Plans for One Steamboat Place

From The Steamboat Pilot and Today: (link to full article below)
"Some Steamboat Springs planning commissioners said Thursday that plans for two condominium buildings and a private club next to the Steamboat Ski Area gondola were too high and too massive.

On Thursday, developer Whitney Ward presented plans for One Steamboat Place, which would be on a 4.2-acre parcel just south of the Steamboat Ski Area's Gondola Square and adjacent to the ski school.

Ward, who is partnering with Carbondale developers on the project, is proposing a six-story, 150,000-square-foot condo building with full-ownership units and a five-story, 100,000-square-foot timeshare building. Plans also call for two additions to the gondola building, one being a 10,000-square-foot private owners club and the other a 6,000-square-foot addition for the ski school.

Ward's project also proposes a private gondola from the Meadows parking lot intended for use by residents and guests at One Steamboat Place, the Alpine Club and Wildhorse Meadows. Another important component to the plan is a plaza to connect Mount Werner Circle and the Gondola Transit Center, where shuttles and city buses drop off skiers, with the three proposed structures and Gondola Square.

Ward also is proposing to place a self-imposed real estate transfer tax on the initial and subsequent sales of Wildhorse Meadows and One Steamboat Place units. The money would go toward affordable housing, and Ward estimated that initial sales would bring in $2.5 million. To provide those public benefits, Ward said the development needed the height and mass, which far exceed the city's zoning requirements. "Without density, I don't think we can support all the things we are proposing," Ward said.

Four of the seven planning commissioners said they thought the height and mass were too much, but some said they could make concessions. Planning Commissioner Dana Stopher said that she would prefer to see smaller units than the proposed 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot units. Smaller units would support the argument that, by allowing a higher density, there would be more residences, she said. "

The Steamboat Pilot: Commission reviews condo plans