United Airlines introduces direct bus service from DIA to Breckenridge

 

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United Airlines is rolling out a new offering at Denver International Airport designed to get Colorado visitors off their planes and into the mountains ASAP. The mechanism: A bus.

The carrier, the largest operator at DIA, announced Friday that it is partnering with ground transportation company Landline on a service that will allow passengers to get off their planes and board a bus from the airport’s Concourse A direct to Breckenridge.

No airport train to the terminal, waiting for bags at the carousel, taking a shuttle to a rental car office or hailing a cab, Lyft or Uber. United will transfer customers’ bags from their planes to the Landline buses for them. The drop-off point in Summit County, 319 N. Main St., is about 100 yards away from the gondola for Breckenridge Ski Resort, airline officials touted this week.

“We wanted to get really creative about how to provide a seamless, no-friction customer experience that we really think will be kind of a game-changer with how easy it is,” said Janet Lamkin, United’s senior vice president of market and community innovation.

Tickets for the Breckenridge route went on sale Friday with the first bus trips back and forth March 11. A single mountain-bound bus will leave the airport at 11:15 a.m. daily and set out in the opposite direction between 1:55 and 2:25 p.m. depending on the day of the week, according to a news release.

Pending home sales drop, but there’s a silver lining

 

It’s like the Yogi Berra quote – nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded. For the fifth consecutive month, U.S. pending home sales dipped – this time, down 2.8% in January from December, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. And inventory shortages are the culprit.

Despite the decline, many industry observers see big potential for the housing market in the year ahead.

It’s no secret that low mortgage rates and societal shifts brought on by COVID-19 have collided to form a red-hot housing market. But many would-be buyers have also been thwarted by comically low resale inventory, as well as supply chain constraints and escalating materials costs that have made life difficult for homebuilders. January was illustrative.

“Pending home sales fell in January because there are simply not enough homes to match the demand on the market,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “That said, there has been an increase in permits and requests to build new homes.”

According to the NAR, the South (+0.1%) was the lone region with a gain from the month prior, while the other three major U.S. regions – the Northeast (-7.4%), Midwest (-0.9%), and West (-7.8%) – experienced month-over-month decreases in January. All four areas saw contract transactions increase from a year-over-year standpoint.

Breckenridge discusses rules to limit new short-term rental units

 

Breckenridge town staff estimates that there are more than 100 residences in town where a room or lock-off unit is rented out short-term, and the town council plans to do something about it.

Community Development Director Mark Truckey explained during a Breckenridge Town Council work session Tuesday, Feb. 23, that the town planning commission is concerned about an increasing number of short-term rental units in town. He explained that new single-family residential proposals include areas that easily could be converted into lock-off apartments, potentially creating a second short-term rental unit on the property.

Currently, town code says that if a lock-off apartment includes a separate kitchen, it must be deed restricted as an accessory dwelling unit to someone who works at least 30 hours per week in the county.

However, Truckey said many new home plans include areas that could be used as apartments but technically aren’t required to be deed restricted because they don’t include a separate kitchen. Truckey said that while staff plans to clarify what constitutes an accessory dwelling unit that must be deed restricted, he doesn’t think the issue will be resolved in the code because there will always be loopholes.

“You’re never going to be able to work your way out of this problem with code because people will always build something and then work their way around it,” Mamula said. “What we need to do is start flagging some of these new homes in some new categories so they cannot get a license to rent. I think somewhere in there is a potential legal way for us to prohibit this kind of thing from becoming an issue.”

Mamula said that unless homeowners rent the entire home, they shouldn’t be allowed to short-term rent units of a new home. Town Manager Rick Holman said the town estimates there are more than 100 incidences in town of homeowners renting out a room or lock-off unit short-term. Mamula noted that prior to services like Airbnb and VRBO, these types of rental units went to the local workforce. He said the units now go to short-term renters because it is more profitable.

Breckenridge to place security on Main Street during spring break to enforce public health orders

The Breckenridge Town Council discussed ways to support front-line workers during the busy spring break period at a work session Tuesday, Feb. 23, and decided to employ one to two security personnel from the Breckenridge Municipal Court to patrol the downtown area each day.

