Haystack Club, not quite dead yet????

[drjeff]

From the latest Deerfield Valley News:
http://www.dvalnews.com/news.php?news/news3.html

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Speaking for myself I wouldn't invest a dime with this guy at all. The real estate market has "dropped thru the floor" in parts of the country that boomed in the last 5 years but in Vermont and other places it's doing just fine. The stock market is nearly back to it's all time high so many of those folks have the bucks.

The real reason is he is competing against alot of other new ski resort developements in New England and from the article he didn't do his due diligence on this one. "I need another developement like I need a hole in my head".........agree with that. Dump 12m in the place before all permits were in place...not a good plan. Just my .02

 

[mlctvt]

Here's another story from the Brattleboro Reformer....

Haystack Club seeks Act 250 master permit
By NICOLE ORNE, Reformer Staff



Friday, September 28
WILMINGTON -- Haystack Club is working to make the project more desirable to potential buyers or financiers.
The property in Wilmington is owned by 1 Cornell, Inc. It had planned to build a private ski resort with a 7,000 square foot spa, six chair lifts and a heliport, but ran into funding difficulties, freezing the project in January.

The owners requested a master plan permit at an Act 250 hearing Wednesday. This will make Haystack more promising for anyone interested in helping 1 Cornell complete the project, or take it over themselves, Executive Vice President Bob Rubin said.

The company is open to any options, Rubin said. "Either/or. There's lots of balls in the air right now."

Currently there are three potential groups interested in the project, he said, but he could not provide any more specifics due to requests for anonymity by the parties.

However, Rubin added that he is "very confident that the project will go forward in some way, shape or form. It's just a matter of what it looks like."

So far, the company has completed a gatehouse and a model townhouse and has gutted the base lodge that came with the property. There is also a chair lift and elaborate lanterns along the access road. Rubin estimated the cost so far to be around $16 million. The company has also applied for and received around 34 permits.
The project was broken down into phases Wednesday, with phase one including the completion of the base lodge and construction of 12 townhouses, Rubin said.

Phase two would include the ski lifts and possibly the heliport, but Rubin considered this to be an accessory. "If it's important to customers, we'll try to make it happen," he said.

"There will be many phases," Rubin said, who expected as many as eight by the time the project is completed. Breaking it down makes it easier to handle, he said.

By approving the master plan permit, Rubin said the Environmental Commission would "approve the project in concept," and then would need to approve each phase separately.

The proposed project would allow whoever ends up in control of the project to build two condominium buildings with 81 units and 89 units each, 118 townhouse units and a 162-unit hotel. The hotel would include a 300 seat restaurant.

While the properties are currently listed for sale at $719,000 to $799,000, they have not been shown much since the project stalled in January, Rubin said.

They did complete the exterior of the townhouse model, though, so that "potential buyers of the resort could see one completed," he said.

The project was started in September 2006 and the owners had anticipated opening in the winter of 2008.

Rubin said it wasn't unusual for this kind of project to take longer than expected, mentioning the Greenspring Condominium project at Mount Snow had taken more than 20 years to complete when it had been expected to take three.

The new Act 250 permit would allow for an earthen dam to increase the capacity of Mirror Lake for snowmaking. There are also plans to eventually construct Sea Gull Lake.

Currently, Mount Snow Ski Resort also uses Mirror Lake as a source for snow. If Mount Snow's proposed pipeline to draw water from Somerset Reservoir goes through, Rubin said, Haystack may be able to cover the mountain in snow solely from Mirror Lake or make Sea Gull Lake smaller.

However, since the Somerset project is currently stalled, Mount Snow General Manager Kelly Pawlak requested that the board add a condition that would require Haystack to provide it access during any construction.

The commission entered deliberations directly after the hearing, but has not yet made a decision.

Nicole Orne can be reached at norne@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 271.

 

[thetrailboss]

I recall seeing a report a few weeks back saying that the place was pretty much on life support at the moment.



And we all called it here on AZ a few years back.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

I recall seeing a report a few weeks back saying that the place was pretty much on life support at the moment.
And we all called it here on AZ a few years back.

Hey...TB your new avatar pic looks very familiar....I'm flattered :wink:

 

[thetrailboss]

Hey...TB your new avatar pic looks very familiar....I'm flattered :wink:

Yes, a very skilled photographer snapped it. [wink]


Maybe I should put your name in the byline...