Roaring Fork Lodge moves forward with construction

Developers also working with city on a roundabout

BY JOHN GARDNER
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
November 9, 2007

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It's all bulldozers and dump trucks as demolition of the Sunlight Racquet Club began Oct. 29, making way for the massive multi-use Roaring Fork Lodge development.

Terry Claassen of Roaring Fork Lodge LLC expects demolition to be completed by Nov. 13 with construction to begin soon afterward. The opening date is projected for fall 2008.

With nothing but dirt and rubble at the site, it's all up and onward for the nearly 150,000-square-foot, five-story development.

"There is nothing there now but a couple of walls," Claassen said. "Everything is pretty much gone."

Claassen said the development is awaiting approval on excavating and grading permits from the city of Glenwood Springs, but he expects those any day. In the meantime, developers signed an agreement with the city to pay for the design of a roundabout located at the Midland Avenue and 27th Street intersection near the entrance of the lodge.

"When that is finalized the full development agreement should be in place within 30 to 40 days," Claassen said.

City engineer Mike McDill said developers took the initiative in the roundabout project, initially to be constructed by the city in 2009, because it seemed logical and more timely.

"The original plan would cause us to tear up the street right about the time when they were planning to open the lodge next fall," McDill said. "This just moves the construction along in a more timely manner."

The city allocated $100,000 for design of the roundabout in the 2008 budget, which Roaring Fork Lodge LLC is currently paying for but will be reimbursed by the city next year, according to McDill.

Claassen and the city are currently working on an agreement regarding construction of the roundabout as well, which will likely be done by Roaring Fork Lodge LLC. McDill said the developers' initiative is "greatly appreciated" by the city.

"The advantages are to get it done sooner and to make sure what is built goes with the design of the development," McDill said. "If they go along with the construction, then it will be a smoother process."

When finished, the lodge will be among the most ambitious facilities to be built in Glenwood. The multi-use facility will include 68 hotel rooms, 40 condominiums, retail space, a 9,000-square-foot convention room, a restaurant and a full-service day spa.

Claassen said that a deal with an independent hotel operator to manage the day-to-day operations of that business is in the works but nothing is final yet. Claassen said they've received much interest in the condominium units, but reservations for those properties wouldn't be available for another couple of weeks.

"We will have marketing information regarding those units out in a couple of weeks," Claassen said.

Claassen's partner in the project, Mike Elkins, who is also a real estate broker for Aspen Land and Homes Sotheby's International, will be handling the marketing for the properties.

Developers also plan to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation by using environmentally responsible materials in the construction. They plan to reuse the concrete from the racquet club in construction of the new facility as one way to recycle old materials.

"That is something that we would like to have, absolutely," Claassen said. "We are definitely going to try but we won't know until after the project is finished."



Contact John Gardner: 384-9114

jgardner@postindependent.com



Post Independent, Glenwood Springs, Colorado CO