“There’s a fear that some of the prevalent attitude that we’re seeing and some of the problems that are being given to front-line workers and the different things that are occurring is only going to be worse during those peak two-week periods of mid-March,” Holman said. “The colleges that are having more of a traditional spring break, those people come here, then we’re going to see that be even more prevalent.”

Holman said some of the colleges that are scheduled to have more traditional spring breaks are from southern states, where there are fewer COVID-19 restrictions than in Colorado, which he said could cause problems for front-line workers during this time period. Bringing back the summertime mask ambassadors was suggested as a solution, but Holman said he did not feel the ambassadors were successful and said people patrolling Main Street would need a higher level of training and authority to be effective.

White River National Forest seeks comments on aspen management project

 

The White River National Forest is seeking comments on a proposed aspen management project, which is designed to improve the health of aspen forests and wildlife habitat.

According to a release from the Forest Service, many aspen forests have experienced decline over the past few decades due to drought, insects and disease. Wildfire suppression has also allowed conifers to replace aspen forests in some areas. The aspen management project proposes using a combination of timber harvesting and prescribed fires to maintain and expand aspen stands in the White River National Forest.

The White River National Forest is 2.3 million acres and contains around 600,000 acres of aspen. Approximately 375,000 acres meet guidelines for where management would be considered under the proposal. Within this area, the project proposes various harvesting methods on up to 10,000 acres per decade and prescribed fire methods on an additional 10,000 acres per decade.ore information about the 

More information about the project proposal can be found at Bit.ly/3bs51Mv.

Colorado officials hold summit to get public feedback on wildfire mitigation and recovery

 

 

During a virtual panel discussion Thursday afternoon, Colorado officials emphasized a need for more cooperation among federal, state and local actors in Colorado’s fight against wildfires.

Rep. Joe Neguse, who serves Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, hosted a public listening session Thursday, Feb. 18, to gain insights on the impacts and potential solutions to combat growing concerns about wildfires in the state. The session featured a panel discussion between Neguse, Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado Department of Public Safety Director Stan Hilkey and Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet.

In the wide-ranging discussion, officials shared their perspectives on the changes necessary to protect Colorado’s public lands, property and lives, and they turned to residents for questions and to share their experiences with local wildfires in recent years.

One prevailing theme throughout the session was a need for more robust national support for Coloradans and other Americans throughout the West dealing with a new age of megafires. Bennet said the issue would require a hegemonic shift in understanding about the dangers wildfires pose to the state’s infrastructure, environment and economy.

“One of the most important things we can do is change the way Congress thinks about our forests,” Bennet said. “Politicians in Washington need to understand that in Colorado, and across the West, forests are our infrastructure. They are as important to our state’s economy as the Lincoln Tunnel is to New York. But the truth is we have major challenges with this infrastructure. We’re now dealing with the consequences of a century of fire suppression and chronic underfunding for the U.S. Forest Service. When you combine that with climate change, it’s put the agency and state and local governments in a nearly impossible position. …

“We’re paying for wildfires after they happen rather than investing on the front end. That’s fiscally irresponsible, and … we need, I think, a major shift at the national level to prioritize forest restoration and wildfire mitigation — and a major investment to go with it.”

U.S. Luxury Market Has Strong End of 2020, Especially in Suburban and Second-Home Areas

 

The largest and most heavily populated cities across the U.S. continued their fall from grace at the tail end of 2020 as well-heeled home buyers directed their attention from metropolises to suburban living, according to Monday’s luxury market report from realtor.com.

The online property portal tracks the top 5% most expensive residential listings in 95 counties for its luxury index, and it was suburbs and secondary luxury markets that had the most prosperous fourth quarter in 2020.

Those increases are being underpinned by the seemingly insatiable appetite for more square footage, more privacy and more green space—amenities that are scarce in city centers.

“Suburbs and secondary markets in Colorado and California saw especially strong growth, which follows the widespread trend of buyers choosing the suburbs over urban life during the pandemic, while big city markets like the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Boston and Hawaii saw the largest luxury home price declines,” she added.  Danielle Hale, realtor.com’s chief economist, said in the report.

