Avon finalizes plan for strategic redevelopment of Sun Road area
The 8-acre parcel is zoned for mixed-use development, including community housing, but currently contains just 4 businesses
Ali Longwell/Vail Daily archive
Avon has drawn up plans for how its underdeveloped Sun Road area might be renovated.
The 8-acre Sun Road area lies on the northwest side of town, on the southwest corner of the Interstate 70 interchange. The area currently houses the Comfort Inn, Walgreens, First Bank and the post office.
Other than the hotel, the businesses are one-story tall. But the land is zoned for higher density, mixed-use development. The Town Council packet for the Feb. 25 meeting calls the area “substantially under-developed” and “underutilized.”
This means the area could contain housing in addition to commercial businesses. The Sun Road Redevelopment Plan envisions a future in which the area contains designated pedestrian areas, community housing, and possibly a bus station.
Jena Skinner, Avon’s planning manager, presented a near-final draft of the plan to the Town Council on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
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What does the Sun Road Redevelopment Plan contain?
The town does not currently have plans to redevelop the area, and the plan will not require strict adherence from developers, but it will serve as a framework for any future development.
“It’s a guiding document. It’s a recommending document,” Skinner said. “We have our comp(rehensive) plan, which gives absolutely direction, and this is just something that’s going to inspire.”
The plan will also serve as a basis for future research done by town staff, such as looking into what it would look like for the area to host a transit center.
The redevelopment plan states the area will host at least 70,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space and somewhere between 150 and 300 deed restricted community housing units, with the buildings reaching up to 80 feet tall. The development will include parking in a surface-level parking structure or below the buildings.
The plan also says the Sun Road right-of-way — the road — “is anticipated to be vacated,” with the 26,200 feet the road occupies repurposed into a public plaza.
The plan also lists the possibility that the area become the home of a new Avon transit center, as the existing Avon Station transit center may reach its capacity in the next three to 10 years.
Beyond this, the redevelopment plan offers three different concepts.
The first version includes a park and ride that could replace Avon Station, while the second version focuses on community housing without redeveloping the entire parcel. The third option involves a full redevelopment of the area, with enhanced pedestrian walkways, new lodging and the relocation of utilities.
Town staff’s preferred concept blends these three options into a hybrid that provides community housing, transit, commercial, pedestrian areas and more.
“We want everything on this site. It’s high density. It’s mixed use. It’s in the town core. It’s a gateway,” said Eric Heil, Avon town manager. “It’s a pretty aggressive wish list of transit-oriented development, neighborhood commercial, parking, community housing, all in cutting-edge design (that is) sustainable, resilient.”
The Sun Road redevelopment can be partially financed with funds from the Avon Urban Renewal Authority and the Avon Downtown Development Authority, both of which can collect the increment of new property taxes generated from new development within their boundaries for use within the town.
The Town Council reviewed the Sun Road redevelopment plan for the first time during its Jan. 28 meeting and asked town staff to update the document’s community housing definition, as well as strengthen and clarify some of the language.
During the Feb. 25 meeting, the council went through the plan page by page, evaluating the edits and making more minor suggestions.
“This started off good. From my perspective, it’s now great,” said Council member Rich Carroll, the mayor pro tem.
By approving the Sun Road redevelopment plan, the council added the plan to the Avon Comprehensive Plan. There is currently no scheduled redevelopment for the land, and there will be no action taken toward development without the consultation and consent of the existing landowners.
According to the timeline of next steps laid out in the redevelopment plan, the town might put out a request for proposal for developer services in late 2026 or early 2027.
