Wednesday, April 29, 2009

New hotel proposal gets warm reception

Ketchum P&Z gets look at Bald Mountain Lodge design

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By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

In stark contrast to other recent hotel applications in Ketchum, the proposed Bald Mountain Lodge received a warm welcome from members of the public in attendance at a pre-application design review with the Ketchum Planning & Zoning Commission.

At a special meeting on Thursday, the developers presented designs for the five-story luxury hotel that would be located on the west side of Main Street between First and River streets. It would be operated by Rock Resorts, a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, and designed by Seattle-based architecture firm Callison.

The project would include 82 high-end hotel rooms, 26 residential units on the top two floors, about 8,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, a restaurant, bar and spa. As well, there would be two levels of underground parking.

More rooms could be added to the rental pool, as sections of the residential units can be "locked-off" into separate hotel rooms.

The building would total 225,700 square-feet, with 141,700 of that above ground. The southwest section of the block, at the corner of River Street and Washington Avenue, would be mostly open area with a pool and landscaped terrace.

The site has been under consideration as a location for a new hotel for about seven years. Former owner Brian Barsotti won approval for a hotel on the site after a long, drawn-out set of negotiations with the city but then had difficulty financing the project. The property was later sold to Seattle-area developer Steve Burnstead, who developed a new plan for the site. That proposal was rescinded after negotiations for approval broke down

Burnstead and co-owner Mike Kerby formed the company Bald Mountain Lodge LLC., and resubmitted an application after the successful applications for Hotel Ketchum and the Warm Springs Ranch Resort.

Whereas nearly all of the public hearings for those two hotels featured acrimonious opposition to the height of the buildings, Thursday's meeting witnessed no outright opposition and several supportive comments.

"It's time for a change," said Ketchum real estate agent and developer John Sofro. "It's time to say yes to a first-class project from a first-class operator. We need them more than they need us."

The proposal wasn't flawless, however, as the commission asked the developers to set back the top two floors, especially on the southern wing of the hotel, which runs along River Street. As currently designed, the façade of this wing is largely unbroken up to the roof, which would be nearly 70 feet high.

Commissioner Steve Cook said that once the developer can find a way to reduce some of the square footage of the top floors the commission would be ready to make a decision.

"The next time you come back, it's like Cialis: We're ready to go," Cook joked with the developer.

Kerby said his development team cannot afford to remove too much space from the top floors, as that could jeopardize the financial viability of the project.

Kerby said the project would be highly beneficial to the city, generating an estimated $400,000 per year in local option tax revenues, $500,000 for entitlements and permits, and full-time employment for about 100 people.

While no decisions were made at the meeting, city officials and staff were impressed by the pedigree of Rock Resorts, which operates high-end hotels in Aspen, Vail and Beaver Creek, all ski resorts in Colorado, as well as developments in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and St. Lucia, among others.

The commission and developer will likely hold a public workshop toward the end of May to work on the setbacks of the top two floors.

Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com