Booth Heights appeal hearing set for Oct. 15

The Town of Vail has accepted one citizen appeal of the Planning and Environmental Commission’s approval of the Booth Heights workforce housing project right along Interstate 70 and North Frontage Road in East Vail.

The Triumph Development project on Vail Resorts land has been the subject of relentless opposition from many East Vail residents for a variety of reasons but primarily because of its potential impact to a herd of bighorn sheep in the area that has dwindled from around 120 sheep in the late 1990s to now around 40.

There’s already significant development in the area, including a Town of Vail public works facility and numerous condos and townhomes. The town previously rezoned the land to allow the developer to place most of the property in a conservation easement, concentrating workforce housing on one small parcel.

More than a dozen appeals were filed, but in a very brief press release Tuesday night, town officials said just one appeal has been accepted for a Vail Town Council hearing on Oct. 15. No more details were offered about the appeal that was accepted or who filed it.

Here’s the entire Town of Vail press release:

The Town of Vail Community Development Department has accepted a citizen appeal of an approval by the Planning and Environmental Commission of the Booth Heights development application (PEC19-0018). The appeal will be heard by the Vail Town Council during its regular evening meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15. 

As approved on Aug. 26 by the PEC with 14 conditions, the Booth Heights development contains 61 residential units, including 49 units of deed-restricted employee housing units (EHUs), (30 EHUs in 3 multi-family apartment buildings, and 19 EHUs in townhomes), plus 12 unrestricted townhomes in addition to 125 surface parking spaces and 31 garage spaces.