Mt. CB to purchase vacant land for parking lot near the Nordic Inn

Biery-Witt Center will displace 149 parking spots

By Alissa Johnson

The Mt. Crested Butte Town Council is purchasing vacant land next to the Nordic Inn for parking. At its April 11 meeting, the council opted to enter into a contract to purchase the land for surface parking, earmarking up to $1.2 million for the full transaction.

Town manager Joe Fitzpatrick explained that the need for more parking areas has been instigated in part by the Biery-Witt Center, which will displace 149 parking spots when it is built. That has sent the Biery-Witt Center and the town “in every direction we could go to figure out the most cost-effective way to [find more parking],” said Fitzpatrick.

One option, Fitzpatrick said, was to purchase the Nordic Inn, which had been listed for sale for more than $4 million. It didn’t make sense, however, to purchase a hotel. There was, however, an opportunity to purchase the vacant land next to the inn.

“There is a buyer for the Nordic Inn, and they don’t want the vacant land. So we’ve been working with them,” Fitzpatrick said.

The Town Council voted to enter into a contract to purchase the land using funds from the Downtown Development Authority. The $1.2 million includes $50,000 to develop a PUD (planned unit development) that will facilitate the building of the parking lot.

According to Fitzpatrick, the lot will not count toward parking requirements for the Biery-Witt Center. “For that to meet the requirements of parking, it would have to be included in the Mountaineer Square North PUD; that isn’t going to happen. However, it is still a good idea for town to pick up a parking lot because we need more parking,” Fitzpatrick said.