The Dillon Town Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, March 19, to review an application proposing a mixed-use structure with 200 residential units, restaurants and retail space on the town’s waterfront.

Developer Jake Porritt is proposing the five-story, 485,000-square-foot building at 626 and 652 Lake Dillon Drive and 153 and 223 W. LaBonte Drive — where the Best Western and now-defunct Arapahoe Cafe now stand. 

The Dillon Planning Commission voted 3-2 last month to recommend the town council approve the planned unit development agreement for the project. Last Tuesday, March 5, the Dillon Town Council advanced a first reading of an ordinance approving the Level IV Development Application, and set the public hearing date.

The proposed building would feature public amenities such as a rooftop terrace, bar, observation deck and ground-level plaza, according to plans submitted to the town. A swimming pool and another rooftop area would be for residents only. 

During the planning commission meeting last month, some members of the public raised concerns about the size of the building and the potential for it to block views of the waterfront for other residences in town.

Others took issue with the type of housing to be offered in the structure, which Porritt has referred to as “branded residences.” Porritt has previously said that these units, which would range from one- to three-bedroom units, could be purchased and then rented out by the owner through a third-party hospitality company like Marriot, Hyatt or Hilton.

Mayor Carolyn Skowyra explained to members of the public at the March 5 meeting that public comments on the proposed project must be reserved for the public hearing scheduled for March 19.

“We have to do it that way to protect the sanctity of the quasi-judicial process so that this council is not predisposed to any of the information,” Skowyra said. “We are not supposed to have looked at any of it.”

Skowyra said the Town Council is not supposed to form opinions related to the project before the public hearing, “so that we can give the applicant a fair hearing.”