The Four Season development is slated for construction in Mountain Village beginning as early as fall 2025, with excavation work and construction commencing spring of 2026. The project will last 36 months, or until construction is final.
According to its website, the Four Seasons will “sprawl across upwards of four acres, with 52 hotel keys, 43 hotel residences, and 26 private residences.” On June 19, Forbes published an article titled “The Uber-Rich Are Flocking to This Small Mountain Town” stating, “ … Telluride has quietly transformed into the go-to summer escape for high-net-worth homeowners and travelers who crave privacy, authenticity, adventure and bespoke luxury.”
Recently, elected officials in west San Miguel and Montrose counties met with Mountain Village Mayor Marti Prohaska, Michelle Bulson, assistant town manager for Mountain Village; and Dale Reed, CEO of Merrimac Ventures, the developer of the Four Seasons Private Residences. In individual meetings, officials discussed plans for housing construction and long-term employees throughout the region. Reed confirmed the company has been entering into leases and at least one contract to purchase property in the west end of Montrose County.
The fact sheet states the construction schedule is 36 months; site work excavation with minimal personnel will first take seven to eight months; 399 people will labor for 22 months into construction; average workforce housed in the West End during vertical construction is 150 people; workforce is split between sites in the West End, Ridgway and homes scattered throughout San Miguel and West Montrose counties.
The Rimrock Hotel, purchased by Four Seasons, closes the first week of September. It will first be used to house workers, 85-90 people, in the second quarter of 2026. The property will house construction labor for roughly 27 months. Four Seasons might use the restaurant space for meals to feed labor. Post-construction, the hotel will serve transient operational staff. Four Seasons might establish a commercial laundry in Naturita.
“Following my conversation with Mr. Reed, it is apparent that the Four Seasons development will be great for Mountain Village, and that they have spent a lot of time making this project beneficial for that town,” said Naturita Eugene Greenwood, after speaking with Reed July 18. “I am concerned that the Four Seasons will be overlooking Naturita’s current zoning codes, and that they haven’t spent a fraction of the time considering the impacts on Naturita, Nucla, Redvale and Norwood, and their water and sewer infrastructure, along with our emergency response teams: fire, EMS and law enforcement. It is speculative that our local businesses will greatly benefit from the near 15% increase in our population; some businesses that have already weathered many booms and busts may not be willing to make capital expenditures, not knowing the long-term implications to their business.”
Four Seasons will also lease Camp V starting in December, using 13 cabins, plus Mountain Lodge in Ridgway starting in February. And, there are workforce barracks in the works for Redvale with as many as 200 people a month housed there, though other sites are being considered.
Concerned about the impacts on the West End and its special districts, and because of late engagement and lack of transparency from Four Seasons, local representatives delivered a letter to Reed, Prohaska and Town of Mountain Village staff. They requested more engagement with the impacted communities, including public meetings and public benefit negotiations.
“We recognize the Town of Mountain Village will benefit substantially from the Four Seasons project — millions in building permit fees, contributions to the Affordable Housing Fund, and ongoing tax revenue. These benefits flow inward. And yet the burdens — emergency response, public services, social integration — are spilling outward, onto communities who have had no meaningful seat at the planning table and who anticipate few if any benefits, only concerning impacts,” the letter from the West End states.
Nucla Mayor Paula Brown commented separately.
“Local leaders have shared concerns about local impacts to the West End communities,” she said. “And while the West End has been a willing participant in many resort support services, the resort community continues to be the main beneficiary, and the West End continues to feel the burden of its impacts. This kind of population surge will add additional strain on our municipalities' aging infrastructure and the financial impact to update them, not to mention our emergency services. This could be the straw that breaks the West End’s back.”
The Town of Mountain Village could get more than $12 million in building permit fees and have already negotiated a public benefit plan, which includes $2.5 million for the Town of Mountain Village to use toward their workforce housing.
What about the West End?
“The Town of Norwood has not received any official notification regarding the Four Seasons project, its development timeline, or the direct impacts expected on our community,” said Mayor Candy Meehan. “We are not being given adequate time or information to plan for the strain this could place on our already-taxed water infrastructure, nor the increase in traffic and safety concerns through our town. Most concerning is the lack of coordination with the Norwood Fire Protection District, which will be expected to respond to emergencies involving hundreds of additional residents without compensation or support, placing that burden squarely on our local taxpayers.”
A stakeholder meeting is currently being organized between Mountain Village, Four Seasons and local leaders to share concerns and potential solutions.
