Proposed Red Hotel in Morrison inching closer to breaking ground in Colorado as town's parking discussions continue

The town of Morrison hasn't had a ground up construction of a building since they built a new post office almost six decades ago. In the time since, there have been renovations and remodeling to existing buildings, but now a new hotel is inching closer to breaking ground in downtown.

It's a project Morrison Holiday Bar owner Dave Killingsworth has been watching closely for years. While there are two hotels in town, many of the existing places to stay are outside of the downtown core of the 400 resident community, which puts businesses like his in a tough position.

"We're kind of at a crossroads," he told CBS Colorado. "It's a beautiful place but no one has anywhere to stay."

The Red Hotel would be built in the existing land where the old Morrison Glass building is and would be 22 rooms geared towards Red Rocks Amphitheatre concertgoers who need a place to stay for the night. The hotel can also help buoy the community during down seasons, proponents of the project say.

"It's all great," said Killingsworth of what Morrison has to offer. "We're surrounded by Red Rocks. We're surrounded by Jefferson County Open Space."

On paper, it makes sense for businesses in the community. If people stay in town overnight it gives restaurants and businesses a better chance to capitalize on visitors that are extending their time in Morrison. But the concern is what it's always been in town: parking and concerns about having enough spaces to accommodate more people.

"That's all icing on the cake, one might say," Killingsworth said, referring to the business that could be sparked by the hotel. "But we don't even have the cake to put the icing on. Parking control has been difficult over the years because they haven't kept pace."

Opponents of the project told CBS Colorado off camera that they were uncertain about the hotel's true potential economic impact and that the parking and traffic impact could affect some of Morrison's charm. But Killingsworth and other business owners believe that there is a chance for the hotel to be a net positive for everyone. While some restaurant owners believe in tweaks to existing parking rules, he wants to just see more parking added in general.

 "I would like to see more parking added where the town can help support like Idaho Springs does," he said.

As wheels go into motion for the hotel project to move forward, the developers, Root Architecture in Evergreen, have said in the past that they hope to have the hotel built sometime during the 2026 Red Rocks concert season.