Redstone Castle wellness plans make it to the PitCo board

The planned conversion of a “24,000-square-foot country home” from a summer wedding venue to a world-class wellness retreat received unofficial nods of approval from the Pitkin County Board of Commissioners.

Wednesday’s meeting was the first official presentation of the new planned use for the castle in front of the commissioners after months of work with the Planning & Zoning Commission. 

“We have a use that we think is more compatible with the valley than something that’s dependent upon large special events virtually every weekend in the summertime,” said land planner Glenn Horn of Davis Horn, Inc. He’s representing the applicant throughout the land use process.

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The former owner had special use permits that allowed multiple events on the property weekly throughout the summer. Redstone and Crystal Valley residents worried about a new owner continuing to allow a similar traffic and noise impact.

The new proposed plan will only allow up to four special events per year.

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The owner is seeking updates to the 2018 Village Lodge to define “wellness center” and “greenhouse” and the land use code to allow on-site deed-restricted employee housing at a site outside of urban growth boundaries.

By amending the code for employee housing in this situation, it would not allow a floodgate of on-site deed-restricted housing outside of UGBs. The commissioners would have discretion over every application.

The owner, global financier and majority owner of the St. Regis Aspen Resort Stephane De Baets, bought the 120-year-old property in 2022 for $11.975 million through RC Ownership LLC.

He is part of the ownership group for two other wellness resorts in Thailand and Tuscany. The Redstone Castle will be the next location in the portfolio of wellness retreats, offering treatment services like massage therapy, physical therapy, yoga, stretching, hydrotherapy, and weight control.

Much of the specifics of the site plans across the castle property were hammered out in P&Z. 

The tourist accommodations will include eight units, a combination of cottages and cabins, for a total of 20 bedrooms. The guest lodging will not have kitchens.

For employees, the plan proposes two deed-restricted, multi-family buildings were approved in the plan, each 28 feet high. The 16 units in the buildings will all be Category 3 rentals and deed-restricted in perpetuity, regardless of property ownership. Accommodations for nine employees are planned within the castle. Their rental rate has yet to be determined. 

The new buildings will be built mostly, if not entirely, out of view from Colorado Highway 133 on the barn parcel segment of the property, which is not encumbered by any easements. 

The buildings will be constructed amongst a number of Ponderosa pine trees, and Pitkin County Senior Planner Leslie Lamont said the permits will allow for tweaking the site plan for tree preservation.

Public access via Lover’s Lane was also discussed since P&Z decided the commissioners should weigh in on the issue. It is a proposed out-and-back trail along the Crystal River to allow a public viewing area for the castle.

The board seemed apprehensive of a trail running along the residential properties near the proposed site. De Baets, back at a P&Z meeting, said he had privacy concerns for retreat guests.

“I am not in favor of putting a public trail going by the private houses along the lower driveway,” Commissioner Steve Child said. “Having a trail going by them I think would be unnecessary and intrusive to them.”

Commissioner Patti Clapper said to continue the Lover’s Lane discussion to the next meeting while staff and the applicant work on a solution that suits both parties.

The proposed plan still allows for 24 public tours of the castle annually, and De Baets requested that a tour size limit of 10 people. 

A few Redstone residents attended the meeting and supported the new plan for the local landmark.

Suzannah Reid of the Redstone Historic Preservation Commission said she intends to keep track of Osgood-era furnishings in the home by building up an inventory.

The Redstone Castle, originally known as Cleveholm Manor, was completed in 1903 by John C. Osgood, who later became President of the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company. 

The commissioners unanimously approved the plans at first reading. The board will vote on the resolution and ordinance for the amendments at their April 10 meeting, with continued public comment.