves change from year-to-year.  

“The only variability that we really see is precipitation. That certainly does drive whether or not we're going to get right on average,” West said. “It looks like because of the drought, we're seeing we might be a little bit ahead.”


West said that in the northern parts of Colorado, where the drought is not as severe, the leaves will drop close to the average peak in the middle of September. But in areas of extreme drought like southern Colorado, the changes could happen up to a week early. 

The good news, West said, is the fires don’t impact the time-frame or leaf coloring too much. It’s all about day-to-day shifts in the weather. 

“The smoke doesn't necessarily trigger the tree to block off the leaves any earlier than what we would see from just a cloudy season or cloud events,” West said. 

The biggest factor in color is the temperature variability over the course of the day.


“Those leaves changing is really a factor of day length, and then cool nights,” West said. “The cool nights trap the sugars in the leaves and that gives us those reds. And if we don't have those cool nights and it just kind of goes from really warm to really cold or frost, we just get the yellows and oranges that are already in the leaves.”


West said not to worry if you don’t see those gorgeous aspen trees changing right away. Each group of aspen has individual factors like fungus or insect growth that can change when it turns. So a patch just down the road might be perfect, even if the first one you saw isn’t at its peak yet.

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Dillon Reservoir water levels hold on despite statewide drought

 


Amid one of the hottest summers on record for Colorado, Dillon Reservoir is 94% full, nearly 5 feet below its capacity. The reason is a complex combination of past weather patterns, current water-use habits and recent changes to the lakebed.

For most of the summer, Dillon Reservoir has been down about 4 1/2 feet. This low elevation is noticeable from the shore, but the drop in water level is less pronounced than it has been in other dry years. Around this time in 2018, Dillon Reservoir’s elevation was dropping an inch daily and was down about 11 feet by Labor Day. 

Dillon Reservoir is no normal mountain lake. The man-made reservoir is one of the largest sources of drinking water for Denver. Usually in late June, Denver Water holds back water that flows into Dillon Reservoir from the Blue River basin and stores the water until it’s needed along the Front Range. In late summer, Denver Water typically begins piping water out of Dillon Reservoir via the Roberts Tunnel, a 23-mile pipe that runs under the Continental Divide and into the North Fork of the South Platte River. From there, the water flows down toward Strontia Springs Reservoir, where it’s delivered to Denver Water’s customers.

In most normal water years, managers at Denver Water are able to fill the reservoir to its 257,000 acre-foot capacity in the spring, and recreation along the reservoir is usually best when it’s full. This year, unseasonably warm spring weather created dry soil that absorbed much of the moisture from melting snow before it reached rivers. Wind and low precipitation in May also contributed to a lackluster runoff season. Denver Water was able to fill Dillon Reservoir to 244,000 acre-feet of water, about 95% of its capacity. The reservoir levels have hovered around that number ever since late June.

“You know, 95% seems like it would be pretty full, but in the past, at this point, we would be moving docks and boat ramps would be unusable,” Frisco Bay Marina General Manager Tom Hogeman said. “But other than tightening cables on docks to adjust for different water levels, we haven’t had to move anything.”

Friday, August 28, 2020

Frisco extends pedestrian promenade through September as it looks toward winter

 


The Frisco Pedestrian Promenade will remain open at least through the end of September and possibly longer.

Officials discussed the pedestrian promenade and other topics related to COVID-19 business impacts at length during a Frisco Town Council session Tuesday afternoon, ultimately deciding to keep the amenity in place for at least another month.

“We as a staff have been monitoring a number of different factors to try to come up with a recommendation on how long the promenade should extend,” said Don Reimer, Frisco’s community development director. “… Because of the success that it’s been, our recommendation is that we continue to maintain the promenade in tact well into September and possibly into October while the weather cooperates.

“The overwhelming response (from businesses) was to keep it up as long as possible, as long as business activity is supporting the promenade, and to be flexible when its time to end it.”

Frisco launched the pedestrian promenade in June, allowing businesses to expand restaurant seating and retail space into Main Street to allow customers to keep their distance. It’s been open ever since, and merchants in the area have largely supported the effort.

According to a survey of Frisco businesses conducted between Aug. 13 and 18, more than 67% of respondents voiced that they would like to see the promenade remain open as long as feasible, according to the town.

Weather and business activity will ultimately be the deciding factors. As tourism to the county begins to dwindle this fall before ski season, the demand for the promenade may begin to wane, as well. And with winter approaching, the first major snowfall would likely spell an end to the program as officials dive into plowing and sidewalk maintenance.

