ROARING FORK BROADCASTING COMPANY
A plan to convert the stately Redstone Castle property into a wellness retreat earned approval from the Pitkin County commissioners Wednesday by a 5-0 vote.
RC Ownership LLC submitted an application to the county that reduces the number of public events at the castle. Instead, company president Stephane De Baets wants to use the castle, a carriage house and barn on the property for a wellness center that offers treatments for “physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing,” according to the application.
The castle won’t include lodging for tourists. Instead, four cottages of 1,200 square feet and two bedrooms each and four cabins of 1,800 square feet and three bedrooms each will be constructed for tourist accommodations. They will be clustered on the property.
“The wellness center will be used by lodging guests staying in the cabins and cottages and will have very limited availability for people who are not staying in the tourist accommodation units,” said a memo from the county planning staff to the county commissioners. “Functions in the Castle will include reception, socializing, dining, employee housing, finishing kitchen, and staff lounge and treatment rooms. One of the existing garages on the Barn Parcel will be converted to a commercial kitchen. Functions in the Carriage House will include treatment rooms and hydrotherapy treatment rooms. The barn/indoor riding arena will be improved as a hydrotherapy facility including but not limited to pools, sauna, gym changing rooms and a lounge.”
Food will be prepared in the commercial kitchen, taken to the finishing kitchen in the castle and served to guests. The plan also calls for construction of a 4,800-square-foot greenhouse where fresh vegetables will be grown to feed the guests.
RC Ownership will also provide onsite housing for the estimated 45 employees who the wellness center will require. The employees will be housed in 16 two-bedroom units in two buildings on the east side of Redstone Castle Lane. Another nine employees will live dorm-style in the castle.
The biggest difference between the plan of De Baets and multiple proposals by previous owners is the amount of public use of the castle. The castle will no longer be an event center hosting multiple summer weddings, according to the application and discussion with the commissioners.
“Occasionally there may be a special event or wedding at the Redstone Castle but never more than four per year,” the planning staff memo said. “There shall not be more than one event in any one week.”
The previous master plan for the property approved 24 tours per year. The new owner is proposing a maximum of 10 participants per tour.
The master plan also allowed for 35 special events annually with up to 150 people per event, and no more than two events per week. The new plan is for up to four events per year with a cap of 100 attendees, four events per year with 20 to 99 attendees, and an unlimited number of events with fewer than 20 attendees.
The new ownership group is confident they have a viable business plan that will benefit other Redstone businesses. The center will be part of RAKxa Wellness, luxury spas and wellness centers operated by De Baets and partners in Thailand and Tuscany. De Baets is also a part-owner and managing member of the St. Regis Aspen.
Financial viability has long been a problem with a shifting lineup of owners of the castle. The 42-room, 24,000-square-foot building was completed in 1903. The historic structure is protected regardless of what happens on the business side. The Colorado Historical Foundation obtained an easement in 2005, protecting the castle from demolition, according to the county staff memo.