Breckenridge Town Council discusses short-term rental recommendations

 

It has been nearly six months since Breckenridge Town Council decided to put a pause on short-term rental licenses in the town, and the conversation about how to handle them going forward continues.

The Tourism Overlay District Task Force was given the task of finding out ways to handle increases in short-term rentals, and on Tuesday community development director Mark Truckey presented those to the council for discussion. In February the Task Force divided the town into 3 zones:  Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3.

“Overall, I think task force generally agreed on the overall goal is allowing some additional licensing in Zone 1, and in zone 2 and 3, we wouldn’t be encouraging additional licensing,” Truckey said.

Zone 1 is focused on neighborhoods and homes near the ski area. It includes much of the west and south sides of town, Main Street Station and areas near Columbine Road. In this area, according to the task force, approximately 78% of homes in this zone hold short-term rental licensing. Because this zone has a higher rate of short-term rentals than the other zones, the task force has recommended that this percentage be allowed to increase to 80% of all units in Zone 1, an increase of about 64 licenses. Currently, there are 3,144 short-term units in this zone.

Zone 2 primarily encompasses the downtown area of Breckenridge. It is the smallest of the three and includes Main Street, North and South Ridge Streets and the Upper Warrior’s Mark area. According to the task force, this zone has less short-term licenses than Zone 1 but still more than Zone 3.

Zone 3 consists mainly of neighborhoods with long-term rentals or homeowners. This zone has the least amount of licenses, but in recent years has seen an increase, which the task force has determined to be detrimental to historical neighborhoods of Breckenridge. The goal of this zone is to decrease the amount of short-term rentals in this area. Right now, there are 960 licenses and to get down to the task force’s 10% goal, the zone would have to lose over 600 licenses, which town manager Rick Holman said could take upwards of 20 years, if it happens at all.

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How you can limit the spread of invasive weeds in Summit County

 

As the weather warms and Summit County’s greenery comes back to life, so do harmful plants, and local officials are asking the public to remain informed of invasive species of weeds that can harm local wildlife.

Currently, the state of Colorado has identified dozens of plants a noxious weeds or plants that out-compete natives for light, space and nutrients. Ryan Cook, an invasive plant species manager for Summit County, said that in Summit County many of them are commonly found along trails or on private property. Some of the most common ones include Canadian thistles, musk thistles, mullein an ox eye daisies.

“They all come from different places. For instance, we have Chinese clematis. Obviously it originally came from China,” Cook said. “There’s also Canadian sisal from Canada and Russian knapweed. These plants came from other nations and were introduced into Colorado, and they basically don’t have any natural enemy in the Rocky Mountains. They choke out our native wildlife for water and can sometimes make some of our native flowers go extinct because they’re so aggressive, and they don’t have anything to keep them in check.”

Click here for the entire list

Noxious weeds are categorized into three lists based on how aggressive they are: List A, List B and List C. Cook said List A weeds are the most aggressive, and the state of Colorado has put 25 types of weeds into List A. In Summit County, there are two types listed in this category, myrtle spurge and orange hawkweed.

“If someone sees, on a hiking trail or private property or something, an A-list weed, the weed department wants to know about it immediately,” Cook said. “We need to get that out of the county, like pronto.”

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Summit County’s adoptable pets for the week of April 25

 

Teak is roughly 4 years old and shy, but will warm up and seek attention from human and cat friends. Yet, he can also be very independent. He would prefer to go to a quieter home where he can feel comfortable and gain some confidence.

#breckenridge #colorado #coloradorealestate

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

Summit County Animal Shelter

Dillon Amphitheater announces summer 2022 lineup

#dillon #colorado #coloradorealestate

 Almost all of the musical acts have been slotted for Dillon Amphitheater’s summer season, according to the town’s announcement on Wednesday, April 20. Like previous seasons, it will be a mix of free and paid concerts, and shows will run from June 11 through Sept. 15.

