Sixth Street Station back on the town radar

Changes made after last BOZAR concerns

The proposed Sixth Street Station project is back before the town and the Board of Zoning and Architectural Review (BOZAR) will review and vote on the project May 1 and 2.

The 61,716-square-foot project will be located essentially between Gothic ball field and the north end of town across from the Gas Café along Sixth Street. The development would contain restaurant, retail, office and hotel-type space in the form of timeshare units. Underground parking would hold 132 spaces and the tallest portion of the project would be 35 feet.
Three years ago, BOZAR expressed concern about the “massing” of the proposed project. Development partner and architect Gary Hartman said that issue was addressed by stepping down some of the densest portions of the project to two stories along the west property line adjacent to the nearby residential neighborhood. BOZAR also asked the developers to break up the symmetry of the facades and give them a more residential appearance.
“We believe this project reflects the historic character of Crested Butte,” Hartman explained. “We want this to be in line with the sense of community. It increases the downtown bed base and provides a lot of new opportunities to increase the town sales tax base. It will also provide jobs for people here.”
Hartman said the project contains a lot of public open spaces and is meant to be pedestrian-friendly. He also said the plan is to employ “sustainable building practices.”
“It is a mixed-use project that will revitalize that corridor,” he said.
If approved, the project would have three years under the approval to start construction. But don’t expect ground to be broken on the project this summer.
“The construction timing is hinged on a couple of factors outside of our control,” said Hartman. “First we need a clear understanding of the Affordable Housing ordinance being considered by the council. That could still impose a detrimental effect on the economic feasibility of the project. We also need to see continuing and sustained improvements in the local real estate market.”
The BOZAR review meetings are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on both Tuesday, May 1 and Wednesday, May 2.