Ultimately, the council decided it felt comfortable keeping the promenade open through the end of September and would take a closer look at conditions at their council meeting Sept. 22 to decide if they want to keep things open a little bit longer.

“I think (October) is the most optimistic outlook,” council member Melissa Sherburne said. “That would be great. We normally know a few days ahead of time when we’re going to get our first significant storm, and we need to be mindful of that. But farther out, we’re almost certainly going to be moving that date around, whereas I think we can safely get through September.

“I’d love us to plant a seed in our head for redoing the promenade next year and what that might look like. It was a total experiment … and I think there’s a huge opportunity to really take it to the next level and create something even more special.”

With the promenade likely to close in September or early October, other council discussions are already underway to decide how best to support businesses during the high tourism season this winter.

Earlier this year, the town passed an emergency COVID-19 order offering businesses temporary relief from certain town regulations, signage requirements and codes to help support recovery. At the meeting Tuesday, Aug. 25, the Town Council agreed to move the order’s expiration date from Oct. 31 to March 31.

Officials also discussed the possibility of bringing back the Love Frisco, Shop Frisco campaign after a successful summer.

Vanessa Agee, the town’s marketing and communications director, said the town has issued more than 3,000 gift cards through the shop local campaign, totaling more than $213,000. So far, 2,444 gift cards have been redeemed for a total value of $162,000 to local businesses, including bonus gift cards offered as incentives by Frisco.

The town will stop selling gift cards at the end of this month, but officials are planning to keep unspent funds from the campaign ready to go in case they decide to relaunch it this winter.

“In terms of the (shop local) program, I support wrapping it up as soon as possible and keeping involved until Christmas or Wassail Day or some other promotion in early December to help activate the retail sector,” council member Dan Fallon said. “… I think it’s best to keep that in our pocket and see what we can best do to benefit who we can when we know more.”

The town is also considering allowing restaurants and shops to set up their own individual yurts, tents or parklets this winter — similar to some locations in Breckenridge — if they’re able to keep them from negatively impacting other businesses and maintain them.

Though officials said they’re hopeful that members of the business community also will come forward with their own creative ideas for how the town can help support them once the snow starts falling.

“For now, it’s wait and see,” Fallon said. “On the COVID side of things, we just don’t know what will happen. So let’s keep our options open but wait for some good ideas and be ready to support those ideas when they begin to arrive.”


Thursday, August 27, 2020

Vail Resorts to use reservation system for on-mountain access, announces opening dates for 2020-21 season

 


Vail and Beaver Creek will implement a reservation system to access the mountain during the 2020-21 season, Vail Resorts announced Thursday.

Pass holders can reserve up to seven days total on their passes. When one day is scanned, another will become available. Those looking to ski 100 days on the season will need to get in the habit of reserving a new day every day, but those with goals to have a big ski year should be able to do so, say resort officials.

“It is possible that at some point in the season, as we evaluate the dynamics of our operations, we may decide that we no longer need the reservation system at certain resorts,” wrote Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz in a letter published Thursday. “However, with so many uncertainties, we believe it is only prudent to have this system in place now.”

Walk-up tickets will no longer be available for purchase at the window, but day-of guests can purchase tickets from their mobile devices and pick up their day-use tickets at the window.

Vail also announced estimated opening and closing dates on Thursday:

  • Keystone: Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 – Sunday, April 4, 2021
  • Breckenridge: Friday, Nov. 13, 2020 – Monday, May 31, 2021
  • Vail: Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 – Sunday, April 11, 2021
  • Beaver Creek: Nov. 25, 2020 – Sunday, April 4, 2021
  • Crested Butte: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020 – Sunday, April 4, 2021

Monday, August 24, 2020

USA Today: Head Scratcher? Colorado Home Sales Sets Record in COVID-19 Recession

 

USA Today reported on Colorado Association of Realtors July 2020 Market Trends report. It notes, “Sales rose 15% from June and 21% from the previous July – before COVID-19 when the economy was rolling. Statewide the median home price rose a startling 4.5% in one month, to $443,925.”

“There is a total disconnect with half the economy being crushed and yet, housing has mostly shrugged it all off, said Realtor Patrick Muldoon. “Small business is getting blown out, people are not working, and yet housing continues to be unaffordable.”


Read the full story here:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/08/16/coronavirus-news-yale-saliva-test-wear-masks-indoors-outdoors/5591407002/

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Summit County’s adoptable pets for the week of Aug. 23, 2020

 

Call the shelter at 970-668-3230 with questions. The most recent list of animals available for adoption can be found via their website.

