Town of Vail officials worried about increase in efforts to convert restaurants into retail
The Town Council is placing a temporary hold on conversions of eating and drinking establishments into other uses
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily Archive
The town of Vail’s elected officials and staff have become increasingly concerned about a growing number of proposals to convert bars and restaurants into other uses.
After passing an emergency ordinance in April that placed a temporarily halt on the issuance of building permits for such conversions, the Town Council is expected to expand that moratorium on Tuesday to also include the acceptance and processing of applications, and the scheduling of public hearings related to the conversion of eating and drinking establishments to any other permitted or conditional use in several zoning districts.
Matt Gennett, director of the Community Development Department, said the pause will allow town staff and the Town Council to assess whether Vail’s zoning code reflects its current goals.
“The purpose of this is to give the town time to take a look at the zoning code and how it aligns — or does not align — with the more recent master plans and the town’s strategic plan,” Gennett said.
The April proposal suggested a 180-day pause on the issuance of building permits for bars and restaurants that were aiming to be converted into retail space, but was expanded at that time to include conversion into any other use.
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Mayor Travis Coggin used the example of a bar converting into a ski locker, reminiscent of the 2016 conversion of Samana Lounge into Bridge Street Lockers.
“I just want to make sure, if we’re going to have this conversation, let’s make sure we give ourselves the space to talk about all these different ways that we seek out vibrancy in our community,” Coggin said. “I think it’s a good conversation for us to have to make sure we give ourselves the space to have a full conversation about if our codes are aligned with our goals and our master plans, and vitality and vibrancy is really key.”
Gennett said the town staff brought the idea to the council with a 180-day stay in mind “to give us time to bring back recommendations to you on how to better align our land use codes with our master plan documents.”
The 180-day moratorium applies to properties within the ski base/recreation, commercial core, Lionshead mixed use and public accommodation zoning districts — areas considered vital to the after skiing experience that Vail’s long-range plans aim to protect.
“The Vail Village Master Plan speaks heavily towards maintaining street life, vibrancy — really the après experience — keeping the village areas, the core, and Lionshead a really fun, vibrant place that people want to come and visit time and time again,” Gennett said.
The new provisions of the emergency ordinance are estimated to be heard at approximately 7:20 p.m. during the council’s regular meeting on Tuesday. If passed, they would go into effect immediately.
