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Background
Breckenridge Ski Resort and the U.S. Forest Service first formally proposed the Peak 6 plan in January, 2008. As presented, the proposal calls for about 450 acres of traditional lift-served and hike-to terrain skiing served by one lift and a restaurant at the base. The new terrain pod would include six trails totaling about 67 acres and about 285 acres of terrain above treeline. Another 100 acres would accessed by hiking. The Peak 6 lift would be about 1 mile long, covering 1,500 vertical feet.
Next steps
Town and county planners will use the task force findings to start drafting a formal three-party agreement. Breckenridge town manager Tim Gagen said the memorandum of understanding will be subject to public review and comment in a series of work sessions and public hearings.
Breckenridge Ski Resort and the U.S. Forest Service first formally proposed the Peak 6 plan in January, 2008. As presented, the proposal calls for about 450 acres of traditional lift-served and hike-to terrain skiing served by one lift and a restaurant at the base. The new terrain pod would include six trails totaling about 67 acres and about 285 acres of terrain above treeline. Another 100 acres would accessed by hiking. The Peak 6 lift would be about 1 mile long, covering 1,500 vertical feet.
Next steps
Town and county planners will use the task force findings to start drafting a formal three-party agreement. Breckenridge town manager Tim Gagen said the memorandum of understanding will be subject to public review and comment in a series of work sessions and public hearings.
BRECKENRIDGE — A community group aiming to address housing, parking and transportation issues associated with resort growth met one last time Wednesday to try and assemble all the diverse opinions represented on the panel.
The task force was formed last year at the suggestion of Breckenridge Ski Resort vice president and chief operating officer Lucy Kay, after a proposal to add several hundred acres of lift-served skiing on Peak 6 triggered a flood of critical comments from residents. What's resulted is a deeper conversation about potential development impacts — something Summit County has seen little of in the past.
“There were some concerns we didn't capture everybody's viewpoint correctly,” said Keystone Center facilitator Sarah Stokes Alexander. “If we need to capture dissenting voices, we can do that. The more specific you can be, the more helpful it is.”
“It's a high priority for the (town) council to hear those dissenting views,” said Breckenridge town manager Tim Gagen.
“I clearly said we need more teeth in this. And I'm not seeing that,” said Hearthstone Restaurant owner Dick Carleton, one of the task force members representing the town's business community.
The group agreed from the get-go that some of the issues associated with resort growth exist with or without the Peak 6 expansion. But its members nevertheless set out to try and come up with a specific set of recommendations to mitigate the impacts of the Peak 6 plan, including increased traffic and higher demand for employee housing and social services.
Those findings would be incorporated into a formal agreement between Breckenridge, Summit County and the ski resort. The U.S. Forest Service will also use the document during its evaluation of the proposal.
The task force was formed last year at the suggestion of Breckenridge Ski Resort vice president and chief operating officer Lucy Kay, after a proposal to add several hundred acres of lift-served skiing on Peak 6 triggered a flood of critical comments from residents. What's resulted is a deeper conversation about potential development impacts — something Summit County has seen little of in the past.
“There were some concerns we didn't capture everybody's viewpoint correctly,” said Keystone Center facilitator Sarah Stokes Alexander. “If we need to capture dissenting voices, we can do that. The more specific you can be, the more helpful it is.”
“It's a high priority for the (town) council to hear those dissenting views,” said Breckenridge town manager Tim Gagen.
“I clearly said we need more teeth in this. And I'm not seeing that,” said Hearthstone Restaurant owner Dick Carleton, one of the task force members representing the town's business community.
The group agreed from the get-go that some of the issues associated with resort growth exist with or without the Peak 6 expansion. But its members nevertheless set out to try and come up with a specific set of recommendations to mitigate the impacts of the Peak 6 plan, including increased traffic and higher demand for employee housing and social services.
Those findings would be incorporated into a formal agreement between Breckenridge, Summit County and the ski resort. The U.S. Forest Service will also use the document during its evaluation of the proposal.
More skier visits?
Breckenridge Town Councilmember Jeffrey Bergeron jumped into the discussion by casting doubt on the conclusion that the Peak 6 expansion will not add a significant amount of skier traffic.“Most people think that's ridiculous,” Bergeron said, alluding to dozens of public comments expressing concern about increased visitation. According to Bergeron, common sense dictates that a “sexy” resort expansion will draw more skiers.
The context of that discussion is that the town could be close to a “tipping point.” According to some residents, the Peak 6 expansion could push the town over the edge when it comes to quality of life for existing residents.
Kay said other factors, including the economy and snowfall, are equally important, and that the resort will continue to grow with or without the Peak 6 terrain. She also pointed out the Blue Sky Basin expansion at Vail did not translate into a big jump in skier visits.
In a previous draft version of the group's findings, the resort agreed that it would forgo any additional expansions “in perpetuity.” Making the Peak 6 addition the final piece in the resort's growth is the single biggest concession Breckenridge Ski Resort is offering — “the big gift,” according to Kay.
Social issues
The task force also struggled with its conclusions on how Peak 6 will affect transportation, affordable housing and social service needs. There was no clear-cut agreement on how many employees the resort would add as a result of the expansion. Kay said previously the ski area is striving to cut its total number of workers by improving ticket-scanning technology, and other measures.
The overall goal is to ensure that resort growth has no net impact on the town in those areas. To that end, the resort has promised to try and boost occupancy at its Breck Terrace housing complex, and to develop a better reporting system for employee housing efforts.
Similarly, the resort has pledged to work more closely with the town and county on transportation issues. Better coordination in the transit area could cut the demand for parking in Breckenridge.
The touchy subject of corporate charity was also addressed. Carleton said he's concerned by what he sees as a shift away from “community controlled giving to company controlled giving.”
“I personally see a tremendous shift away from ... grassroots giving. To me, we're going backward by giving up community control,” Carleton said, singling out the Community Care Clinic and the Family and Intercultural Resource Center. Carleton added that Vail Resorts' corporate decisions on charitable contributions are made on the Front Range. At the same time, Carleton said he doesn't think Vail Resorts gets enough credit for its current efforts on the charitable front.
“I understand your fear, but that's not the intent,” Kay responded. “The idea is to get more money out there to the organizations that need it,” she said. “I think our goals are the same.”
Go to www.dillonrangerdistrict.com and click on projects to find the full scoping notice as well as maps detailing the Peak 6 plan.