Note: The animal shelter is now open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please visit http://www.summitcountyco.gov/animalcontrol for physical distancing protocols.

Cats

ANNETTE, 3 years, domestic shorthair, brown tabby, unaltered female

ASPEN, 5 years, domestic shorthair, tortoiseshell, spayed female

BABY, 4 years, domestic shorthair, black and white, neutered male

CAMI, 9 years, domestic shorthair, gray and white, spayed female

CAMILA, 2 years, Russian blue mix, gray, spayed female

DAISEY, 15 weeks, domestic shorthair, black, spayed female

ELIZABETH JANE, 11 months, domestic shorthair, white and black, spayed female

LIAM, 5 months, Russian blue mix, gray, neutered male

MAGGIE, 7 years, domestic shorthair, calico, spayed female

NESSA, 3 years, domestic shorthair, calico, unaltered female

PIPER, 10 years, domestic shorthair, gray, spayed female

ZELDA, 7 years, domestic shorthair, gray and white tabby, spayed female

Dogs

ALEXANDRIA, 5 years, pit bull terrier, blonde and white, spayed female

CLARA, 8 months, Doberman Pinscher mix, black and white, spayed female

CLEO, 8 months, Doberman Pinscher mix, black and brindle, spayed female

EARL, no age, Australian cattle dog, black, neutered male

EWOK, 1 year 1 month, soft-coated Wheaten terrier, orange, neutered male

LOLA, 10 months, Australian cattle dog mix, tan, spayed female

NORM, 3 years, pit bull terrier mix, brindle and white, neutered male

PANCAKE, 2 years, Chihuahua, smooth-coated brown, neutered male

REGAL, 2 years, Mastiff, brindle, unaltered male

SHARON, 2 years, pointer, black, spayed female

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Slippery slope. Ski areas working out protocols for season; one exec expects continued virus impact

 

After weeks spent in intense planning for the upcoming ski season, a process made infinitely more complicated because of the coronavirus pandemic, Aspen Snowmass chief executive Mike Kaplan thought he’d get away this week for a relaxing working vacation near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. There would be surfing in the mornings, a few work calls in the afternoons.

“Of course, it’s 2020,” Kaplan said via phone from Mexico, “so a hurricane had to hit.”

Kaplan didn’t get much sleep Wednesday night. Hurricane Genevieve churned off the western coast of Baja California, but the winds where he was staying thankfully didn’t exceed tropical storm intensity.

Ski area managers in Colorado and across the nation may lose a lot of sleep in the coming months as they try to navigate a ski season like no other.

Colorado resort managers who had to shut down their operations on March 15 due to the pandemic are proceeding with plans to open on schedule, but they still don’t know precisely what protocols will be in place. Many say it’s too soon for them to talk about what their experiences will look like because there is so much yet to be determined. A few have written letters to people in their databases offering a few clues. Managing expectations has been a consistent theme.

“You’re coming out to be in the mountains, first and foremost, appreciate the fresh air and the natural environment,” Kaplan said in a telephone interview. “I think if we all focus on that, and maybe tone down our aspirations for a raucous, tightly packed après-ski kind of experience, I think that would serve us all well.”

Ski industry insider Chris Diamond said “lowering the bar in terms of expectations” probably will be a common theme across the industry this season.

“There is not only the protocol, but they also may have issues with staff, where all of a sudden a third of the lifts can’t run because you’ve got quarantine for one section of your employee housing,” said Diamond, a retired executive who has written two books on the ski industry and ran the Steamboat resort for 16 years. “It’s almost inevitable that something like that will happen, and from time to time you will have closings of areas of the mountain, of facilities, who knows what.”

In a letter sent to Vail Resorts pass-holders, chief executive Rob Katz said everyone needs to assume that the impacts of the coronavirus will continue through the ski season.

“Even if new COVID-19 cases decline — nationally or locally — we must assume the virus will reemerge,” Katz wrote. “We cannot relax restrictions or protocols. We cannot get caught trying to play catchup to the virus during the ski season. ... Exacerbating that reality is the fact that each one of our communities is a destination for visitors from countless other cities. This is our greatest strength, but it can also be a weakness. We cannot only look at the COVID-19 data in our local communities. By welcoming people to our resorts from other locations, we need to realize that we will be taking on their COVID-19 experience as well. Therefore, for us to be successful we need to enforce protocols and procedures now that can work all season.”

