Snowmass Village, Colorado:
Today, Erik Cavarra shares the latest announcement from Base Village. How long will this delay the proposals? What does it mean for Base Village?
Lawsuit cites alleged improper talks by council, transfers of vested rights
A Snowmass Village resident who has been critical of Base Village sued the town and the town council Tuesday, seeking to rescind recent approvals that extended Related Colorado’s development rights to 2019.
The lawsuit by Richard Goodwin alleges that past developers of the long-stalled project improperly transferred development, or vested, rights to other developers and that two council members had conversations with an Aspen Skiing Co. official that violated local and state ethical codes. Goodwin additionally contends that the town council, by failing to put Related’s application seeking the extended vested rights to a vote of citizens, exceeded its authority.
“Accordingly, Goodwin is entitled to a ruling of this court that the town exceeded its jurisdiction and abused its discretion and that the town must rescind and cancel any and all votes, approvals or other agreements … to extend the time period” of the vested rights, wrote Goodwin’s attorney, Tyler Voboril of Edwards.
The lawsuit, filed in Pitkin County District Court, also says developers have failed to meet their obligations called for under the 2004 agreement between the town, Intrawest and a SkiCo subsidiary called Brush Creek Development Co. Those companies were the original developers of Base Village, which was once envisioned as a 1 million-square-foot project of commercial, lodging and residential space intended to transform Snowmass into a year-round resort. Voters narrowly approved Base Village that year.
“Phase 2-B of the development of [Base Village] has not been completed by Intrawest/Brush Creek or any other developer, and cannot be completed within the initial vesting period,” Voboril wrote.
Phase 2-B includes amenities like a Limelight hotel — which the SkiCo is still pursuing — a time-share residence club and an aqua center.
According to the lawsuit, developers past and present failed in that phase to, among other things:
• Construct certain roads required under a subdivision agreement by 2007;
• Construct storm-water drainage improvements by 2009;
• And build trails as required by the same agreement by 2010.
Read Full Article here:
http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/164405
Leave a Reply