Developer Lapin a longtime valley resident

EAGLE – Merv Lapin has been part of the Eagle County for nearly four decades – so long, in fact, Vail was in its infancy when he arrived.Like many Eagle River Valley transplants, Lapin came to Vail in 1966 to ski. He quickly became involved in the community. Where he has seen a need, he has jumped in to fill that niche – whether in business, land planning, government or community service as mundane as picking up trash.In his early years in Vail, Lapin was a night auditor at the Vail Village Inn and a waiter at the Red Lion Inn. Eventually he went out on his own, starting a small accounting practice. He founded Vail Securities Investments in 1969, which he still operates today. Never one to sit back and let the rest of the world run everything beyond his office door, Lapin’s interests soon expanded valleywide.Lapin, through a partnership, started Eagle County Trash. “Basically there was a demand for these kind of services. No one was doing it or doing it well,” Lapin says. “There was trash all over the street.”

Land investmentsThe year 1969 was a hallmark for Lapin. In addition to starting his own company, he also made his first land investment. Through yet another partnership, he purchased part of the Schmidt Ranch near the Eagle airport, which he still owns. He initially envisioned a commercial development on the property, which is currently a gravel pit.Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he made additional land investments, including purchasing 400 acres on Brush Creek from then Eagle Ranch owner Chester Goldman. That property is now part of Eagle Ranch. Eagle County allowed development of 2-acre-to 5-acre residential lots on the land, but that never happened and Lapin sold the property 15 years later.Lapin purchased property at Eagle’s Interstate 70 interchange, where there is now a motel, gas station, a City Market and other shops and services. Lapin acquired the property where the bowling alley now sits through a private property land exchange. He still owns land in both areas.All in all, over the years, he has been involved with 15 land investments, including the Midway property on Eby Creek, lots at Eagle Hill, and, at one time, Crossroads Mall in Vail. Most of his investments have been made through partnerships with local residents, he says.

Lapin says he is not a “developer,” but he does usually keep ownership of the properties he purchases so he can control what the projects will look like and how they will be developed.”Everything I do is really with long-term vision,” Lapin says. “The most important thing is that what I see happening to the project is something that is in the best interest of the community where the property will eventually be developed.”Red Mountain RanchIn 1982, Lapin purchased the Red Mountain Ranch property from Wolcott rancher Leonard Horn. He says the land is a “gateway” to Eagle. “I’d always hoped a good part of it would remain open. A good part of it had the development potential,” Lapin says.

Lapin’s viewpoint is developed from experience on both sides of the industry. He served on the Vail Planning and Environmental Commissions for four years and on the Vail Town Council for eight years. He also served on the Eagle County Planning Commission for four years. The planning commissions review and make recommendations on development projects.”I think everyone has an obligation to be involved in serving on one of the planning commissions or town councils if they think they can be of any assistance,” he says. During his time on planning commissions and town councils he wrestled with large projects, such as Adam’s Rib (which he opposed), the redevelopment of West Vail and other major projects in Vail. Through it all, he says, he has learned the importance of looking at development from different perspectives.”It makes me much more acutely aware that everyone’s got to be a winner. There’s got to be some driving force,” he says. “It’s got to work for the townspeople, it’s got to work for the town government and it’s got to work for the land owner.”Preservation efforts

Lapin says he still keeps an eye toward the valley’s future and is working to help preserve open space throughout the county. He hopes that the town of Eagle will use part of the sales tax income from Red Mountain Ranch to purchase any land available in Brush Creek Valley, he says. Although Lapin is modest about his community involvement, and stresses that many do what he has done, he did recently help provide seed money to get the Eagle Ice Rink off the ground. “I’ve been fortunate to be successful economically,” he says. “You give back to the community you made money in.” And, every two or three years, he helps lead a group of high school hockey players to China or Europe. The last of his nine trips was to Eastern Europe in 2003, and included 12 students from Eagle. The next trip will be in 2006 to China.”Again, it’s a win-win situation,” he says. “I win being with kids and enjoying their company, and, hopefully, I will have their friendship when they get older.” Vail, Colorado