Copper Mountain in Summit County Colorado will present its plan to shift about 590 units of yet to be built housing within the resort's base area and add a large condo-hotel project to the mix during a two-day hearing this week in front of the Tenmile Planning Commission.

Copper also wants to eliminate 42,000 square feet of set aside commercial density and relocate another 72,000 square feet of commercial space for shops, restaurants and service facilities to areas that will be closer to current uses and walking paths. The plan anticipates about 1.5 acres of wetlands at the resort to be effected. This has been and can be a deal breaker in the past, but Copper will be restoring an additional 3 acres of wetlands to meet the 2-1 ratio required.

A few key changes have been made since the county commissioners last looked at the master plan amendment in a work session in December 2007. As part of a community benefits package, Copper proposes to redirect part of an existing real estate transfer assessment to community purposes including affordable housing, open space and early childhood care.

The resort currently charges a 1.5 percent real estate transfer assessment on all residential property within the resort. Under the latest proposal, .25 percent of the current assessment would be designated to community purposes which could raise as much as 1 million dollars annually. The assessment fees would apply to all as-yet undeveloped density at Copper. Copper officials are selling the proposal as a balanced and well thought out plan.

The latest version of the plan also speeds up the timing of a proposed employee housing development at East Lake, requiring construction of all the units within 42 months of the effective date of the approval for the base area redevelopment. Under the old plan the employee housing would have been phased in over time. 

A condo-hotel that was originally proposed for a floodplain location along Tenmile Creek would now be relocated to the Union Creek area.

In 2007 Copper officials got the green light from the commission only to be sent back to the drawing board by the County Commissioners. Copper is looking for to get a go ahead from the commission and could then go to the Board of County Commissioners later this summer for final approval.

Copper has been looking to make major changes to the base area plan since 2001, when the resort submitted what was then called a comprehensive development strategy that would have included significant amounts of new density to the resort base area. The Tenmile Planning Commission recommended approval in 2003, but the county commissioners denied the application in July 2004.

For the complete story see the Summit Daily News

Copper Mountain Condos, Copper Mountain Real Estate