Jay’s State Side Development Plans/Hotel #3

I was speaking to my buddy in Vietnam, and apparently Billy Stenger has briefed everyone in Vietnam about his State Side redevelopment plans but hasn’t told the people here that put the money in the jar (we’ll forgive him). The plans (starts at 6:46 on the You Tube video):

1. New 2-story lodge (14,000 sf footprint) for day trippers
2. New 3-story hotel with 60-80 suites, retail space, and restaurant/bar
3. 2-story sports medicine rehab clinic with 20 suites
4. 1 and 2 bedroom cottages along the golf fairways
5. Building for skier services (rentals, lessons, day care) and outward bound programs (and yup, zippylines)

While I am generally supportive of the development at Jay (although it would be nice if they put in wood-burning hearth fireplaces and not chessey South Beach gas ones like they put in the Clubhouse Grill), I was a bit disappointed on the State Side plans. While the bathrooms in the existing State Side lodge obviously need to be renovated (the ice cubes don’t cut it), the building is an important part of the heritage of Jay (similar to Mansfield Base Lodge) and one of the few remaining links to the early days. I would prefer an overhall of the State Side Lodge with a major addition in a modern-day version of the State Side architecture style (while I like the “mountain-style” architecture, I don’t want every building to be that style). I’m sure the next to go will be the Bavarian outsides of the Tram Side Base Lode/IR, which will be a real shame. Also hotel #3 and the sports rehab clinic would seem better suited in the West Bowl, serving as the beginning pieces of a village (granted putting in a good access road to the Bowl is going to be tight around where the Tram House Lodge is).

What do others think of the plans?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHBy1GVC5X0

Looks like a ton on paper, we'll see how it goes.

Personally, I think they should tear down the Stateside Lodge and start from scratch as soon as possible. Mentioning Stateside Lodge in the same sentence as the Mansfield Lodge is a major insult to the Mansfield Lodge. I see nothing redeeming about Stateside Lodge (despite that, I still start most of my days there due to preferring that side of the mountain). Same with any remaining Bavarian theme, good riddens! Just my opinion though.

Seems kind of ironic that JPR is making a video for Vietnamese investors....

bigger is better. right?

How to ruin a ski area..make it a resort

I am impressed by the amount of money he has raised using the EB-5 project. He has done amazing things for the NEK.

As to Stateside, I would not be surprised if it qualifies for Historic Landmark Status considering that I think the CCC or State built it.

polariso said:

How to ruin a ski area..make it a resort

Click to expand...

Jay Peak Resort has been a resort for while. I mean... the word is right in their name...

riverc0il said:

Jay Peak Resort has been a resort for while. I mean... the word is right in their name...

Click to expand...

I should have said over develop.

rivercOil -- good point about these plans still being early. The New Hotel Jay/Waterpark went through a few iterations.

thetrailboss -- interesting point about State Side perhaps qualifying for historical status. I imagine with the recent landswap with the State that there was language put in the deed that would enable Jay to tear it down.

Yeah, my hats off to Billy S – you generally either love him or hate him. I was disappointed though that he gave up the leasehold to the backside of Jay (think they had 400 acres) when they did the land swap last summer with the State – putting a T-bar in there to all glade terrain would have been sweet.

It will be interesting to see if Bill can keep up the EB5 investor pace now with Gov-elect Shumlin, who called Billy & Jimmy D’s (Douglas) recent trip to Asia a “junket”. My guess is that Shumlin will also embrace the program given the number of jobs at stake. Also, I imagine the reason for pushing forward with State Side is that the West Bowl plans aren’t ready and that Bill is concerned 1.) every developer in a high-unemployment area will figure out EB5 (only so many investors to go around; I think Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn is looking for a 1,000 EB5 investors), 2.) doesn’t know if he can count on Shumlin to help him sell it, and 3.) I think the program is supposed to expire again in 2-3 years (although I imagine Patty L. could get the congressional votes to get it extended again).

I would be willing to trade tearing down State Side for keeping the Bavarian exteriors (renovated of course) on Tram Side, and a village in the West Bowl -- good architecture/layout although none of this “Spruce Peak Hamlet of Taj de Ritz”.

I don't like the idea of the place growing that much... but then again, they want to bring back mountain biking in the summer... I'm all up for that! Now they need to hire the right people once they reach that state of developpement! Imagine another Whistler... or Highland right in the NEK!

Morning All. Just back from a week's worth of meetings with waterpark and investment folks so this stuff is relatively fresh. Plans for Stateside are definitely early and will take several shapes before the turn for home. We haven't gone super public with these (though investors do need to see something) as this sort of thing can turn into 'Coming Soon' on a trail map for 11 years-very easily. We're actually working on a plan to reach out the the local (and not so local) Jay community of skiers/riders to ask them for design comps-running a contest whereby the winner sits on the design panel with our BTV based firm and consults throughout the process. Standby on that front as it will take shape, as well, over the next few months.

