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Act 250: SP Land files Killington ski village

steamboat1

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http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20120229/BUSINESS03/702299886/0/NEWS01

Plans for a Killington ski village took a major step forward Tuesday when SP Land Co. filed its long-awaited Act 250 permit application for the first phase of its development at the base of the ski area.

The $133.4 million Phase 1 development includes 193 condominiums, nine single-family lots and 23 duplex lots, 31,000-square feet of retail space and a 77,000-square-foot base lodge, Steve Selbo, president of SP Land Co. said Tuesday.

The village master plan application, filed with the District 1 Environmental Commission, also includes upgrades to the water system to supply the village.

SP Land filed a separate Act 250 permit for a 1,276-vehicle parking lot. The new lot would be located just north of the Mountain Inn.

Selbo said Killington Road at the base area would be reconfigured to make way for the village core.

SP Land, which owns the property in and around the Snowshed and Ramshead base lodges, submitted an application that encompassed two voluminous three-ring binders.

Killington Resort is owned by Powdr Corp. of Park City, Utah.

Selbo said there is no timetable to begin construction.

“We have to get through the Act 250 process and appeals, and have a sound permit before we even start talking construction,” he said.

Along with the application, SP Land paid a $150,000 filing fee. Killington Resort paid a $10,000 fee for the parking lot application, Selbo said.

Selbo cautioned that the Phase One construction price tag is only an estimate.

Plans for a village have been in the planning or talking stages for a number of years.

“This is the largest project we’ve had since 1998 when Killington applied for a (village) master plan,” said William Burke, coordinator for the District 1 Environmental Commission.

Killington’s owner at the time, American Skiing Co., received positive findings on major sections of the conceptual village plan from the commission but never sought construction approval, Burke said.

Selbo said the master plan filed Tuesday varies somewhat from the conceptual plan submitted by American Skiing. SP Land’s Act 250 application not only includes a conceptual plan but also a detailed plan for Phase 1 construction.

He said Powdr Corp. had a “considerable amount of input” that was incorporated in the final plan.

“The configuration of the village did modify, it got smaller, because they wanted this ski beach on the south end of the village core, which now connects Ramshead with Snowshed much more efficiently than it does today,” Selbo said, referring to the new base lodge.

He said beyond Phase 1, conceptual future plans include an additional 2,050 housing units and another 169,000-square feet of commercial space.

Burke said he expects to hold a pre-hearing conference on the application in six weeks with a hearing on the merits of the application to follow. He said the entire Act 250 review should be completed six months from now.

Asked how he felt to have finally filed the long-awaited application, Selbo said he told those working on the project: “Now, it’s liftoff time. Now we start working.”

The Burlington firm of White and Burke Real Estate Investment Advisors are the Act 250 consultants on the project; Hart Howerton of Boston are the land planners and architectural consultants.
 

hiroto

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..
The $133.4 million Phase 1 development includes 193 condominiums, nine single-family lots and 23 duplex lots, 31,000-square feet of retail space and a 77,000-square-foot base lodge, Steve Selbo, president of SP Land Co. said Tuesday.

...

SP Land filed a separate Act 250 permit for a 1,276-vehicle parking lot. The new lot would be located just north of the Mountain Inn.

I can't quite picture how this development exactly looks like. What base lodge? If their parking lot is north of Mountain Inn, does it mean the new condos are north of Pinacle condo? That is further down the road from Ramshead base area and there is no skiing slope there to build a base lodge for. Or, are they rebuilding Ramshead base lodge?
 

RENO

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I can't quite picture how this development exactly looks like. What base lodge? If their parking lot is north of Mountain Inn, does it mean the new condos are north of Pinacle condo? That is further down the road from Ramshead base area and there is no skiing slope there to build a base lodge for. Or, are they rebuilding Ramshead base lodge?

The heart of the village will be where the Snowshed upper and lower lots are. Snowshed and ramshead lodges will be torn down and replaced.
 

Rogman

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Is the grass growing? Is the paint drying? Is the glacier moving? This is a very long soap opera with uninteresting characters, a dull plot, and a finale that nobody cares about. Meanwhile, the Interconnect, the program people want to watch, is on indefinite hiatus. If this was TV, we'd have all changed the channel and the producers would have been fired.
 
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RENO

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I always said and still believe that the Interconnect is the best (and maybe only) thing that can sell the village. Can't see any other way to sell it! I know there's people that look at Preston Smith as a God in Killington, but even he couldn't get a village done and bumped heads with the town. How in the hell will SP Land get it done? :dontknow: Throw in POWDR and the ugliness is just beyond repair I think...
 

deadheadskier

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Why does the interconnect need to happen for the village to work?

Isn't the fact that Killington is the largest ski resort in the East with tremendous nightlife down the road from the village enough to sell slopeside real estate?

Unless the terrain development between Ramshead and Pico is very compelling, I somewhat see the interconnect being underutilized by most just like Slidebrook is at Sugarbush. If it does happen and I'm right, where they close the interconnect midweek, holy hell are internet message boards going to light up with even more fail threads. :lol:
 

skiersleft

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I think the village is a great idea and hope they build it. I agree with deadheadskier. Largest resort in the east + great nightlife + nice walkable village = arguably the best resort in the East. Only one resort in the Eastern US with a village - Stratton. K would blow it away.
 

twinplanx

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Unless the terrain development between Ramshead and Pico is very compelling, I somewhat see the interconnect being underutilized by most just like Slidebrook is at Sugarbush. If it does happen and I'm right, where they close the interconnect midweek, holy hell are internet message boards going to light up with even more fail threads. :lol:

DHS, are you saying the terrain or just the Slidebrook Chair are "underutilized"? IMHO if the new "interconnect terrain" at K is anything like Slidebrook that would be a game changer...
 

steamboat1

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$133 million for a village?

