Rosario Ready for Next Phase in Master Plan

 — by Margie Doyle —

The Rosario Master Plan as submitted for the Planned Unit Development.

Rosario Resort and Spa, now owned by the Barto family of Anacortes, showed its design for the next phase of the Master Plan for the historic property at a public meeting on Friday, Feb. 20.  Christopher Peacock, General Manager of Rosario Resort for the last seven years, gave a visual tour of what the resort will look like if the Planned Unit Development plans to be submitted to the County in March are approved.

The design is downsized from the 2007-approved Resort Master Plan, Peacock announced. He was assisted in his presentation by Murray Hutchins and Robey Willis, members of Geyer Cobun Hutchins (GCH) Planners and Landscape Architects, a Seattle firm.

The Master Plan was first introduced in 2000; the meeting last Friday was the 21st public hearing, according to Peacock. The final Master Plan was developed by the previous owners, Olympus Real Estate and approved by the County Council in 2007. In 2008, the resort was bought at auction by the Barto family for $6M.

Since purchase, the Bartos have replaced the kitchen in the Moran Mansion, the indoor pool and the foundations. Work still remains on the windows and the mansion needs a new roof, Peacock said, but the resort’s owners are ready to go ahead with the next phase.

The biggest issue is making Rosario a sustainable business, which is achieved by revenue from room rates, he added. “We can’t increase rates, [and we’re] at a break-even point now. Most buildings are at the end of their life and a higher quality is needed for great guest experiences.”

The plan calls for developing the resort core area with 97 new guest rooms, built in cottages with a similar style to the Moran Mansion. The Cliff House Honeymoon Suite and the Round House will remain. “It makes more sense to have cottages than for a big building, ” Peacock said. “The cottages are more in character with the Arts and Crafts design and with Orcas Island.”

The parking plan for Rosario Resort and Spa

The entrance will have a cobblestone roadway, with a covered entry to the mansion. Parking will be clustered throughout the property, with a large parking lot just to the right of the entrance to the resort property, past the Cliff House Courts buildings. Other parking clusters will be connected throughout the resort by paths and mobilized carts so o that guests can park their car “and forget about it.”

Other changes and additions include moving the pool in front of the Mansion Dining Room to another area of the property to allow space for receptions and parties.

An eight-unit “attachment” to the west side of the Mansion will blend with the architectural style of the 1909 Moran home, so that guests will feel they are a part of the original Moran mansion.

The spa service area will be moved to the third floor of another new structure built to the west of the Mansion, and will have elevator access.

The first building permits will impact the 55 guest rooms around the Mansion area, Peacock said.

A separate application has been submitted for changes to the marina. It will be less expansive than the marina displayed on the original master plan, and is almost the same dock square footage as the existing dock. The marina redesign  calls for a U-shaped dock with a single entry channel in the deeper water, which will enable watercraft to maneuver better. A Marina Village will have 11 townhouse condos and 12 cottages .

Rosario’s owners plan to submit the PUD application in early March. It’s “still conceptual now; we want feedback,” Peacock says.

The audience asked questions about water treatment and construction activity. An official from the State Water and Utilities commission said that the current, primary treatment plan is in accordance with all regulations. Plans also call for barging out some  demolition materials  and to recycle the concrete.The overall goal is to complete the construction “affordably and quickly” and to avoid summer closures.

The start date is dependent on the approval process.

Peacock said, “This is a very exciting time for Rosario, and thanks to the Barto’s ownership, we are one step closer to realizing a major step in the continued revitalization of Rosario.”