The golden economy of historic Breckenridge real estate looks like it is following a golden ratio trajectory. From its rough but golden beginnings as Victorian storefronts, our commercial real estate in Breckenridge, Colorado is spiraling into fruition. Because of our prime location and longstanding leadership in Summit County, our commercial Breckenridge real estate continues to be strong.
The Town of Breckenridge is traditionally the activity hub and the county seat for Summit County—a great location for commercial activity. However, everyone agrees that it is important to develop the commercial real estate in Breckenridge in a way that enhances and complements the valuable natural assets of the community.
In 1983, an involved populace created the Breckenridge Master Plan in an effort to gently guide resort growth while preserving the unique character of a European mountain town. Even so, in the ten years following the creation of the Master Plan, the commercial square footage more than doubled to over a million square feet. Between the array of retail establishments, office and professional spaces, government facilities, recreational facilities, spaces for light industry and manufacturing that now serve the community, that figure has grown to over 1.5 million square feet. But it’s happening according to design guidelines implemented by the Town to preserve the historic district. It utilizes a flexible zoning system based on development performance standards.
Another cooperative effort began in the late 1990s when the town developed cooperative relationships with Summit County and the Town of Blue River with the goal of creating a plan to preserve the backcountry for the surrounding region called the Upper Blue Basin. That cooperative resulted in a Transfer of Development Rights Program that essentially enables citizens owning backcountry private mining rights to trade for developable land in the core of the resort area.
Another way that the Town encourages commercial real estate in line with the community values is through the Breckenridge Vision Plan of 2002. This plan outlines action steps that assist developers to thoughtfully develop their dreams in keeping with the character of the Town and its reason for being. Essentially, the strong commercial activity is being artfully integrated into the community allowing for the protection diverse wildlife habitat, mountain vistas, ridgelines, forested hills, and marvelous scenery.
For information about commercial opportunities in the area, contact Jonna Beardsley of Breckenridge Associates at (970) 453-2200 or (800) 774-7970.
