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Breckenridge officials split on ‘undesirable,’ last-minute changes’ to Breckenridge Grand Vacations luxury duplex project

The 16-duplex project set for Park Avenue, dubbed "The Independence Townhomes" is one of seven projects apart of Breckenridge Grand Vacations East Peak 8/Gold Rush Lot development

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This rendering presented at a July 8, 2025 Breckenridge Town Council meeting demonstrates what townhomes on Park Avenue could look like.
Town of Breckenridge/Courtesy of

Some Breckenridge officials are urging a developer to shrink the size of a townhome project near the intersection of Park Avenue and French Street after seeing adjustments to already-approved plans. 

Breckenridge Grand Vacations’s eight duplex, 16-unit Independence Townhomes project folds into larger development plans that consist of seven parcels slated for development. Independence Townhomes is known as “Parcel 3” in the larger East Peak 8/Gold Rush development.

Officials last reviewed plans for Parcel 3 around a year and a half ago when working on the development agreement with Breckenridge Grand Vacations. Many officials were keen on ensuring there was adequate landscaping and screening for the project since it is on Park Avenue and will be one of the first things visitors see upon entering downtown.



Some couldn’t get behind the changes to Independence Townhomes that were presented to them at a July 8 Breckenridge Town Council meeting, with two members voicing opposition and others showing hesitancy. 

Council discussed Parcel 3 at the behest of Breckenridge Grand Vacations because the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board requested changes to the project. Additionally, letters written by the public shared concerns over aspects of the project that look different than when it was first approved.



Town planner Sarah Crump said changes to project layouts can happen during the time between approval construction, while noting that this is common.

This photo taken by Breckenridge town staff members shows what the area that will house eight townhomes looks like now.
Town of Breckenridge/Courtesy of

According to a staff memo for the July 8 meeting, the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board requested revisions to the development’s layout so it better adheres to regulations for dwellings beneath an active gondola. The agency asked that the developer shift the location of four duplexes, reconfigure a private drive and relocate infrastructure like retaining walls, trash enclosures, guest parking and landscaping. The changes will impact the amount of impacted wetlands, the setback distance of the development from the road and a proposed tree buffer.

Breckenridge Town Council previously agreed to grant a variance on the town’s landscaping code so long as the developer adhered to the landscape design concept and tree buffer retention requirements set by officials, or at least have the landscaping and tree buffering be “substantially similar” to what council set.

Council member Dick Carleton said he didn’t find what was being presented to him at the July 8 meeting to be “substantially similar” to the requirement council set. He said something he felt strongly about when reviewing the project previously was having adequate screening for the development on a busy road, and part of that agreement included ensuring the developers saved existing trees or willows during construction.

Town staff members said the survey originally done for the landscape design may have had some inaccurate data about the longevity and health of the type of trees planned to be used for the buffer. A staff memo stated there were factors both within and outside of the developer’s control resulting in there being “very few of the buffer trees remaining along Park Avenue.”

Carleton still felt the developer didn’t follow through on what was agreed upon. 

“I haven’t seen much effort to preserve the trees. … I know it’s easy to talk about how poor health they are when they’re all gone, but they’re all gone,” he said. “They’ve been gone for months. So were most of the willows. I think it was originally contemplated that we were going to keep the willows to provide good screening.”

He said he has photos of willows near the site of the development from months ago before preparation for construction started that show the willows healthy and alive. He said he stands by his approval of the concept of the townhomes, but he wanted to see the development’s footprint shrink to allow for proper screening. 

With plans for a roundabout to be built on Breckeridge Grand Vacations’ dime slated for the road right in front of the development, which is still awaiting approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation, Carleton worried about the setback distance from the property line to the street being shrunk further. He and others also felt the near 58,000-square-foot development felt bigger than what council originally approved. Staff said it was a similar size, if not a bit smaller. 

Council member Marika Page agreed with Carleton’s take on the situation. 

Council member Jay Beckerman asked staff if they thought the landscape concept presented July 8 was substantially similar to the previously approved plan. 

Crump said she thought it went “above and beyond what was previously approved.”

While she ended up showing support, Mayor Kelly Owens also had concerns. 

“We actually wrote in a little bit of wiggle room for impacts to wetlands (into the development agreement) which I wasn’t aware of,” Mayor Kelly Owen said. “I’m just wondering, is it typical that when an applicant is developing a site and some wetland impacts are approved, that sometimes additional wetland impacts become necessary due to engineering or whatever?”

Town staff members said it was common. 

Council members Steve Gerard and Carol Saade, while having some qualms about the changes, said Breckenridge Grand Vacations had development rights the town shouldn’t infringe on. 

Similar to Owens, Beckerman had concerns but ultimately showed some support. He called the last-minute design changes “absolutely undesirable.” He also said he was wary of how many variances, or waivers, to the town’s development code officials granted the development, meaning the developer didn’t have to follow certain policies. 

“I can’t help but see the volume of the waivers that were approved through this development agreement, and the generality of them have somewhat come home to roost a little bit, and I think that there it’s to serve as a reminder moving forward on the implications of our actions,” he said. 

Council requested Breckenridge Grand Vacations replant three trees for every one tree killed. The developer said it plans to plant more trees in the area than what was originally asked of them.

No official vote occurred at the July 8 meeting. Town attorney Keely Ambrose said it would be on an upcoming agenda for a future Breckenridge Town Council meeting.

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