Important Step Toward B.I.T. Return

TELLURIDE – The return of Telluride’s oldest and most iconic eatery, Baked In Telluride, moved a step closer to becoming reality last week when the Historic and Architectural Review Commission voted 4-0 to approve an application that proposes to reproduce the historic Fir Street building destroyed in a fire last February.

As the project architect, HARC member Peter Sante did not vote on the application.

Town Planning and Building Director Mike Davenport characterized the commission’s response to the proposal, which did not seek to add any additional square footage to the original building owned by the family of Joseph P. Zoline, nor to substantively alter the appearance of the original 40-feet wide by 100-feet long gable-roofed warehouse structure, as “very favorable.”

The HARC approval included conditions requiring additional landscaping along the alleys, greater detail on proposed lighting, and additional screening for waste storage, recycling and utility and mechanical equipment.

It also allowed for a slight shift of the new building to as much as two feet to the south of the original location (toward the neighboring Village Market) to improve pedestrian and vehicular access on the north side of the building.

Whether the shift of the building footprint happens, however, depends upon some outstanding issues that could make its cost impractical.

“It may be that we don’t end up moving it at all,” said Sante.

Because the original structure featured a relatively dim interior thanks to few windows, the HARC suggested that a skylight be included in the plans in order to allow more natural light into the building.

“We liked the sound of that,” said Sante.

Sante said that his firm would be getting working drawings together in the coming weeks in order to allow the general contractor to do preliminary pricing on the project.

From there the property owners, their insurance company and the presumed tenant, B.I.T. owner and operator Jerry Greene, who first opened his restaurant’s doors to the community in 1976, will likely begin discussions on the replacement structure’s cost and who will pay for what.

Without having an estimated cost, "Nobody has made a commitment to do anything," Sante said.

Still, he remained hopeful that the project could break ground before this winter.