Residents say Roost proposal too high

Neighbors say condo-hotel building won't fit in neighborhood

Click to Enlarge Browse Vail Daily Photos Bill Weiss, who lives on Lions Ridge Loop, says the proposal for the Roost Lodge, lower right along Interstate 70, is too big. The owner of the lodge in West Vail is proposing a 129-room hotel and 39 two-bedroom condo building. Bret Hartman/Vail Daily Get News Feeds

Edward Stoner
March 1, 2006

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VAIL - Vail's debate about size and bulk has migrated from Crossroads to West Vail.

The proposal for a 126-room hotel and 39 condos at the site of the Roost Lodge has some neighbors upset about how big it will be. Bill Weiss, who lives in the Chateau Tremonte neighborhood above the Roost, thinks the proposal could set a precedent for the construction of other buildings in Vail that are too large, he said.

"What's to stop (other developers) from doing the same thing?" he said.

The project, which is being built into the hillside, complies with Vail building rules that say it can only be 48 feet above the ground, town officials say. But Weiss says the project will be much taller as measured from the frontage road to its tallest point.

The building won't block his views, but it will block others' views, he said. He also said the building would act as a sounding board and bounce highway noise back to the Matterhorn neighborhood across the interstate.

"They're going to be listening to road noise," he said.

On Monday, planning commissioners held off on a decision on the proposal. Some said it was too large for the neighborhood. Others said it was unattractive.

"This is probably the ugliest building that has been proposed since I've been on this board," said planning commissioner Chas Bernhardt.

Kevin Deighan, a partner in the development company, said they are using the same height measurements that other developers in Vail use.

"All we did was pick up the codebook and follow the rules," said Dominic Mauriello, a planner who is working for the developer, Timberline Roost Lodge LLC.

Phyllis Dickson, president of the Capstone Townhouse Association, a neighborhood above the Roost property, also said the proposal is too high.

"It's inconsistent with the neighborhood," she said. "It's going to stick out like a sore thumb."

It won't block her views of the Gore Range, but it will block her views of the other side of the valley, she said.

"We're not talking about downtown, financial districts here," she said. "We're talking about a resort town, the small, private feeling of the town."



Staff Writer Edward Stoner can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 14623, or estoner@vaildaily.com.



Vail, Colorado