Most people in the community know Alterra plans to develop the Snow Park base at Deer Valley, but does The Park Record really understand resident concerns?
Alterra acquired rights to develop lower Deer Valley’s lots — aka The Loop — per the Deer Valley 12th Amended and Restated Large Scale Master Development Plan (MPD) Permit. Prior to Alterra’s involvement, plans were limited to parking garages, a hotel, restaurants, shops, and residences. The Park Record labels citizen engagement on the project as “opposition,” which creates the misconception that residents and Protect the Loop are anti-development. However, many of us are truly excited about a base village and the amenities it will offer.
Deer Valley’s website states a desire to be good neighbors and “comply with existing entitlements with no variance requests.” Yet, an integral part of Alterra’s latest proposal includes a Right of Way (ROW) Vacation by which the ski conglomerate requests Park City relinquish rights to approximately 2.6 acres along Deer Valley Drive South and West in order that Alterra build a bigger ski beach, larger plaza, ski in/ski out boutique hotel, and additional support commercial activity. This is well beyond the footprint the original MPD allows.
If the ROW Vacation is granted, there will be major implications in terms of traffic and traffic flow. Doe Pass, the one-way road between lots 5 and 6, would grow to three lanes connecting Deer Valley Drive East and West. A new skier drop-off would be situated at the end of Deer Valley Drive East. Traffic would be somewhat balanced along both sides of the loop in the mornings, but 80% of afternoon traffic would be forced onto Deer Valley Drive East, more than doubling it on that section of road. Currently, about 620 cars leave the resort along Deer Valley Drive East during peak afternoon hours on the average ski season Saturday. Alterra’s proposed circulation along with a ROW Vacation will result in 1,270 cars leaving the resort from the east at this same time, further clogging The Loop, crawling along to the roundabout, and then meeting more traffic en route to Bonanza Drive and Highway 248 or Park Avenue and Highway 224.
Can Park City really handle this? Should we? What happened to alternate plans promised by previous Deer Valley leadership that leave the current loop and traffic circulation intact?
Protect the Loop’s community survey garnered 1,113 responses. 96% of respondents pay taxes in 84060. More than 50% of respondents are primary residents. 52% work full-time. 74% never rent out their homes in Park City. Overwhelmingly, respondents ski Deer Valley and also use the base area for access to hiking, biking, walking, recreating around The Loop, and special events. The majority of respondents access skiing via Snow Park.
The community is generally supportive of Alterra’s right to develop, but ONLY within the limitations of the existing MPD. Some 65% of respondents believe the ROW Vacation is not justified because the “negatives currently outweigh the positives.” Residents are primarily worried about worsening traffic, and also express balanced and significant concern over issues such as access, emergency evacuation routes, fire mitigation, quality of life, and more.
If Alterra intends to be good neighbors like its Deer Valley predecessors were long regarded, it ought to find ways to lessen community burdens, not compound them. And if it hopes to make a case for the ROW Vacation it seeks, it ought to ensure broad community benefit. Otherwise, Protect The Loop, residents and the Planning Commission deserve to see the alternatives we are all asking for and that Deer Valley openly considered not all that long ago.