Courtesy Roam
Roam, a massive new development in Winter Park that’s sure to change the face of the town, received approval to begin construction on the first round of housing and mixed use buildings going up along Highway 40.
At Tuesday’s Winter Park Town Council meeting, council approved the final plat for the first filing on the development, which includes 218 residential units and 23,000 square feet of commercial space.
Jeff Vogel, principal on Roam, said the developers hope to start structure foundations this fall.
“We are ready to mobilize now on Roam,” he said. “We’d like to get started.”
Ultimately, the developer plans to bring over 1,000 housing units and 70,000 square feet of commercial space on the 165 acres from Rendezvous Way to the former location of the Beaver Village Lodges on the eastside of Highway 40.
The housing units in the first phase will be broken up into townhomes, condominiums, single-family detached homes and 16 custom home sites.
While none of the units in phase one will be designated as workforce housing, Roam will eventually give the town three acres to build workforce housing under the final development agreement with the town of Winter Park. The development will also contribute to the affordable housing fund through a 0.5% real estate transfer assessment each time a unit is sold.
Building infrastructure is also a key piece of this phase of the development, including extending Ski Idlewild and Vasquez Roads, as well as constructing two new roads within the neighborhood.
Roam is also working with the town to construct roads that can be integrated into a potential roundabout Winter Park is considering on Highway 40 at the entrance to the Beaver Village Lodge property.
To that end, the town agreed to reimburse the developers for improvements made to Vasquez Road, such as the addition of curbs, gutters, sidewalks and streetscape improvements. It’s estimated to cost $85,000 for the improvements, which the town intends to recover once the housing units have been developed.
“This is really critical for us to have that sidewalk put in,” said Mayor Jimmy Lahrman when he thanked Vogel for partnering on the project.
Some preparation for the upcoming construction has already taken place, including the demolition of the Beaver Village Lodges, a pair of apartment buildings that housed 35 to 40 residents. That’s not to be confused with the Beaver Village Lodge, the familiar, peaked building at the entrance to town, which remains standing for now. Vogel said developers are still deciding the building’s fate.
Phase one of Roam will also see the beginning of the work to extend the Fraser River Trail through the development, as well as the construction of two new trails. The Porphyry Creek and Wolverine Creek Trails will allow hikers to get deeper into the Arapaho National Forest.
“We really feel that Roam is going to advance a lot of goals in regards to connectivity,” Vogel said.