Rusty Gregory, chief executive of Denver-based Alterra Mountain Co., said his company has put together a 110-page internal document filled with protocols for COVID-19 mitigation. Alterra operates 15 ski destinations, including Winter Park and Steamboat in Colorado.

“The facts are that we really don’t know all the facts,” Gregory said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “Our understanding of things is literally changing daily. It’s quite a challenge to even figure out how to communicate it. First and foremost, we’re very focused on protecting our people, our guests and our employees. We’re trying to push through how we mitigate contagion correctly in this environment, when there is all sorts of conflicting information about what’s safe, what’s not safe.”

Gregory said his company expects demand to be “very, very strong,” based on strong season pass sales and summer visitation at the company’s resorts.

“People definitely want to get outdoors and be active and have felt cooped up,” Gregory said. “We need to be prepared to deal with that.”

There is a sense in the industry that the nature of skiing itself — outdoors, with people spread out over hundreds of acres of terrain — will be safe. The question of what to do about chairlifts and gondolas is more complicated.

A letter that Loveland ski area managers sent to their database two weeks ago said chairlift capacities will be decreased and “only related parties will be permitted to load together.”

Alterra and Aspen Snow-mass officials aren’t sure that’s necessary.

“We’re becoming more convinced, based on the data that we see and the scientific evidence that we’re collecting, that with a mask, people loading together is likely sufficient mitigation to reduce contagion to an acceptable level,” Gregory said. “That’s the direction we’re headed. That would allow people who don’t know each other, who aren’t family members or part of the same cohort, to occupy the same lift for two reasons: the masks, and the very short duration of chairlift rides. And, the fact that it’s out in the environment and the wind that’s inherent to a lift that’s moving, even on a calm day.”

Kaplan seems to be leaning the same way for Aspen Snowmass, which is comprised of four mountains: Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass.

“We’re going to work with the industry and see where we end up, based on the research that’s being done at an industry level,” Kaplan said. “Most chairlifts are way less than 15 minutes and most are less than 10, absent a stop. We’re talking about spreading people out in lift lines. How do you do that, and maintain that?”

Gondolas have other issues because they are enclosed spaces. It may be necessary to keep gondola windows open, Gregory said, but ski areas can’t put attendants in every gondola car to make sure people keep their masks on.

“We’re leaning toward the fact that gondolas can operate as well with people who don’t know one another,” Gregory said, “but we’re not as far along on our thinking there as we are with chairlifts.”

Ski area managers are using the term “pinch points,” meaning places such as restrooms where people are forced to congregate briefly without the ability to maintain social distancing. Kaplan said Aspen Snowmass is replacing soap dispensers with push levers with touchless dispensers that are activated by sensors. Alterra is installing touchless wash basins, Gregory said, and is replacing hot-air hand dryers with paper dispensers to avoid “airborne contagion risks.” The blowers were initially installed to be environmentally conscious and help eliminate paper waste.

The most vexing problem for ski areas will be food and beverage service. Restaurants and bars will be subject to capacity restrictions, so resorts are looking for ways to add dining space. That might mean converting resort conference rooms — which probably won’t be in much demand this season — into places where people can eat. Resorts also are looking into adding more space outdoors for diners.

Gregory said his company authorized the expenditure of “several million dollars” this week for tent purchases and rentals. Aspen Snowmass is looking at covered outdoor seating, possibly with heating. Kaplan said Aspen Snowmass might also offer menu deals or specials before and after typical peak periods to spread out occupancy.

“Restaurant facilities are obviously going to be following whatever the rule for occupancy will be,” Diamond said. “And it’s going to be back to the ’50s and ’60s, where people who are renting a condo nearby will probably go back to the condo for lunch. If you’re a local pass-holder, you’re going to bring your sandwich like you used to.”

The “central paradox” of the upcoming season, Gregory said, is that many people consider skiing and other outdoor activities to be essential parts of their lives and their health. Now, though, they have to decide whether skiing is worth the risk to both.

“There is risk in skiing in general, which is part of the appeal, but now we have the overlay of the pandemic’s risk,” Gregory said. “This is all about how we balance the absolute need for health and wellbeing, and people’s ability to get outdoors and connect with one another — and with themselves — for everyone’s mental and emotional health, and mitigate that increased risk that the pandemic creates. It’s a very vexing paradox that we’re trying to work through, step by step.”

Courtesy Denver Post.

Friday, August 21, 2020

New neighborhoods, condos go up in Silverthorne and Dillon despite economic slowdown

 


Despite a pandemic and general economic uncertainty, housing construction projects in Dillon and Silverthorne are well on their way toward completion. 