Vail Health’s Dillon medical center set for fall completion

 

 

Construction is continuing according to plan at Vail Health’s new Dillon Health Center located on the corner of U.S. Highway 6 and Dillon Dam Road.

When the health system broke ground on the 85,000-square-foot building, the goal was to have construction completed in fall 2021 while meeting a $70 million budget. So far, Vail Health and its developing partner have been able to stick to that plan.

“We still got nine or 10 months to go and if it’s nine versus if it’s 10, that’s a different dollar amount,” said Craig Cohn, Vail Health’s chief real estate and development officer. “Within a reasonable range, we still feel like we’re tracking relatively close to schedule and on budget for the project.”

When it’s complete, the health center will offer a wide variety of services, including urgent, primary and specialty care. Family medicine will be offered through Colorado Mountain Medical, which is a subsidiary of Vail Health.

When it comes to specialty care, the center will offer a wide array of options. The center will provide cancer care that is more comprehensive than what Vail Health already has in the county, CEO Will Cook said.

Pow panic in a pandemic: Lift lines, mask issues during busy weekend at Vail

 

With demand for powder skiing pent up for half the season, Vail Mountain has experienced massive crowds over the past two weekends.

The Vail Daily has received numerous reports of mask-related confrontations occurring in lift lines in recent weeks. And other crowd-related confrontations have occurred, as well.

In a letter to the Vail Daily, Peter Savoie said he witnessed a fist fight Saturday in the lift line to exit Blue Sky Basin at Chair 36.

“Shame on the aggressor for trying to cut approximately four minutes of his time in line, but to all who witnessed the ugly event, it was a reminder of the overcrowded conditions that exist on the mountain,” Savoie wrote.

Plack said the resort doesn’t take kindly to foul language, much less physical confrontations.

“There is absolutely no place for vulgarity or disrespect at our resorts, and guests should contact the resort ski patrol hotlines, staff members or supervisors, or mountain security if they feel they are being mistreated by others,” Plack said. “Ski patrol emergency and nonemergency numbers can easily be found on the EpicMix app.”

Summit County officials address SC Alert concerns after vaccine appointments fill up in minutes

 

 

Just eight minutes after opening Tuesday, Feb. 9, all of Summit County’s vaccine appointments were full, county spokesperson Nicole Valentine wrote in an email.

With such high demand and a whole new group of people eligible to get the vaccine, it can feel like an appointment is harder to secure than Beyoncé tickets.

But unlike other blink-and-you-miss-it items, vaccine appointments aren’t going away. The county will be receiving doses weekly for the foreseeable future.

“We’re not going to get enough to do everybody all at once,” Public Health Director Amy Wineland said at a Summit County Board of Health meeting Tuesday. “What we do know is that we’ll continue to get some on a weekly basis.”

Even knowing that supply is limited, some people still are frustrated with the process for making appointments. The county uses SC Alert, a system that it previously used to let people know about emergency situations, road closures or controlled burns.

Now, the county is using the alert system to notify the public when vaccine appointments are available. However, there’s one problem: The system is delayed when sending out text messages, emails and phone calls.

It can take as long as 40 minutes for a person to receive a phone call about open appointments, meaning the alert could come long past when appointments are filled. On Tuesday, many people received their alert after all the appointments had been filled, Valentine said.

The county has about 30,000 subscribers to the alert system, accounting for some of the delay, Valentine said at the meeting.

“Text messages go through the fastest,” she said. “It seems to take longer to get those phone calls out to all individuals that are subscribed.”

Even if there wasn’t a delay to the alert system, there’s no getting around the fact that appointments will fill up fast. The 2018 census estimated there are 1,548 residents ages 65-69 in Summit County, which doesn’t include the educators and child care workers in the county. In total, Wineland said she estimates the new phase includes about 3,000 residents.

