Movie theater,
bowling alley and condos are back
Developer Peter Knobel makes second attempt to
renovate Crossroads building
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Peter Knobel, owner of
Crossroads, has resubmitted his proposal to renovate the aging
complex.
Preston Utley/Daily file photo
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Edward Stoner
December 13, 2005
VAIL - The Crossroads redevelopment, which caused
an Election Day reshuffling of the Vail Town Council, is back on the
table.
Developer Peter Knobel resubmitted his plan Monday to renovate the
well-known building on the edge of Vail Village. He wants to build
between 65 and 75 condos, amount to 197,100 square feet of residential
space, said project planner Dominic Mauriello.
The proposal also includes about 60,000 square feet of retail space,
not including an 11,000-square-foot movie theater with a potential
three screens and 400 seats, Mauriello said.
The retail space includes a 10-lane bowling alley that will include an
arcade, billiards and a cafe or sports bar, Mauriello said. Along with
shops, the retail space also may include three to four restaurants,
Mauriello said.
The initial plan for the renovation
of Vail's Crossroads caused a political firestorm that appears to
have ended in two Town Council members losing their seats.
Preston Utley/Daily file photo
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Craig Birk of West Vail, who owns High Country
Hardwoods, said he's in favor of the Crossroads plan because it will
bring more retail space, updated movie theaters, and the bowling
alley, which is "a definite plus."
"For the town to hold it back for such minimal reasons is ridiculous,"
he said.
Vail resident Tom Steinberg said he opposed previous proposals for the
Crossroads complex because of the bulk of the project as well as the
architecture.
"If it's bigger, that's bad," he said.
But the aging building should be redeveloped, Steinberg said.
The new proposal has less residential space than a
version with 212,200 square feet endorsed this year by Vail's planning
commission, which advises the Town Council on development projects.
But the new proposal has more residential space than a version with
189,900 square feet rejected by the Town Council in August. Knobel
pulled his proposal off the after that 4-3 vote in which opponents
objected to the height of the building.
Diana Donovan and Dick Cleveland, two of the council members who voted
"no," were voted out of office in November. New Councilman Mark Gordon
said he would have approved the proposal while Councilman Kevin Foley,
who also was elected in November, said he didn't know how he would
have voted on the project.
Following the election, Knobel said the political environment now was
suitable for resubmittal of the project.
The proposal retains the public amenities that were part of the
project, Mauriello said.
"The project hasn't lost any of the core commercial - what people
thought of as the public amenities as far as the ice rink, the movie
theater and the bowling alley," he said.
The building would be 52 feet tall on the
southwest where it fronts Meadow Drive, 89 feet tall at the center of
the development where it fronts the Frontage Road and 99 feet at its
highest point, as measured from Meadow Drive, Mauriello said.
Craig Cohn, who works for Knobel, said Knobel is dealing with the same
planning commission members who endorsed the larger project
unanimously earlier this year.
"This is a smaller building than they approved," he said.
Staff Writer Edward Stoner can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 14623, or
estoner@vaildaily.com.
Vail, Colorado
What has to happen
The town of Vail will review Peter Knobel's proposal to redevelop the
Crossroads complex. His plan appear before the Planning and
Environmental Commission at its Jan. 9 meeting. If endorsed at that
meeting, the project could go before the Town Council in late January.
If the Knobel then gets approval from the town's Design Review Board,
construction could begin as soon as early 2007, with construction
lasting about 18 months.
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