John Scarffe, Boulder County. The Boulder County Land Use Planning Commission approved a request to amend a Special Use Review allowing the construction of a 568-space parking lot at 2861 Lake Eldora Ski Road during a regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 18, 2019, at the Boulder County Courthouse. The Commission also approved a request to vacate part of Spencer Avenue in the Eldora Townsite.

Boulder County Staff Planner Summer Frederick presented the request from the Eldora Mountain Resort and owners Ertl, Inc., Donna Cartwright and General Manager Brent Tregaskis to modify the Special Use Review (SUR) allowing the expansion of a northern parking lot and an addition to the existing main parking lot.

The request includes improvements to County Road 140 and new and expanded buildings. The applicant requested allowing for the construction of 568 parking spaces in a new lot and 237 parking spaces in an addition to an existing lot. The subject properties are about 225 and 245 acres, respectively, and are located in the Forestry (F) zoning district, according to background. 

The Development Agreement sets forth approvals, requirements and specifics related to the operation of the Eldora Ski Resort, including improvements to County Road 140, the number of skiers allowed on-site during winter months, new and expanded buildings, an overflow parking area, summer use restrictions and required plans for wetlands mitigation, drainage, fire protection and mitigation, and erosion and sediment control. 

The Development Agreement allows for the development of an overflow parking area to accommodate 600 cars. Application materials state the proposed additional parking spaces accommodate Eldora’s existing visitation, which has increased due to facility upgrades and changes in ski passes. The expanded parking areas are also intended to address existing traffic issues created by lack of available parking, such as extensive vehicle stacking along access road and skier parking in the Town of Nederland.

Staff recommended conditional approval subject to conditions. The parking lots would be accessed off the main road, Frederick said. Eldora originally proposed lots at the same grade, but that would have resulted in cutting into the hillside. The applicant then revised so the parking lots are two tiers with a new area above it, so they don’t have to carve into the mountainside. Traffic backs up significantly along the road because there aren’t enough spaces on site and this will alleviate those issues. 

Tregaskis told the Commission that this has been a long process and has taken three years to get to this, but it’s our biggest operational challenge. “We have tried to re-establish the relationship with the local community and listened to everyone’s concerns.” 

Boulder County has been growing, and the ski resort runs into more problems every year with overcrowding. The Resort had five days this year when they had to turn people away. “We’ve really had no opposition to this project,” Tregaskis said, adding that Eldora has worked with the Sheriff’s Department and pays them to assist with the parking situation. 

Don Ash, civil engineer, said that right now traffic comes up the Shelf Road and circulates around the parking lot. When they use the north lot, the exit goes back through the parking area, so backup occurs when cars make the switchback. They will try to eliminate the switchback, and cars can make a right turn and access the north parking lot. Bus circulation is the same way. “We’re trying to eliminate the backups we have right now,” Ash said. The new plan would be one way up the hill, and this will be a little more gradual so cars don’t get stuck. 

During public comment, six residents including District Fire Marshal Rick Henderickson spoke in favor of the new parking lots. The Commissioners said a lot of good work has been put into this and are pleased it has worked out as well as it has. 

The Commissioners approved recommending the amended SUR with 16 conditions to the Boulder County Commission.

The Commissioners also considered a request to vacate one half of a portion of the platted right-of-way for Spencer Avenue and the full platted right-of-way for a portion of the alley located between Spencer Avenue and Eldorado Avenue in the Eldora Townsite. The property at 960 Eldorado Avenue is about 400 feet west of the intersection of Eldorado Avenue and 9th Street in the Eldora townsite, Section 21, and the owners are Eyster Properties, LLC.

The proposal seeks to vacate a portion of the northerly half of the 50-foot Spencer Avenue right-of-way (ROW) and the full width of an undeveloped platted 25-foot ROW for the alley located between Spencer Avenue and Eldorado Avenue, according to background. The proposal seeks to add the area of the vacated ROW to the subject property to remedy several longstanding encroachments, clear the title to the property and facilitate future upgrades to the onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS). 

The portions of both ROWs located within the parcel have never been developed as a thoroughfare, and the Boulder County Transportation Department indicated no plans to develop this portion of the ROW in the future, according to background. These ROW portions of are depicted on the Eldora Study of the Platted Roads, Alleys, and Rights-of-Way referenced in the Boulder County Land Use Code, according to background. 

The alley ROW proposed for vacation is not necessary for access to any other parcels. The alley to the east of the proposed vacation was previously vacated and is blocked by a structure between the subject property and 9th Street. 

The alley to the west of the proposed vacation has not been vacated and is unobstructed to its intersection with 10th Street, but this portion of the alley remains unimproved, according to background. Similarly, the proposed vacation portion of the Spencer Avenue ROW is not necessary for access to any other parcels. 

Abutting properties are accessible via the portions of Spencer Avenue ROW remaining to the east or west, from either 9th or 10th Streets. Additionally, only half of the Spencer Avenue ROW is proposed for vacation, leaving a 25-foot wide ROW that could be used for a driveway, walking path or other means of access between properties if desired. 

The Land Use staff found that this application meets the criteria for a Vacation and recommended the Planning Commission recommend that the Board of County Commissioners conditionally approve the application, and the Commission approved after one public comment in support of the application.

The Planning Commission canceled its January 15 meeting. The next meeting will be on February 19, 2020.

(Originally published in the January 16, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)