Throughout Summit County, the construction industry has seen an influx in activity. Overall, the county has seen a 15% increase in inspections from 2019, Chief Building Official Scott Hoffman said.

Although the county has issued fewer permits than this time last year, the valuation of the work that’s been done is up 30% from 2019, indicating that larger, more expensive projects are being built in the county, Hoffman said.

Housing construction is busiest in Silverthorne and Dillon, where condominiums, affordable housing projects and new subdivisions have popped up around town.

 New construction: businesses

In addition to new housing, construction is underway on a number of new businesses in Dillon and Silverthorne.

Silverthorne

  • Fourth Street Crossing, including Hotel Indigo, between Third and Fourth streets off Blue River Parkway
  • Alpine Lumber, 240 S. Adams Ave.

Dillon

  • Hilton Homewood Suites, corner of Lake Dillon Drive and U.S. Highway 6
  • Dillon Urgent Care and Residences, 956 W. Anemone Trail
  • Vail Health Dillon Medical Building, N. Dillon Ridge Road
  • Panera Bread, 257 Dillon Ridge Road

Thursday, August 20, 2020

CDOT’s Highway 9 Gap Project on schedule to finish Phase I by November



#Colorado

 The Colorado Department of Transportation is deep into construction on the Colorado Highway 9 Gap Project, an effort to widen the entire route between Frisco and Breckenridge to two lanes.

As community members begrudgingly move their way through slower traffic, cones and flaggers on the side of the road, officials say the project is making good progress and eventually will pay dividends in reducing congestion.

“This project was really congestion oriented,” said Kevin O’Reilly, CDOT’s project engineer on the Gap Project. “The road goes down to one lane through that small section, so this is really the final piece of the puzzle to make it two lanes all the way through from Breckenridge to I-70.”

The Colorado Department of Transportation is deep into construction on the Colorado Highway 9 Gap Project, an effort to widen the entire route between Frisco and Breckenridge to two lanes.

As community members begrudgingly move their way through slower traffic, cones and flaggers on the side of the road, officials say the project is making good progress and eventually will pay dividends in reducing congestion.

“This project was really congestion oriented,” said Kevin O’Reilly, CDOT’s project engineer on the Gap Project. “The road goes down to one lane through that small section, so this is really the final piece of the puzzle to make it two lanes all the way through from Breckenridge to I-70.”

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

August Real Estate Update

 

Nancy Yearout's Real Estate Update 

Breckenridge  Frisco  Silverthorne  Dillon  Keystone  Copper  

Summer Selling Season is Now
J
une's real estate activity increased as the County went from being shut down in March till opening up a bit in late May and early June. 
Now in the past month of July, the activity has soared!  August  and September have always had robust sales and looking at the early August activity, robust sales look to be continuing this year.

Percent of List Price to Sold Price
The percent of list price to sold price in the initial stages of COVID-19 was heading lower and was at about 96%. June and now July has turned that back around to normal levels. The percent of list to the sold price in July is again close to 98%.

Number of Sales
Year to date, the number of properties that have sold is still recovering from our shut down in March through May, with total sales down about 15%.  The months of June and July though have started to correct this downward trend as the above graph shows.  The July sales in particular are up 22% over July 2
019.

How much is that Home?
County-wide prices are about the same as last year...up just a bit up at 2% so far in 2020 over the same period in 2019.  Presently the average sale price for residential property is $838,000, for Single Family Home sales is $1,328,000 and for condominiums is $517,000.


Inventory
It's dropping big time! Typically this time of year, the inventory continues to increase. But so far this year, it is not following that trend because the number of properties listed for sale started declining in June and has continued to decline through July.  And, this is a bit of a stunner...the inventory of available properties for sale in Summit County on Friday, the 15th of August 2020 is down 32% compared to the day in 2019!

Why the drop in number of listings on the market? Well a big part soaring demand and...The great urban exodus, one Colorado ski town increases 18%

Nancy Yearout

Broker Associate

RE/MAX Properties of the Summit

970-485-0293

nyearout@colorado.net

https://www.realestate-breckenridge.net

Get my Mobile App: getmobile.remax.com/nancyyearout


Source: Sold Data from Summit Realtors Association MLS Data  Annual sales 1/1 through 7/31.  *Residential Sales (home, Condo, Townhome & Duplex),  Change is Year over Year or 2020 vs 2019. **The information contained herein is based on information provided by others. Accordingly, we make no guarantee of its accuracy and suggest you make an independent inquiry of any matters you regard as important.