Architects of new Forest Road properties hoping to get a funicular lift on track

In Vail, it has been said that all the easy construction has already been done.

That means, of course, that only the most difficult projects remain when it comes to new development throughout most of Vail. And that’s especially true on and around Vail Mountain.

A case-and-point scenario is underway at the far end of Forest Road near the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District administrative offices in the West Lionshead. The units currently under construction there could become ski in/ski out properties, but they would need an additional building up the slope, connected to the main units via a funicular lift.

A funicular lift is a cable-driven railway system designed to transport passengers or cargo along a track which runs up steep slopes or cliffs. It could — along with the additional chalet known as the “recreational structure” at the top of the property, high above the main dwellings — connect the property to Vail Mountain via the Cascade Way catwalk.

But the Vail Planning and Environmental Commission says the plans aren’t yet in accordance with town code, and will need some tweaking to get there.

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Long history

Known to real estate agents as Vail’s most exclusive neighborhood, Forest Road runs along the edge of Vail Mountain, providing some properties with direct access to the mountain.

Another Forest Road home, a rental property known as Ascension, uses a funicular to connect a ski chalet with a pool and hot tub to the eight-bedroom main house below.

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Forest Road begins near the base of Gondola One near the Bear Tree run and continues west all the way to Lionshead. At very end of the road are lots 816 and 826, which once contained a small, single-family home that could only be accessed by vehicle in the summer. In the winter, a staircase was the only way to reach the home.

Much of the property is on grades of more than 40%. The land was so steep that it seemed not much could be built there, but over the years retaining-wall technology changed and investment dollars flowed, creating new possibilities for the property. The small home that was on the property was demolished in the early 2000s and the property sold for $8.4 million in 2015. The lots were broken up into two lots after that, and were then sold again in 2020 for a combined $9.5 million.

An initial development plan contemplated two duplex units on each lot for a total of four separate driveways, but the town of Vail provided the property with a land swap — exchanging part of 826 Forest Road for some of the town’s nearby right of way. The properties were replatted, a variance was granted to the property to construct a massive, switchbacking driveway, providing access to what will be, upon completion, four separate units. Two of them, 816 and 818 Forest Road, are already listed for sale.

Construction has been underway for years, and the first unit is expected to be finished some time this fall.

At the Vail Planning and Environmental Commission’s regular meeting on Monday, Kyle Webb with KH Webb architects acknowledged that people have been shocked at the size of the construction site.

“When it’s done, it’s going to be a much better end result,” Webb said. “The goal is to have something that looks much more integrated into the site.”

The 816 Forest Road property is listed as a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom property, 5,655 square feet, with a two-car garage. The seller is asking $25 million. The 818 Forest Road property is listed as six bedrooms, nine bathrooms with a six-car garage, 7,308 square feet, for $35 million.

But nothing in the description mentions the funicular, as that has not yet been approved.

Funicular appeal

Vail Planning Manager Greg Roy describes a funicular as “a very slow escalator-tram.”

The term was relatively unheard of in Vail until 1998, when Beaver Creek began studying funiculars as a possible means of connecting the town of Avon to the Beaver Creek resort area.

Vail, at that time, began studying its town code related to funiculars, changing the town code to allow funiculars within lots as a conditional use.

“They were only allowed, previously, for access to residences, rather than recreational structures,” Roy said.

That was changed around 2020 or 2021, Roy said, but with the change to allow recreational structures came use-specific criteria that required additional approvals.

“So it has to meet not only the normal use permit criteria, but also this use-specific one,” Roy said.

One of the use-specific criteria related to funiculars is that they be “designed to be appropriately screened” by trees or other vegetation, so the funicular isn’t clearly visible, Roy said.

Commissioners, on Monday, said that the latest plans for 816-826 Forest Road don’t show the funicular to be appropriately screened from view. They voted unanimously to continue the request for a conditional use permit.

Commissioner Kathryn Middleton said there was no funicular in the original plans for the development, and she’s concerned it could be quite visible when completed.

“You can see exactly where it’s going to be,” she said. “And I’m concerned with that, and the eye sore that it will be.”

Commission chair Brad Hagedorn, himself a real estate developer, encouraged the applicant to come back with a new plan with additional landscaping along the funicular.

“Watching this project as a builder has been fascinating,” he said. “It has been cool to watch.”