Town of Vail Civic Area Plan

While supporting my son playing youth, prep high school, junior and NCAA hockey, I have visited more ice arenas around the United States and Canada than I can count. Dobson arena is one of the most iconic and beautiful small arenas in the US. Dobson’s roof structure and beams are unique and should be preserved as a piece of architecture and Vail history we can all be proud of. Let’s not rush to demolish our history in the name of growth. The locker rooms and the rest of the place need a major upgrade, but the structure should remain. No doubt a second sheet of ice designed as a multi-use facility would be desirable. Seems both could be accomplished with creative thought and planning.

Regarding the June updates: 1. Please make sure that any "LH Parking Garage South Side Mixed Use" changes and the "Charter Bus Lot" changes will fit with the present residential use of the south side of that road - quiet after dark, relatively little (if any) added traffic on that road, and also no excess crowds there during the day or night. We purchased in Lodge at Lionshead in 1990 for the peace and quiet there, compared to the noise and hussle/bussle of the "residential" areas of Vail Village itself. Please don't convert all of Lionshead to the same type of area! 2. We really need a sidewalk on the south side of the road on the south side of the LH Parking Structure - there's a lot of pedestrian traffic between Lionshead and the Library/Village area, and we all have to walk in the road to get between the Lionshead Gateway and the Library road. But you can't cut down the trees in the Lodge at Lionshead's buffer strip between our parking lot and the road - you'd really have to move the road itself north about 5' to add the required sidewalk there, which would impact any changes to the South Side of the LH Parking Structure Mixed Use design. 3. WHO is going to pay for all of this in the long run? VAIL HOMEOWNERS, that's who! Added taxes will cost us (either in fewer visitors for larger sales or occupancy taxes, or out of our pockets for many years in increased property taxes to pay off new bonds that Vail might issue). 4. Based on the above, is the magnitude of all of these changes justified? I think not.

I live full time year round at Vail International building for 3+ years now. I have lived in the county and worked FT in Vail for almost 16 years. I have no problem with the municipal center redo and prefer the two bldg add on and keeping the PD and municipal center in the current location. As to the other ideas. I pass by and/or use the other mentioned facilities on a daily basis and I have to say that I feel these expansion plans are a huge waste of tax dollars. I am in the library several days each week and must say that I have never seen it fully utilized or actually even particularly busy. The idea of expansion of the existing facility is ludicrous at best. The current facility is perfectly suitable for the community. If another book drop is needed then I suggest a remote book drop bin (similar to a drive up mail box) at the bus turn around island on the west side of Dobson.

Dobson arena is similarly under- utilized to justify the cost and scope of work suggested by your plans. The hockey games are rarely full and the last thing we need is a bigger concert venue in the middle of a residential area.
I will agree that the town needs more parking.... but I think the easiest and best solution is for the town to retake possession of the frontage roads from the state and sell frontage road parking passes to the local employees. The revenue would offset the cost of plowing and maintenance and pay for the extra crosswalks required. This would also free up parking in the structures for tourist parking.

I will freely admit that as a permanent resident of Vail International Condominiums, I find the potential idea of YEARS of unnecessary construction noise, dust and confusion directly outside my window to be a deal breaker for my life here in Vail. The potential for costly litigation with the residents and owners of Vail International Condominiums is almost guaranteed to occur. Especially considering the recent acquisition of the Evergreen Lodge by Peter Noble and his inevitable tear down/redevelopment. My home and the property values at Vail International Condominiums will go straight into the toilet and stay there for potentially a decade. We will be a tiny island of unliveable condo's surrounded on ALL SIDES by major construction of dubious value to the community.

I would gladly have attended the meeting but was unable due to my work schedule. I would like to speak to you about this project and will call you in Mid-May. I am currently in Mexico enjoying a 2 week vacation to decompress from a very long busy winter. I will be unavailable by phone til I return but can be reached by email at mhallwill@msn.com. Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Mark Hall
300 East Lionshead Circle
Unit 302
Vail, CO 81657
970-390-6511
Mhallwill@msn.com

I apologize for my late entry into this discussion. When I reviewed these plans, the overarching need for such a major make-over escaped me. Consequently, I found the disruption of the construction to our Lionshead neighborhood and the cost the over-riding issues in my mind. I recall that Mark Masinter presented a bold and attractive plan for the redevelopment of the Lionshead Garage -- at no cost to the Town. That approach appeals to me more because it removes the financial burden from future taxpayers and promised a vision worth the temporary inconvenience of construction.

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