Paid performers and concerts include Umphrey’s McGee; Dirty Heads with Soja, Tribal Seeds & Artikal Sound System; The String Cheese Incident; Trampled By Turtles with Morsel; Caamp: The National; Goose; My Morning Jacket; Shakey Graves; Summit Musicians Relief Fund fundraiser; Flogging Molly & The Interrupters with Tiger Army & The Skints; and Greensky Bluegrass.

Free performers and events are The Long Run; Bonfire Dub; Brass Attack; March Fourth; Beth Steele Community Concert; The Nacho Men; Air Force Band’s Falconaires Jazz Band; Colorado Symphony;
 Big Richard; The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band; O’Connor Brothers Band and Hobo Village;
 Buckstein; National Repertory Orchestra; American Music Legacy Festival; Eyes Wide Open; and The Docksiders.

For more information and to purchase tickets click here

Exit 205 at Silverthorne construction begins

 

Colorado Department of Transportation’s work on Interstate 70 between Frisco and Silverthorne has officially begun after winter weather delays pushed back the work scheduled near Exit 205.

Drivers using Exit 205 should expect shorter left turn lanes to get onto the on-ramp on both the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-70. The lanes will be shortened 24/7 until the first portion of the project is done. This portion of the project has a goal to be finished by July 1 in order to have the least amount of impact on summer tourism travel.

Travelers who do use this area during construction should budget an extra 20 minutes of travel in the work zone, officials say.

Work on the exit requires lane closures at the interchange of I-70, U.S. Highway 6 and Colorado Highway 9. Most work will take place at night. Night work could begin as early as 8 p.m and last no later than 6 a.m. to accommodate morning rush hour.

Travelers are encouraged to check COtrip.org for potential traffic delays.

COtrip.org

How you can keep your home safe from wildfires, according to the experts

 

Wildfires in the state have already begun, and leadership from Red, White & Blue Fire District and the Colorado Forest Service met virtually Wednesday, April 13, to discuss how residents can protect their homes from damage. The webinar was hosted by the town of Blue River, but was open to the public.

Cpt. Matt Benedict, who is also a Blue River resident, said that in recent years, fires have gotten bigger, hotter and more complicated.

“There’s a myth out there you see every year in the press as well that it’s only the miracle homes that survived fires,” he said. “That’s just not how physics works. It’s not miracles. It’s very fuel-based. It’s very wind-based. It’s very, in a lot of ways, predictable.”

The first 5 feet around a home is called the “immediate zone,” Benedict said, and it is considered now to be the most critical in what can save a home. He said that when a home burns down, it’s most likely due to easily ignited materials within 5 feet of the home, which can include small branches or other natural materials.

Next, is the “intermediate zone,” which is 5 to 30 feet away from a house. According to research from the U.S. Forest Service, radiant heat from a wildfire will not ignite materials on homes at distances greater than 30 feet from the house, which also makes it an important zone to remove flammable vegetation from. This does not mean residents have to remove every single tree or shrub from 30 feet from the home, but making sure that there is little risk in this zone is important, Benedict said.

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Summit Historical Society invites public to travel to the past with homestead map

 

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People can travel 160 years into Summit County’s past using a new interactive tool from the Summit Historical Society.

The society released its Homestead Mapping Project as a way to chart the beginnings of land ownership in the county. The colorful map shows 160-acre parcels that span from Breckenridge to Heeney and includes the names of the around 300 original homesteaders who traveled to Summit County to build ranches, mine for gold and live peacefully among the mountains.

“What we want people to do is to get curious about how that land was used before the reservoir, before the subdivision, before the Walmart,” said Sally Queen, executive director of the historical society.

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Vail Resorts announces opening dates for summer operations at Breckenridge, Keystone

 Although it may not feel like it yet, summer is near and as the warm months get closer, Vail Resorts has announced the opening dates for summer operations at all five of its Colorado resorts.

In Summit County, Breckenridge Ski Resort will be the first Vail Resorts-owned property to open for the summer. Employees will open the area on June 17.

Breckenridge Ski Resort will be open daily with actives such as scenic rides, a climbing wall, the Gold Run Coaster, Alpine slides, Jeep tours, mini golf, gem panning and bungee trampolines.