They only paid $83 million for the whole ski area (Killington & Pico).

I don't see that kind of investment happening any time soon.
 

deadheadskier

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DHS, are you saying the terrain or just the Slidebrook Chair are "underutilized"? IMHO if the new "interconnect terrain" at K is anything like Slidebrook that would be a game changer...

I know the terrain in Slidebrook is well traveled, but the lift is way underutilized. The terrain in slidebrook was skied prior to a lift going in. As far as I know, there isn't a road with a shuttle bus picking up skiers in between Ramshead and Pico to make it like Slidebrook.
 

deadheadskier

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$133 million for a village?

.

That's actually pretty "cheap". The cost of Stowe's Spruce Peak development was/is $400M. Granted, that includes a golf course, several new lifts etc, but the vast majority of the price tag is in the Real Estate development.
 

twinplanx

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I know the terrain in Slidebrook is well traveled, but the lift is way underutilized. The terrain in slidebrook was skied prior to a lift going in. As far as I know, there isn't a road with a shuttle bus picking up skiers in between Ramshead and Pico to make it like Slidebrook.

Well there goes that day dream... I will admit, I'm not all that familiar w/ Slidebrook. Only skied it once but I was impressed!
 

steamboat1

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Jay spent what $240 million for 2 hotels, a water park & ice rink. It isn't exactly a village they built up there either nor is Spruce Lodge/Camp. I can't see Killington being able to build an entire village (shops & condo's) with multi-level parking & a new base lodge for the dollars they anticipate spending. But what do I know?

I think the estimated cost of doing the Killington/Pico interconnect was somewhere around $7M back in the 90's. That included 3 new lifts & 2 new trail pods. I'm sure it would be more today but still nowhere near the investment that an entire village would cost. Personally I hope they never do either project. An indoor water park like Jay's & other summer riding attractions would do more to bring additional people to the area year round than a village or interconnect would in my opinion. There's nothing to do at K in the summer except bike ride & I don't think that attracts to many people. But again what do I know?
 

Tin Woodsman

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I know the terrain in Slidebrook is well traveled, but the lift is way underutilized. The terrain in slidebrook was skied prior to a lift going in. As far as I know, there isn't a road with a shuttle bus picking up skiers in between Ramshead and Pico to make it like Slidebrook.

Wait you mean except for the part where Slidebrook has no lift access actually in the interconnect area while the K-Pico would have at least 2-3 lifts? Not sure why you're comparing one to the other - they have very little in common other than the prospect of physically connecting tow separate mountains owned by the same company.

The interconnect terrain offers the prospect of dramatically increasing the core blue cruising terrain that K sorely lacks at present.
 

steamboat1

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Wait you mean except for the part where Slidebrook has no lift access actually in the interconnect area while the K-Pico would have at least 2-3 lifts? Not sure why you're comparing one to the other - they have very little in common other than the prospect of physically connecting tow separate mountains owned by the same company.

The interconnect terrain offers the prospect of dramatically increasing the core blue cruising terrain that K sorely lacks at present.
Not exactly a whole lot of new terrain in the original plan.
 
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UVSHTSTRM

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Jay spent what $240 million for 2 hotels, a water park & ice rink. It isn't exactly a village they built up there either nor is Spruce Lodge/Camp. I can't see Killington being able to build an entire village (shops & condo's) with multi-level parking & a new base lodge for the dollars they anticipate spending. But what do I know?

I think the estimated cost of doing the Killington/Pico interconnect was somewhere around $7M back in the 90's. That included 3 new lifts & 2 new trail pods. I'm sure it would be more today but still nowhere near the investment that an entire village would cost. Personally I hope they never do either project. An indoor water park like Jay's & other summer riding attractions would do more to bring additional people to the area year round than a village or interconnect would in my opinion. There's nothing to do at K in the summer except bike ride & I don't think that attracts to many people. But again what do I know?

I could be wrong, but I don't think Jay has spent $240 million on two hotels and a waterpark/ice rink. I think they raised upwards of $240 million for the above mentioned projects and other capital expenses, such as more lifts, more condo's more town homes, etc.
 
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I think the village is a great idea and hope they build it. I agree with deadheadskier. Largest resort in the east + great nightlife + nice walkable village = arguably the best resort in the East. Only one resort in the Eastern US with a village - Stratton. K would blow it away.

Sugarloaf also has a slopeside village, albeit an older one.

I think a new Killington Village would be a big hit. Unfortunately, unless K does something to attract more skiers, the village would just be stealing people away from the other stuff further down the access road, and those folks have already lost a lot of customers over the years.
 

skiersleft

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Sugarloaf also has a slopeside village, albeit an older one.

I think a new Killington Village would be a big hit. Unfortunately, unless K does something to attract more skiers, the village would just be stealing people away from the other stuff further down the access road, and those folks have already lost a lot of customers over the years.

Sugarloaf's "village" is not really a village to me. I'm thinking more along the lines of Stratton, Tremblant, etc.

Regarding the access road shops and restaurants, I appreciate the concerns. My theory is that the village in and of itself will add skier visits to Killington. Mainly families who would now prefer Killington over Okemo, Sugarbush and Stratton. If that's the case, the pie is bigger, so even if access road businesses get a smaller slice of the pie due to additional competition, they might still make more money because the pie is now larger.

Some access road businesses agree with this logic and want to see the village built. Others don't.
 
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