Australian development firm zeros in on Big Mountain

Renowned Australian developer Lang Walker and leading Aspen, Colo., developer Bob Bowden are poised to become the next development dynamos on Big Mountain.

They have the first phase of Slopeside to show for their investment in the Whitefish resort.

Walker Corp., based in Sydney, Australia, just completed the first six units of the ski-in, ski-out Slopeside townhomes on the resort's lower slope along Chair 6. It's the first townhome development within the Big Mountain master plan.

The first 2,750-square-foot units, priced at an average of $932,500, are all sold.

"The response has been so great, we've released the foundations for all four phases," said Bowden, Walker's partner in the Slopeside project.

Walker has begun construction of the second round of six duplex-style townhomes and already have two sold. Those units range from $1,095,000 to $1,295,000 and will be completed by next summer.

The entire project - 24 townhomes - should be built out by next Christmas.

The developer duo is ready to fill some of the void left by Hines, the billion-dollar real-estate firm that was a partner with Big Mountain operator Winter Sports Inc. to build the proposed $300 million Glacier Village.

That plan called for about 700 single-family home sites, townhouses and condominiums, a hotel and conference center, and 80,000 square feet of commercial space.

Some of that was built, including the Glades and Northern Lights subdivisions, both still under construction, and the Morning Eagle Lodge in the village area.

In July, Hines announced it was parting ways with Winter Sports to pursue other commercial development.

The Winter Sports board and new Chief Executive Officer Fred Jones are in the process of downsizing the grandeur of Glacier Village into a development that's more fitting for Big Mountain, according to Jones.

Winter Sports will work directly with several developers on smaller projects at the resort instead of ceding management to a large firm.

Bowden said he considers Hines one of the world's finest commercial developers, but resorts didn't fit into its business plan.

"It takes a different approach to build resorts versus commercial development," Bowden said. "Each requires a different discipline."

With Walker's more than 40 years in resort development, and Bowden's 20-plus years, their experience runs deep. What they won't do, he said, is try to duplicate on Big Mountain what they have done in other places.

Hines contacted Bowden to develop Slopeside in concert with Glacier Village. Bowden and Walker met in Colorado, where Walker bought a home, and the two became business partners. As the story goes, Whitefish got Walker's attention when a local restaurant served one of his favorite Australian wines, a label he'd had difficulty getting in Australia.

"We came in on the coattails of Hines," Bowden said. "Now Hines has left, and we have some options on the next townhome sites."

Where those townhome projects would be located in proximity to the village area remains to be seen.

"We're in detailed discussions with WSI," he said.

Walker and Bowden hired former Hines project manager Bayard Dominick to shepherd their future projects.

Part of the developers' immediate success with Slopeside has come from "having big ears and a small mouth," Bowden said, listening to what clients want and zeroing in on designs that work best for ski resorts. Slopeside townhomes are equipped with 8-foot-tall doors, custom-built bookshelves double the height of normal furniture, and cabinets that reach to the ceilings.

"It's about scale," he said.

Bowden insists that townhome residents have a full view of the outdoor scenery when they open the door. To accomplish that, hallways are eliminated, walls are minimized to create an open-air feel, and towering windows showcase the view.

"I've stopped projects because the mountain view was cut off," he said. "Walker agonizes over floor plans. That's what makes or breaks a development. We spend weeks on floor plans."

The exterior look isn't nearly as important, he maintained.

"The outside's not important as long as it's not bad," Bowden said. "My instructions to the architect is 'don't make it suck.'"

Whitefish and Big Mountain can expect several development projects from Walker and Bowden in years to come. They have a couple of single-family lots in Northern Lights subdivision they're developing, and off Big Mountain, they recently purchased 37 acres of wooded land east of Whitefish Lake Lodge.

"We're master planning that [the 37 acres] right now," Bowden said.

Cottages reminiscent of lake cabins, with up to 2,400 square feet of space, will be built among the trees, keeping most of the woods intact. Zoning on the property would accommodate up to 500 units, but Bowden said development would be kept to "about a tenth of that."

Near Lion Mountain, Walker Corp. has purchased eight acres for development of single-family lots with entry-level pricing.

Bowden recently bought an acre of land along Whitefish Lake, north of Whitefish Lake Lodge, with the intention of building his own home. He plans to relocate his family to Whitefish once his 17-year-old daughter graduates from high school in Aspen.

"We're very committed to the area. We believe in the area," he said. "When you compare it to other established markets, Big Mountain isn't destined to be another Vail or Telluride, but it's still a great opportunity."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com