Breckenridge Ski Resort will close for the summer season on Sept. 5 to prepare for the 2022-23 winter ski season.

Keystone Resort will open for the summer season on June 22 and will operate on a Wednesday through Sunday schedule except Monday, July 4.

Summer activities at Keystone include the bike park, scenic rides, mountain top snow tubing, a mine shaft maze, gem panning and bungee trampolines.

Keystone will also have two other operations opening in May. The River Golf Course will open on May 13, and the Ranch Golf Course will open on May 20.

Keystone Resort will conclude all summer operations on Sept. 5, too.

Vail Mountain’s season will run from June 17 thorugh Oct. 2. There will be a kick-off celebration event from June 7-12, and Gondola One will operate during the GoPro Mountain games on during the last two days of the event, June 11-12.

For more information on all of Vail Resorts summer operation plans visit:  Vail Resorts

Summit County’s adoptable pets for the week of April 10

 

#breckenridge #colorado #coloradorealestate

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

Shelter website

Breckenridge Ski Resort co-founder Trygve Berge turns 90

 

Trygve Berge’s storied legacy spans the 60 years of Breckenridge Ski Resort  and then some. He is an Olympian who has met Sophia Loren, survived a plane crash and created Ullr Fest.

 The pioneer turns 90 this month, and the Breckenridge Tourism Office is throwing him a reception at the Riverwalk Center to celebrate Monday, April 11. There will be photos and videos highlighting his life, cake and more. Berge has earned the recognition and celebration.

His passion of skiing led Berge on a path to become a Norwegian downhill champion racer in 1954 and compete at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy.

Berge came to the United States after the Olympics and lived in Aspen Highlands with skiing icon Stein Eriksen in 1958. There, he met Bill Rounds, who offered Berge a job at his family’s lumberyard in Breckenridge. Shortly thereafter, Berge ended up co-founding the resort with Rounds and fellow Norwegian Olympian Sigurd Rockne.

I met Trygve almost 40 years ago and he has been a friend ever since.

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Gov. Jared Polis says enough is enough on tourism marketing

 

Hotel guests in Colorado will no longer see 100% of the funds they pay into county lodging taxes used for marketing efforts telling them to return, thanks to a bill signed into law Thursday, March 31, in Edwards.

Those marketing efforts aren’t as necessary if the tourism industry is facing larger problems serving the guests who are already here, Gov. Jared Polis said in a speech explaining why he feels the new bill is important.

“If the tourism community, and the industry, needs housing because they need workers to be able to power the tourism industry, that should be an allowable use of funds, too,” Polis said.

Polis credited Rep. Dylan Roberts, a Democrat who lives in Avon, for his work on the bill, saying Eagle County, is an example of a place where lodging tax funds would be better spent on housing than marketing.

“That’s exactly the situation we have in Eagle County,” Polis said. “Our recreation economy, our tourism economy, depends on housing.”

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Keystone Resort to host Springtastic, a closing weekend celebration, April 16-17

 

Before Keystone Resort officially closes for the 2021-22 ski season it will throw its Springtastic party, a closing weekend celebration, between April 16-17.

On Saturday, April 16, the resort will host the Springtastic Rail Jam, which will allow participants to show off their tricks from a hike-to terrain park located at the Mountain House base area.

Event registration is $15 and participants must wear a helmet as well as be at least 14-years-old.

Keystone will also offer a Springtastic Music Series throughout the final weekend. The music lineup includes DJ Littlefoot and So What Brothers on Saturday, April 16, and DJDC and Rock of 80’s on Sunday, April 17. All of the live music will be played at the Mountain House base area and is free to the public.

Rounding out the weekend on Sunday, April 17, is the Keystone Slush Cup, a pond skimming competition, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Full story and schedule here

Individuals over the age of 50 can get a 2nd booster shot at Summit County clinics

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is allowing individuals ages 50 and older to get a fourth shot and those who are immunocompromised to get a fifth shot. Community members can get a vaccine at one of Summit County’s clinics over the next few months, with the first opportunity Friday, April 1.

The CDC has also approved a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine at least four months ago.

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