“This will be centrally located in the plaza area near Deer Valley Resort’s mountain transportation network lifts. This location within the future plaza will enable users of the City Gondola to have convenient access to the amenities of the base area.”
More details continue to come out about Deer Valley Resort’s Snow Park redevelopment, as a gondola to access the town of Park City could be part of the plan to ease fears of the Park City Planning Commission. According to the Park Record, Deer Valley Resort is holding intense conversations with the Park City Planning Commission for the future of the land. The expansion is based on 1970’s land rights approval obtained by the resort prior to its opening.
The lifts at the base of the Snow Park Lodge(Snowflake, Carpenter, and Silver Lake) will be relocated further down the slope to make it easier for skiers to access them with this new setup. The parking lots will be redeveloped to include a hotel, residences, dining locations, retail spaces, entertainment, and underground parking garages that are below the newly developed building. Another portion added to the review is a potential in-town gondola that would have an unloading station at Deer Valley Resort’s Snow Park base. The current Snow Park Lodge for day skiers will remain in its current place. The Park Record described the phases of the project:
“The first phase includes one of the garages and a hub for transit and mobility in addition to the overall plan for the land. The second phase would involve development like a hotel, residential lodging, retail space, dining locations, and entertainment. A third phase would include another garage, residences, and commercial spaces.”
The exciting part of these plans is the gondola, which has the potential to relieve congestion in the frequently crowded Park City. Like many other Utah ski resorts, getting to and from the mountains in the morning and evenings can be a slog. There is also a bus transit system throughout the city, but it’s infrequency makes it a mediocre option for day-trippers and tourists. A gondola has the potential to make the city more car-optional, and reduce the congestion at the parking lots of the two major resorts in town( Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort). According to KPCW, the proposed gondola would have stops at Park City Mountain Resort, the Old Town Transportation Center, the Snow Park base at Deer Valley Resort, and the soon to be built Arts and Culture District on the corner of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive.
Deer Valley Resort is hoping to begin construction on the reimagined Snow Park base area in April of 2022. A complete report of the Planning Commissions Work Session with Deer Valley Resort is below:
Click to access Snow_Park_Work_Session_Staff_Report_07282021_Final.pdf
Image Credits: Skimap.org, Deer Valley Resort
