In a sudden reversal, Deer Valley Resort can begin breaking ground on a new lift that will connect the traditional ski area to the resort’s new Expanded Excellence terrain and East Village.
Just days after appealing the Park City Planning Commission’s approval of a conditional use permit for the lift, the Bransford Land Co. withdrew its motion early this week.
No reason for the withdrawal was given in documents The Tribune obtained via an open records request. Calls and an email to Bransford Land Co.’s lawyer, Justin Toth, were not returned.
“Deer Valley is grateful for the Park City Planning Commission’s unanimous approval of the Lift 7 CUP on May 22, 2024, and the community’s overall support for this project,” Deer Valley said in a statement provided to the Tribune on Wednesday. “We are committed to continuing to deliver on our original brand promise founded by the Stern family and are dedicated to our Expanded Excellence vision, evolving the ski experience for future generations.”
The resort should be able to break ground this summer on what is temporarily being called Lift 7.
Slated to be a six-person bubble lift, it will string together Flagstaff Mountain and Park Peak. In addition to opening up more beginner terrain at the top of the resort, the lift will serve as a connector to the 3,700 acres of new terrain that Deer Valley leased last year from what was being built by the Extell Development Company as the Mayflower Resort. Phase 1 of the “Expanded Excellence” terrain is slated to include 10 lifts and 110 runs on 2,900 acres.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Expansion plans by Alterra Mountain Resorts, owner of Deer Valley, will add 3,700 acres of skiable terrain, including a 10-person gondola connecting East Village to Park Peak, pictured, that will also feature a south-facing lodge.
Nine of those 10 lifts — including a two-section gondola — will be located in Wasatch County and were approved by the state’s Military Installation Development Authority. MIDA is a quasi-governmental agency that aided in patching together of the various parcels of land that make up the new terrain. Some of that land was owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the Trust Lands Administration.
Lift 7 is in Summit County and, because it is not on Deer Valley’s master plan, had to be approved by the Park City Planning Commission.
The commission tabled a decision after first reviewing the permit application on April 24. At that time, Anne Bransford, the chair of the Bransford Land Co. trust, voiced concern in written statements and at the meeting that resort executives had not chosen the best routes for Lift 7 and the new terrain. She said the proposed route requires more clear-cutting of trees and invasion of protected wildlife areas than if the lift and runs crossed Bransford Land Co. property.
The trust hired an independent consultant to review potential routes for the lift, Bransford said, which also found the accompanying runs are more narrow and dangerous than comparable beginner runs at Deer Valley and Park City Mountain.
The Bransfords have leased some of their land, including that under the Trump run, to the resort for more than 30 years.
Deer Valley executives addressed many of the planning commissioners’ concerns during its May 22 meeting and said the proposed route was the best available to the resort. The commission unanimously approved the conditional use permit, albeit only after attaching nearly 30 conditions.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Todd Bennett President and COO of Deer Valley Resort, Jared Smith, President and CEO of Alterra Mountain Co. and Gary Barnett, President and Founder of Extell Development Co. answer questions about the new Deer Valley Resort Expansion, dubbed Expanded Excellence, at the Silver Lake Lodge in Deer Valley, on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023.
In Wednesday’s statement to The Tribune, Deer Valley said Lift 7 is “designed to add terrain for all skill levels while prioritizing skier safety, wildlife preservation, and managing the project’s environmental impact to uphold our commitment to sustainable growth.”
Days after the planning commission approved the lift, the Bransford Land Co. filed an appeal to the city’s relatively new three-person review panel. Park City established the panel earlier this year to keep the city council from having to review such matters.
In a brief email sent to planning director Rebecca Ward on Monday, Bransford asked to withdraw the appeal.
“Effective immediately, Bransford Land Company, LLC [respectfully] withdraws our appeal to the Planning Commission’s approval of Lift 7 submitted on June 3, 2024,” the email said. “As always, BLC respects the efforts of your staff and Planning Commissioners.”
Bransford Land Co. is also in litigation with Extell over a right-of-way dispute. A jury had been selected and hearings were scheduled to begin Monday.
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