(A) Attractive attributes recognized. Vail is a town with a unique natural setting, internationally known for its natural beauty, alpine environment and the compatibility of human-made structures with the environment. These characteristics have caused a significant number of visitors to come to Vail with many visitors eventually becoming permanent residents participating in community life.
(B) Area character protection. These factors constitute an important economic base for the town, both for those who earn their living here and for those who view the town as a precious physical possession. The Town Council finds that new development and redevelopment can have a substantial impact on the character of an area in which it is located. Some harmful effects of one land use upon another can be prevented through zoning, subdivision controls and building codes. Other aspects of development are more subtle and less amenable to exact rules put into operation without regard to specific development proposals. Among these are the general form of the land before and after development, the spatial relationships of structures and open spaces to land uses within the vicinity and the town, and the appearance of buildings and open spaces as they contribute to the area as it is being developed and redeveloped. In order to provide for the timely exercise of judgment in the public interest in the evaluation of the design of new development and redevelopment, the Town Council has created a Design Review Board (DRB) and design criteria.
(C) Design review. Therefore, in order to preserve the natural beauty of the town and its setting, to protect the welfare of the community, to maintain the values created in the community, to protect and enhance land and property, for the promotion of health, safety and general welfare in the community, and to attain the objectives set out in this section; the improvement or alteration of open space, exterior design of all new development, and all modifications to existing development shall be subject to design review as specified in this chapter.
(D) Guidelines. It is the intent of these guidelines to leave as much design freedom as possible to the individual designer while at the same time maintaining the remarkable natural beauty of the area by creating structures which are designed to complement both their individual sites and surroundings. The objectives of design review shall be as follows:
(1) Recognize the interdependence of the public welfare and aesthetics, and to provide a method by which this interdependence may continue to benefit its citizens and visitors;
(2) Allow for the development of public and private property which is in harmony with the desired character of the town as defined by the guidelines herein provided;
(3) Prevent the unnecessary destruction or blighting of the natural landscape;
(4) Ensure that the architectural design, location, configuration materials, colors and overall treatment of built up and open spaces have been designed so that they relate harmoniously to the natural landforms and native vegetation, the town’s overall appearance, with surrounding development and with officially approved plans or guidelines, if any, for the areas in which the structures are proposed to be located; and
(5) Protect neighboring property owners and users by making sure that reasonable provision has been made for such matters as pedestrian and vehicular traffic, surface water drainage, sound and sight buffers, the preservation of light and air, and those aspects of design not adequately covered by other regulations which may have substantial effects on neighboring land uses;
(6) Balance the design and aesthetic desires of the community and the economy of Vail as an international resort destination with the need to protect the community from the risk of wildland fire.
(Ord. 39(1983) § 1; Ord. 29(2005) § 30; Ord. 19(2019) § 3)