Breckenridge real estate now boasts an enlightened neighborhood born of public-sector incentives and gutsy entrepreneurship that is a model for the entire State of Colorado. With its unobstructed views of the Breckenridge Ski Area and the Ten Mile Range, Breckenridge real estate presents the Wellington Neighborhood. Located in the French Gulch southeast of downtown Breckenridge real estate, Wellington Neighborhood has “the flavor and charm of a Victorian village, with porches, gables and fretwork, picket fences, narrow streets and alleys and connections to the surrounding forests" as described in a Denver Post editorial.
This new affordable Breckenridge real estate is different from other affordable housing. The Wellington Neighborhood mixes 98 units priced at an attainable $150-$180 per square foot with 24 homes to be sold at market rates. Similar in-town resort Breckenridge real estate may run $300-$400 per square foot. The catch: To qualify for one of these less-expensive units, buyers must work at least 30 hours a week in Summit County and agree to restrictions limiting the resale value of their Breckenridge homes.
Early buyers include the town manager, a county attorney, police officers, nurses, teachers, shop owners, waiters, ski coaches, and the golf-course groundskeeper. These year-round residents bring a vibrancy and stability that is sometimes missing in expensive mountain-home resort neighborhoods with a preponderance of second-home owners. Although they are diverse in backgrounds, Wellington residents share interests in the small-town quality of life along with the unlimited array of mountain sports and activities.
A sampling of community facilities in this unpretentious world-class resort includes the Riverwalk Center (home to the Breckenridge Music Festival), the Stephen C. West Ice Arena (host to a NHL pre-season training camp), the Breckenridge Recreation Center (with a 25-yard indoor pool, water slide, climbing wall, tennis courts, and sports-rehab center), Breckenridge Golf Course (a Jack Nicklaus designed, 27-holes), and Breckenridge Ski Resort (ranked as one of the most popular resorts in North America).
The Wellington Neighborhood has a simple vision: To create a traditional neighborhood with a sense of community and place. Natural grasses, meadows, and a riparian corridor blend into added community features such as turf, a dog park, playground, and sitting areas. Some of the best mountain-bike trails and pure cutthroat trout are just out the back door. Additionally, the neighborhood itself has safe and plentiful connections; uses patterned building types with “welcoming faces” and high-country design elements; promotes variable use and well-defined public areas; and promotes sustainability and respects its historical context. Within the town limits, yet immediately adjoining the largest open space acquisition in the history of Summit County, its eastern border opens to the Golden Horseshoe’s renowned history, habitat, and recreational opportunities.
City leaders took a leap of faith, abandoning standard land-use requirements, to permit New Urbanist design solutions that allow more density and affordability. In addition, it offered David O’Neil, Tom Lyon, and John Wolff a powerful incentive.
The results are an award-winning, master-planned design that incorporates specific architectural patterns—narrow streets, alleys with parking access, neighborhood greens, and thoughtful connections to the historic French Gulch where the Wellington Mine alone generated an estimated $32 million way back then. Prized wire-gold nuggets found here on Farncomb Hill were kept as jewelry specimens and “Tom’s Baby,” the largest nugget ever found in Colorado, is now on display in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
At this time, the neighborhood has received national recognition for more than gold mining. Beginning with the EPA National Award for Smart Growth Achievement, Metropolitan Homes Design 100, Sunset Magazine Merit Award, and featured on the nationally televised Home and Gardens Television, the upcoming second phase with 160 units is sure to sell out quickly.
© Copyright 2005-2008 by IMC & RealEstateColorado.com
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