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Eagle River Station headed back to town board

Pam Boyd
Eagle Valley Enterprise
Vail, CO Colorado

EAGLE, Colorado – Eagle River Station will be back before the Eagle Town Board beginning in two weeks.

During their meeting Tuesday, town board members discussed a review schedule for the large commercial/residential project and agreed to start weekly meetings beginning in January in an attempt to issue a ruling regarding the project before the April municipal election.

Eagle River Station is a project proposed by Trinity RED Development of Kansas City, Mo., on the eastern end of town south of Interstate 70 and north of U.S. Highway 6. The 88-acre property would include 582,000 square feet of commercial space and 550 rental units. There would be two phases of development, with the first phase featuring the retail space and 250 rental units. The second phase would include “retail, rental, institutional and entertainment development to be developed as the market demands,” according to RED Development.



This is the second time around for Eagle River Station. Back in 2009, the town board approved a plan for the development but in a municipal election in January of 2010, voters rejected the proposal. RED Development has since retooled the plan and resubmitted to the town last May. Last month, members of the Eagle Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the revised ERS plan, clearing the way for the town board to begin its review of the project.

The town board has stated its intent to complete public hearings of the plan prior to the April municipal vote when three board seats and the mayor’s seat are up for election.

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At the initial Eagle River Station hearing on Nov. 22, the schedule calls for a staff introduction of the project and a discussion of the upcoming review process. RED Development will then make its presentation of the Eagle River Station plan. From there, the hearing schedule has been organized to address the following topics:

• A site visit to South Glen, an existing RED Development project in the Denver area.

• Discussion of town requirements for density, building heights, architectural standards and landscaping standards.

• Discussion of town requirements for lighting, signs, pedestrian access, streetscapes, storm water management and erosion control.

• Discussion of town requirements for sustainability, emergency services, phasing, wildlife mitigation and building design. Additional discussion will include the administrative process, population impact and on-site housing.

• Discussion of Eagle’s adequate public facilities ordinance related to traffic, schools, emergency services and water and sewer facilities.

• Final presentation by RED Development.

• Eagle Town Staff presentation.

• Town board deliberations and vote.

As they considered the schedule, town board members agreed to expand their regular meeting schedule beginning in January. The board will continue to meet on the regularly scheduled second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, but will also meet on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. There will be two exceptions to the schedule – instead of meeting on Jan. 18, the board will meet on Jan. 19; and instead of a special meeting on the fifth Tuesday on Jan. 31, the board will meet on Feb. 1.

Further complicating the town board’s schedule is the presence of another large development plan. Town Manager Willy Powell noted that the Eagle Planning and Zoning Commission will likely render a decision on Haymeadow – a 979-unit residential development proposed on a 660-acre property located adjacent to the Eagle Pool and Ice Rink in the Brush Creek Valley – next week. That sets the stage for Haymeadow to come before the Eagle Town Board as early as December.

“In my conversations with Ric Newman (the Haymeadow developer) he would like to have monthly meetings on his application beginning in January,” said Powell.

Town board members noted that a monthly schedule for Haymeadow appeared to be a good compromise while the Eagle River Station file is also under examination.


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