Summit County’s adoptable pets for the week of Feb. 7, 2021

 

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

Cats

AZUL, 5 months, domestic mediumhair, gray tabby, spayed female

BEAUREGARD, 3 years, domestic longhair, black, neutered male

CASANOVA, 2 years, domestic shorthair, brown tabby, neutered male

CLEO, 9 years, domestic longhair, black and white, spayed female

COCO, 2 years, domestic shorthair, chocolate, spayed female

GAYE, 1 year 7 months, domestic longhair, gray, spayed female

MARCIE, 5 months, domestic longhair, black, spayed female

MAVERICK, 3 years, domestic shorthair, orange tabby, neutered male

ROSA, 5 months, domestic mediumhair, gray tabby, spayed female

VERDE, 5 months, domestic mediumhair, gray tabby, spayed female

Dogs

DJANGO, 1 year 4 months, pointer and pit bull terrier mix, tan and brown, neutered male

ELVIS, 1 year 2 months, English pointer, tan and white, neutered male

HURRICANE, 11 months, Labrador retriever and German shepherd mix, black, neutered male

SHAMUS, 7 months, akbash, white, neutered male

SID, 2 years, Australian cattle dog mix, brown and white, neutered male

WHYLLER, 1 year 4 months, Labrador retriever and rottweiler mix, black and tan, neutered male

Mortgage Rates Hold at 2.73% Average for Another Week

 

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continued to hover near its all-time low, offering low borrowing costs to home shoppers and refinancers. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.73% again this week; it’s all-time low was 2.65%, which was set in early January, Freddie Mac reports.

“Mortgage rates remained flat this week and near record lows, signifying an economy that continues to struggle,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “This rate environment is advantageous for those who are looking to refinance in order to strengthen their financial position. While many have already refinanced, the evidence suggests that upper-income homeowners have taken advantage of the opportunity more so than lower-income homeowners who could stand to benefit the most by lowering their monthly mortgage payment.”

Frisco begins conversations on maintaining community culture in a post-pandemic world

 

 #Frisco #Colorado

Frisco began big-picture conversations last week to consider the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and to start reckoning with how to address the “new realities” of tourism trends to maintain a culture that is friendly to Frisco residents and the council’s vision for the town.

On Jan. 26, a recently formed group called the Insights Collective led Frisco Town Council through a discussion on what economic and social changes the town could expect to see in a post-pandemic environment and what steps should be taken to ensure Frisco is in a good place to adjust its strategic goals accordingly.

The Insights Collective is a think tank comprised of tourism industry experts that formed last year in an effort to quantify economic impacts of the pandemic on resort communities and ultimately guide officials through strategies that can support a high quality of life for residents.

Experts optimistic about housing market in 2021

 U.S. pending home sales dipped to the tune of 0.3% in December following a 2.6% drop in November, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. It’s the fourth consecutive monthly decline, but many industry observers see big potential for the housing market in the year ahead.

Contract signings rose 21.4% from December 2019, with all regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) reaching double-digit year-over-year increases. Realtor.com’s Housing Market Recovery Index showed significant contract growth, specifically in Portland, Las Vegas, Denver, Los Angeles, and Boston.

“Despite some weakness in pending sales in recent months, existing home sales continue to happen at breakneck pace, and December’s pending home sales suggest that the housing market is largely holding onto these gains,” said Danielle Hale, realtor.com chief economist. “Greater participation of sellers and builders in the months ahead will make home sales possible while easing some of the pressure on price growth, which is currently rising at a double-digit percent rate and has been for almost six months.”

The overall drop in pending home sales over the final quarter of 2020 can be contributed to a lack of inventory in the housing market, according to Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.

Can’t Find A House To Buy? Blame Out-Of-Towners

Tired of getting outbid on homes? You might have out-of-towners to blame.

According to a new analysis from real estate brokerage Redfin, out-of-town buyers are bringing significantly larger budgets to the table than their local counterparts. It’s driving up home prices and creating stiff competition for the very limited supply of homes on the market.

What’s driving these more cash-flush buyers to new markets? According to Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist, the pandemic — as well as the sweeping remote work arrangements it has ushered in — has a lot to do with it.

“Many homebuyers are now able to widen their searches to parts of the country that weren’t options when they were tied to offices in expensive cities, and the consequences for popular destinations will be numerous,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “That’s great news for remote workers because their San Francisco salary can buy a lot more in Nashville or Austin than the Bay Area.”