Metro Resorts - Ogden area ski resort creates plan to expand
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By Amy Donaldson
The Deseret News
SNOWBASIN — On the backside of the Wasatch Mountain range sits some of the prettiest country in the world. Just east of Ogden, nestled in the top of those mountains, is Snowbasin Ski Resort. Part of what makes Snowbasin so stunning is that, despite its beauty, visitors aren't overwhelmed with crowds.
There is an abundance of wildlife.
There are lonely trails and untouched powder. There are forests and wetlands and terrain that looks like maybe no one has been there before.
In fact, the Ogden Valley and the mountains that surround it are more alluring because they appear nearly untouched.
It is a place that offers countless recreational opportunities coupled, almost ironically, with the chance to shed the chaos of a city.
"We think it's basically the best day ski area God ever invented," said Wallace Huffman, director of Sun Valley and Snowbasin resorts and resort development.
And that, in a nutshell, is about the only problem with Snowbasin: If it lacks one thing, it's a place for visitors to stay. No overnight lodging means the resort is limited, and it remains a little brother of sorts to the ski areas to the south, which do offer overnight lodging.
Knowing the limits of the current facilities, the owners of Snowbasin began developing a plan to expand several years ago. They started with a comprehensive study of the area. How much of the land they owned was forest, wetlands or geologically impossible to develop?
They came up with a plan that they believe won't be completely realized for decades. But it includes in the short term a second entrance to the terrain skiers love that doesn't create more traffic on the Ogden Canyon road. The plan also includes a golf course, shops, restaurants and, of course, hotel facilities.
"We split the (skiing) crowd by bringing half of them down the Strawberry side," Huffman said.
Pictured, Snowbasin Ski Resort. Considered as providing some of the finest powder skiing in the world.
The plan has been submitted to the Weber County Commission and will be in the public comment period in mid-July. The resort straddles Weber and Morgan counties, so resort officials are now working with Morgan County the way they worked with Weber for the last two years.
Huffman said resort officials were very cognizant and tried to be very respectful of what residents of the Ogden Valley saw as the area's future.
When they started asking residents, they found no shortage of opinions.
"There were very strong opinions about what's acceptable," said Huffman. "People in the valley like it the way it is."
Steve Clarke, chairman of the GEM committee, which is a group of stakeholders including residents of the area, said when they began working with Snowbasin officials, it was really to help them understand the history of how they'd balanced the rights of developers with the desires of residents.
"It was a synergetic, great experience," said Huffman.
It began with the collective realization that the Ogden Valley's appeal to outdoors enthusiasts could be a boon to the area — or its downfall.
The northern metro's trio of ski/four season resorts(Snowbasin/Powder Mountain/Wolf Mountain) could some day easily rival the central metro's celebrated area of Park City/The Canyons/Deer Valley. The question is how to develop the area, and at the same time retain it's pristine beauty. While many recognize the areas incredible potential, they are not anxious to risk overdevelopment or the astronomical inflation of real estate
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It was back in 2004 that Weber County hired a consultant to prepare a study and make recommendations for a recreational plan for the area, Clarke said. The county asked a citizens group to meet with the consultant and help him understand what the conditions were, what the feelings were and add the history of what had taken place.
It was during that time that the consultant did a comprehensive analysis of the property to see how much of it was buildable.
Clarke said they found the valley, which currently supports 3,000 homes, could support 15,000 to 17,000 homes.
"We were flabbergasted when we learned that," Clarke said. The previous master plan assumed the maximum build-out was 6,200 homes.
"That understanding galvanized the citizens group," he said. "We realized, if we were to preserve the rural atmosphere … something would need to happen."
One thing residents understood, he said, was that "recreation was the true future of the Ogden Valley."
Clarke is an occasional skier and a fisherman and a supporter of those who come to the valley for recreation.
"It's a thrill to see the (Ogden) marathon runners go past your house," he said. He even makes it a point to go watch the start of the half-marathon.
"It's absolutely wonderful," he said.
But for that destiny to be beneficial to the county and to residents, there had to be a plan that didn't "destroy the golden goose."
"Failing that kind of plan," Clarke said, "was to have another Wasatch Front suburb. We didn't think that was constructive to the resorts that were making huge investments in the area."
Kent Lyons, Snowbasin's general manager, said the resort was as concerned about the effects of expansion as the residents were.
"We are very concerned about the ambiance of the resort," he said.
Development is something people of the Ogden Valley expect.
They expect others to want to make a home in the beauty they value.
"We didn't want to do anything to try and take away property rights from people who had developable rights," he said.
That led them to help the county draft three new ordinances to protect the area and control growth but allow developers to benefit from their investments.
Huffman said they held off on their proposal for more than a year and helped develop the plan that now exists in Weber County.
"How do you develop property rights in an area that already feels like it has too many?" he said.
In Weber County, they'll do it by allowing property owners to transfer development rights.
Huffman said the resort owned about 570 units on the edge of Pineview Reservoir. Instead of building a big hotel or condominiums on the shore of the reservoir, which would certainly detract from the beauty, Snowbasin is allowed to trade those development rights for property up in the mountains near the resort.
"They did other good things," said Clarke, acknowledging it is complicated to the average person. "The county commission accepts the fact that buildings, second homes, up on the top of the mountains don't have the same impact on the top of the mountain as those on the valley floor."
By trading property rights, Snowbasin can expand without ruining the rural atmosphere of the valley, which in turn, makes its property even more attractive.
The day-service ammenties and cuisine currently available at Snowbasin Resort are voted consistently by readers of SKI Magazine as among the finest in No. America. Developers, are now anxious to complete plans to transform the areas recreational resorts into more of a 24 hour destination mecca, worthy of it's stunning and vast surroundings.
"The impact will be less," said Clarke. "The GEM committee worked with officials of Snowbasin and Sinclair to understand the aspirations of residents. They didn't want to end up with a valley floor that wasn't attractive to potential customers. They were very willing to do that. They were extremely cooperative in developing the plan and pursuing the vision for the valley."
And ultimately, Clarke said, residents want local resorts to thrive.
"We want to see Snowbasin be a very successful resort," he said. "They're trying to do that in a way that permits them to exercise the rights they have in a responsible way."
These artist's renditions shows examples of the overnight lodging and other facilities that Snowbasin Ski Resort wants to build. (Deseret News)
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