‘Renaissance’ chugging along in Vail

VAIL, Colorado ” All the snow hasn’t put a damper on Vail, Colorado’s major construction projects. Here’s what’s going on:

The concrete pouring for the plaza was completed two weeks ago, and now the steel frame of the building is going up, said Craig Cohn, director of sales, marketing and leasing for the project.

The steel work is expected to finish in late April or early May. The project is on schedule and on budget, Cohn said.

Peter Knobel’s Solaris project will have 77 condos, a three-screen movie theater, a 10-lane bowling alley, stores, restaurants and an ice rink/public plaza. The project is expected to be completed in April 2010.

The 24 condos are nearing completion in the next few weeks after about three years of construction.

Support Local Journalism

Donate

“It’s down to the final finishes. We’re getting it buffed and polished,” said developer Ron Byrne.

The homes have fireplaces, hot tubs, patios, and a view of the Gore Creek. The project is located at the site of Apollo Park by Ford Park.

Work continues in the next couple weeks on the building’s roof, and interior work is ongoing in all the wings of the resort. Scaffolding was installed around outside of the building, and the property has been wrapped and sealed in critical areas to prepare for interior work throughout the winter.

Representatives for the project said it remains on schedule to be finished in late 2009. Right now, there are 300 workers on site each day, a number that will increase as work continues.

Four Seasons Resort Vail includes a 121-room hotel, 16 condominiums and 19 “fractional residences.” The site is located just southwest of the main Vail roundabout and will include a restaurant, spa, pool, library, apres ski lounge and shops.

Work on chalets near the base of the Vista Bahn in Vail Village is ongoing, according to town of Vail reports. Building is finished, but landscape work is still under way, said Tom Miller of Vail Resorts Development Co.

The chalets are part of Vail Resorts’ Front Door project, which includes 13 townhomes, a skier services building, the private Vail Mountain Club, a loading dock, an underground garage, a spa and an addition to the Lodge at Vail.

The town just got the new fountain at the top of Bridge Street fully functional, said town of Vail engineer Tom Kassmel.

The fountain, designed by a California company that also designed the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, spouts water and fire. However, problems with leaks delayed the fountain for months. In November, workers had problem getting the fire display to function.

Kassmel said those problems were solved last Monday.

Crews are finishing up the street and landscaping work at the new village.

The Arrabelle has 66 condos, 36 hotel rooms, a spa, meeting rooms, a restaurant, locker rooms, offices, stores, parking and a loading dock. The stores include Burton, Vail Sports, Patagonia, Quiksilver and Starbucks. The restaurants are Blue Moose Pizza, Centre V, the Vail Chophouse and Rimini, a sweets shop.

Framework is going up for a new tower and a new clocktower in Lionshead. The clocktower, which will be part of 17 new townhomes at the Landmark project, will be the highest clocktower in Lionshead, said Howard Olsen, senior project manager at Alter Construction.

This month, the facade of the building will be finished, the roofing will go in, and the building’s entrance will be completed, Olsen said.

The Landmark is in Lionshead, above Billy’s Island Grill, North Face, the General Store and One Track Mind. Plans also include a new exterior for the existing buildings. The project is supposed to be completed in spring 2010.

Over the next few weeks, the resort’s hotel entrance will be finished. The hotel’s back patio will also be finished soon with a new hot tub, fire pits and pool.

Work is also ongoing at Atwater on Gore Creek, the Cascade’s new restaurant, the bar area and the hotel’s library.

In the spa, work on the men’s locker room is complete and final installations for the women’s locker room are under way. A new air conditioning system is also being installed throughout the building.

The steel framework for the towers is still going up, and work on the roof is ongoing, said project manager Tony Faulhaber of Viele Construction.

The project expands the existing condos and adds nine new condos to the Lionsquare North building. It will also give the building a new exterior.

The east tower is expected to be completed in January, and the west tower is expected to be completed in March.

The steel is going up for the building’s frame, and the project is on schedule to be completed in November 2010.

Vail Resorts’ Ritz-Carlton Residences are in Lionshead at the corner of South Frontage and West Forest roads, next to the Vail Marriott. It will have 71 condos.

Staff Writer Melanie Wong can be reached at 970-748-2928 or mwong@vaildaily.com.