New Ashford, Massachusetts — After being sold in late 2023, we hadn’t heard much about what’s going on at the abandoned Brodie Mountain, which last operated in 2002. Over the past month, some surprising news has emerged out of Western Massachusetts.
Jane Kaufman of the Berkshire Eagle reports that a new $200 million plan envisions reviving the abandoned Brodie Mountain into a four-season destination. The new owners aspire to make it the “premier all-season mountain resort in New England.” The base area would include 438 housing units. This would consist of hotel rooms, townhomes, multi-family units, and 24 units inside the “Irish-themed Christmas village.”
There would also be 96,500 square feet of commercial space, with some of the ideas being restaurants, retail shops, a brewery, a spa, ampitheatre, and event spaces.
The mountain is also a big part of the revitalization. Four lifts would carry the skiers up the slopes. There would also be trails for cross-country skiers. Mountain biking would take place in the summer and connect to the Shaker Ridge Trails. On the upper mountain could be a lodge with a restaurant and an observation deck.
It should be noted that these are conceptual and aren’t the final proposal they plan to submit. You can watch their pitch to the New Ashford Planning Board here.
Potential Roadblocks
There are some roadblocks to these ambitions. A deed restriction set by the prior owner and potential nearby competitor, Jiminy Peak, doesn’t allow lift-served downhill skiing there for 30 years. This deed restriction was put in place in the early 2000s. However, while private skiing is an option, it doesn’t appear they want to do that, as they may just wait until the easement ends before opening the slopes.
“We’d probably do private skiing or figure something out — or wait until it expires,” said Todd Oifer, one of the businessmen behind the proposal. “By the time you develop something like this and build it out, it’s going to take quite awhile anyway.”
Another complication is that it still needs support from the local community, who remain intrigued yet skeptical due to prior failed revival attempts. This is partially because the community really doesn’t have much infrastructure. The fire department doesn’t have a ladder truck to access taller buildings, although developers noted that they intend to keep the buildings on the smaller side. There’s also no town school, which complicates growth in the area because the town has to cover transportation costs. Other potential issues include restrictions on what could be built above 1,500 feet above sea level and the designation of part of the land for conservation.
If it does happen, the town will need some help from the developers to grow the necessary infrastructure in the area. This includes employee housing and water infrastructure.
I love the ambition and want to see this place come back to life, but I think there are definitely some missing pieces to make this plan a reality.
Image/Video Credits: Brodie Mountain Development, Seniors on the Slopes, Skimap.org (Jay Fleming)
