Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The question that faced the City Planning Commission Thursday was how much of an urban feel should the Sundance Village have.

Commissioners had mixed reviews on the need for sidewalks and bringing buildings to the front of streetscapes as they reviewed the preapplication plan for a redevelopment project at Sundance Plaza and 114,000 square feet of new construction.

Alpenglow Ventures presented the Sundance Village development that would give a facelift to Sundance Plaza and create a complex with restaurants, a hotel, retail center, office space and residential units.

City Planner Tom Leeson told the commissioners the recommendations for a more urban feel came from the community plan and mountain town sub-area plan.

Surrounded by office space and residential units, he noted the importance of pedestrian connections for the development that would be accessed by both vehicles and foot. He also said aligning the proposed retail and restaurant buildings along the north side of Anglers Drive would promote pedestrian activity.

But applicants said the development along Anglers Drive should not be held to the same standards as the urban design of downtown and the mountain town areas.

"Our biggest issue in going forward is just how far we are going to be pushed in that direction," applicant Jim Larson said. "Because I think the core of development is not urban."

Commissioners discussed if the two apartments planned for the north side should be aligned along Anglers Drive, as city planners proposed, or if garages should be along the street with the apartments farther back, allowing the parking lot to face the south side and melt snow, applicants said.

Commissioners also debated on whether they wanted to see a sidewalk along the south side of the development where the plaza would be remodeled. Chairwoman Kathi Meyer suggested a bike path, which would be narrower than a sidewalk and replace the current path along Fish Creek.

"This is a strong pedestrian project. We just need to make sure connections work," she said.

The commissioners did praise the developers' plans to remodel the plaza, which was built in the early 1980s. The developers plan to open the back of the buildings bordering Fish Creek and add patios and pathways overlooking the creek.