Vail Town Council approves next phase of plan to redevelop West Lionshead

The Vail Town Council voted 6-0 on Tuesday to approve amendments to the Lionshead Redevelopment Master Plan, clearing the way for renewed planning efforts on the site once branded as “Ever Vail.”

The changes formally rename the property “West Lionshead” and outline a framework for future development in partnership with the town of Vail, Vail Resorts and East West Partners.

The redevelopment area, located west of Lionshead Village, has been the subject of planning discussions since the 1990s. The original Lionshead Redevelopment Master Plan was adopted in 1996 and has been revised multiple times over the past three decades.

“This may be the last opportunity to differentiate the town of Vail as a mountain community and set us apart from our competitive set,” town staff noted in presenting the master plan amendments.

The updated plan reflects feedback from three public listening sessions held in late 2024, as well as subsequent hearings before the Planning and Environmental Commission, which recommended approval in July. Council had tabled a vote in August to incorporate additional language around issues such as parking, employee presence, transit and lift access.

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The mission and vision statements adopted for the project describe West Lionshead as a “transformative, new Vail Mountain base village” with housing, retail, lodging, and “right-sized parking,” designed to integrate with the town’s bus system, trail network and Gore Creek corridor.

Planners say the area could accommodate about 1,100 additional full-time residents and function as a year-round hub for locals and visitors alike, while also providing a new lift portal to Vail Mountain.

Vail Mountain Chief Operating Officer Beth Howard spoke out in favor of the master plan amendments, saying she was pleased to see the project enter its next phase.

“The proposed Lionshead redevelopment master plan amendments really lay the groundwork for further planning and development, to fulfill the mission of creating a transformative new mountain base village that provides access to the mountain, an unparalleled public realm, to all people to enjoy,” Howard said.

The project will also contain “retail, hotels and condominiums that reflect the inspiring quality of the life the Vail Valley offers, and I think that’s a great mission and something that is exciting to us.”

The only other member of the public to speak about the plan was Rob Ford, who was Vail’s mayor for two years during the 1990s and helped work on the Lionshead Redevelopment Master Plan.

Ford urged the council to hold off on adding more retail, saying Vail’s current retail establishments are struggling.

“I’ve been talking to retailers and a lot of the business people in town and I was absolutely floored at the feedback,” he said. “When I start hearing from restaurant people and retail people that their business is off 20% to 25% from last year, you got a problem … I’m just sort of rocked back after walking around for the last two weeks and getting that feedback — why would you be considering any huge expansion to add more retail or restaurants or more people on the mountain when I’m hearing it’s a disaster now?”

Council member Dave Chapin, who is also a business owner in town, said he is hearing the same things, but Vail’s sales tax collections aren’t telling the same story.

“If you look at July 2024 retail sales tax compared to July 2025 retail sales tax, they’re 2.2% down; if you look at lodging, it’s 0.6% down, food and beverage is 0.4% down,” Chapin said. “So I’ve heard those same things, they certainly aren’t playing out on a revenue standpoint, but I wonder why people keep telling me this?”

Chapin voted in favor of the amendments, along with the rest of the council, with several members pointing out that the changing of the master plan is just one step in what will prove to be a long process.

With the master plan amendment now approved, more detailed concept planning and implementation steps are expected to follow.