A key workforce housing component of Breckenridge Grand Vacations’ seven-parcel East Peak 8/Gold Rush Lot development received final approval from planning officials, moving it one step closer to breaking ground near Colorado Highway 9. 

The workforce housing project slated for the northeast corner Colorado Highway 9 and Huron Road featuring 40 deed-restricted one-bedroom units, dubbed the “Entrada” project, obtained unanimous approval following its final review at a July 15 Breckenridge Planning Commission meeting.

“We’ve been in here to talk to you about a few really big and glamorous projects over the last couple months, but this is the one that kind of maintains the heartbeat of the community, with places for people to live,” Breckenridge Grand Vacations chief development officer Graham Frank said. 

The project serves as the last-minute addition to East Peak 8/Gold Rush Lot development, which also includes a luxury hotel and private residences resort, single-family and townhomes and a second workforce housing complex. Concerns from Breckenridge Town Council in 2023 regarding Breckenridge Grand Vacations’ original plans to introduce an even larger workforce housing complex prompted the proposal to split the project in two. Now, there will two workforce housing projects in the development, one on Colorado Highway 9 and one on Park Avenue.

Commissioner Allen Frechter applauded the developer for working through the economic constraints currently accompanying the construction industry and for finding the way to make the project work on a difficult plot of land. While showing support, he touched on his ongoing concern regarding the amount of density going on the lot. He said he would have rather seen the 40-unit development go on North Gold Rush Lot in Breckenridge instead. 

Commissioner Mark Leas said the project is as good as it can get given the circumstances. 

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say again, I feel that the Town Council has hamstrung the planning commission with the exemptions and restrictions that they put on us to do the job that we otherwise would have done,” he said, noting he did think the end result is a “good project.” 

Commissioner Mike Giller commented on how many of the changes that occurred from the preliminary design were in response to technical input from Breckenridge engineering staff members, adding that he liked the final product. 

When reviewing the final product, commissioner Elaine Gort worried about not seeing a communal outdoor area in the site plans. Frank responded there is an outside area baked into the site plan, but it will be smaller than originally hoped because of the developer having to move a dumpster that ate up some of the space. Breckenridge planner Amelia Brackett said the town was eyeing ways to create access to nearby trails the complex’s residents can use.

The 31,457 square-foot building will be just north of 7-Eleven in Breckenridge, and all units will be deed-restricted for workforce housing. Previously, the land parcel slated to house the units was not in Breckenridge town lines and had to be annexed in for the sake of the project.

For this iteration of the East Peak 8/ Gold Rush Lot development, Breckenridge Grand Vacations first pitched one workforce housing project instead of two. The first iteration of the development got reworked in 2023 to spread out density.

After coming up with a refreshed proposal, the developer sought to bring 92 units of workforce housing to Park Avenue, but council persuaded them to break it in two in December 2023.

Council members felt this many units in that busy area of town could lead to issues with safety and pedestrian traffic. Many council members advocated for some of these units to be moved to the “Entrada” parcel at the corner of Highway 9, and that’s what ended up happening.