While I certainly can't speak for the Governor elect, I have it on good record that he'd probably like to have that comment back. Something about side-bashing a program that our senior Senator has aggressively promoted and defended that probably wasn't his best showing. He back-peddled pretty quickly the next day claiming he was just saying that there were things to tend to at home that should have taken precedence. And I agree with you 100%, it stands to reason that he'd back this program given the job creation attached. It's probably as close to a true bi-partisan effort as we're likely to see short term.

And for clarity, the issue with the EB-5 Program isn't the number of upfront investors, it's the number of federally approved projects. It's one thing to be in a designated zone (as you correctly id, based on several economic factors including the unemployment rate), but it's another to have an approved project to go to market with. Right now, Jay Peak has the advantage of being one of the more established projects with a history of not only approvals, but investor returns. I think the sex appeal factor plays into as well-tho only my two cents but based off of hundreds of interactions with these folks-being part of a growth project tied into a recreation experience holds more cache than an industrial park in south Philly (this is intended as no slight to Phillie fans...)

Agreed on lack of Ritz appeal too, though we depart on our affinity for Bavarian stucco which I don't care for. While I most likely don't have the history as most (about a dozen years which, in Jay Time, is the rough equivalent of two trips off the Village Chair), the Stateside Lodge generates no whimsy for me either. She's ready for a facelift. A Jaylift for sure, but a facelift nonetheless imho. I also think I agree with you about gas fireplaces. I don't much care for them but the State inspector is loathe to approve big projects and big wood fireplaces, or I think that's the story. I may poke around and get more details.

Anyway, that's what I know. Snowmaking looks good for a Friday open. Hope you guys have a good holiday and that we run into each other up here soon.

steve

Magog Fishy said:

rivercOil -- good point about these plans still being early. The New Hotel Jay/Waterpark went through a few iterations.

thetrailboss -- interesting point about State Side perhaps qualifying for historical status. I imagine with the recent landswap with the State that there was language put in the deed that would enable Jay to tear it down.

Yeah, my hats off to Billy S – you generally either love him or hate him. I was disappointed though that he gave up the leasehold to the backside of Jay (think they had 400 acres) when they did the land swap last summer with the State – putting a T-bar in there to all glade terrain would have been sweet.

It will be interesting to see if Bill can keep up the EB5 investor pace now with Gov-elect Shumlin, who called Billy & Jimmy D’s (Douglas) recent trip to Asia a “junket”. My guess is that Shumlin will also embrace the program given the number of jobs at stake. Also, I imagine the reason for pushing forward with State Side is that the West Bowl plans aren’t ready and that Bill is concerned 1.) every developer in a high-unemployment area will figure out EB5 (only so many investors to go around; I think Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn is looking for a 1,000 EB5 investors), 2.) doesn’t know if he can count on Shumlin to help him sell it, and 3.) I think the program is supposed to expire again in 2-3 years (although I imagine Patty L. could get the congressional votes to get it extended again).

I would be willing to trade tearing down State Side for keeping the Bavarian exteriors (renovated of course) on Tram Side, and a village in the West Bowl -- good architecture/layout although none of this “Spruce Peak Hamlet of Taj de Ritz”.

Click to expand...

Steve@jpr said:

Morning All. Just back from a week's worth of meetings with waterpark and investment folks so this stuff is relatively fresh.

Click to expand...

Steve,

Thanks for your reply.

State inspector/fire marshals always have to ruin the party (with the fireplace restrictions) – you’d think with the new firehouse, ladder, and the zillion sprinklers going in the new buildings (heck, you have a waterpark to help put out a fire) that they would give you a break.

Interesting comment about the “sex appeal” of a ski resort to an EB5 investor (plus of course Jay’s track record).

I’ve always liked Jay’s plans for a link with Memphre (esp in the summer) – I know this is prob further out time-wise.

Like the plans for the design contest. I know land planning gets complex – whether to have a bunch of different base-area nodes versus more of a mass of a village (which can be difficult to pull off with enough land area, parking, access, etc.).

Not sure if I’ll make it for the opener -- Thanksgiving snow cov last year and this hasn’t been as good as 2 years ago was.

Take care for now.

Good investigative reporting Magog Fishy!

In my recent chit-chat with Steve Wright, he let me in on some of those plans but I was sworn to secrecy. Arrggh, I've been scooped by a YouTube video with Vietnamese subtitles!

I'll have to ponder what I think about this and get back to you, though I am totally up for a bathroom upgrade at Stateside, and I sure could have used the ortho clinic last winter.