yet another ski area proposal ... sigh

big sigh


'Aspen' Ski Resort To Be Built Behind Park City?

PARK CITY - A developer who snapped up a "big, magnificent piece of raw beauty'' has filed incorporation papers for a ski town he wants to name Aspen, Utah.

Dean Sellers said he planned to build a luxury ski resort covering thousands of acres on the Wasatch Range backside, near Heber City, 33 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. His development plans, in a thick book filed with Wasatch County officials, also call for a range of housing types, a golf course, hotels and retail and commercial development.

Sellers said he spent more than 30 years in Arizona brokering large residential and commercial developments and had the wherewithal to build a ski town from scratch, with backing from investors he wouldn't identify. He said he acquired 5,700 acres from cattle ranchers, part of the 8,366 acres of land that would form the new town.

A Utah law enacted this year makes incorporation possible without county approval.

"I own most of the property by myself, and something of this magnitude is worth a fortune. That speaks for my credibility,'' Sellers, 60, of Park City, said Saturday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

County officials say they know little about the developer, who submitted his plans on Thursday. His plans were first reported Saturday by the Deseret Morning News.

Sellers told the AP his land was ideal for a ski area, facing the northeast _ the best orientation for snow accumulation. It would rise from about 7,600 feet in elevation to 9,000 feet. The terrain is dotted with mature Aspen trees, justifying the town name, said Sellers, who said he wasn't concerned it could be confused for the Colorado ski town by the same name, 339 miles to the west.

Sellers said he hired some of the best ski engineers to lay out a ski area he said will resemble the nearby resorts of Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley.

"I will be requesting no state or county tax incentives or subsidy of any kind,'' he said. "All of it will be private money. It will be equivalent in grandeur to Deer Valley. The long and short of it is, we will bring major tax revenues to Utah and local governments.''

As the developer and major landowner, Sellers will have the power to nominate candidates for mayor and town council when the town incorporates. Wasatch County commissioners retain authority to appoint the first town officials pending a general election, County Attorney Thomas Low said.

Utah has 13 ski areas, and "the more the merrier,'' said Jessica Kunzer, spokeswoman for Ski Utah, a marketing cooperative trying to capture a larger share of destination skiers from Colorado.

another untouchable for most locals. So, is this going to be off guardsman pass?

Sounds like it will take out some nice riding and hunting areas.

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/ind...ticle&sid=3197

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The property, named "Aspen, Utah" includes some state and private lands, has four miles of Highway 40 road frontage on the north side

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Sellers owns 5,700 acres of the property due west of Strawberry Reservoir, which includes 4,000 acres of quaking aspen and blue spruce and a year-round trout stream. The proposed mixed-use community looks onto Mt. Timpanogos on the south and the Wasatch Range to the northwest.

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Originally Posted by stefan

The property, named "Aspen, Utah" includes some state and private lands, has four miles of Highway 40 road frontage on the north side...Sellers owns 5,700 acres of the property due west of Strawberry Reservoir, which includes 4,000 acres of quaking aspen and blue spruce and a year-round trout stream. The proposed mixed-use community looks onto Mt. Timpanogos on the south and the Wasatch Range to the northwest.

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Got to be that Daniels Canyon/Pass area. Have ski toured a number of times there in the past. Bit overrun with sleds now. Was fairly decent ski touring terrain. Have gone there in the past when the snowpack in the central Wasatch is high avy and too much recent snow. As a result, have had some "interesting" avy type issues out there (entire meadows collapsing). Seems more prone to be like a Colorado type snowpack out there.

But, just doesn't have the elevation or reliable snowpack, methinks. I don't think a ski area is viable in this state which tops out at the 9k foot level. Also, there just isn't much vert. And, its over the ridge a fair bit so not going to pick up as much lake effect or the flow that the BCC and LCC areas get.

-Brian in SLC

You guys should be stoked.... there should be less people at Alta.

http://www.sltrib.com/portlet/articl...shipId=1719115

Location map

Very low in elevation, not even close to where I was thinking.

Seen news report on it, the locals are not happy at all about it.
http://www.parkrecord.com/todaysheadlines/ci_7484162

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Originally Posted by Summit42

You guys should be stoked.... there should be less people at Alta.

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I haven't ridden a ski lift in a dozen or so years, so, no stoke there for me, only the loss of more backcountry.

And really, it won't make a dent at Alta. Might affect the PC areas, and, maybe Sundance a tad, with very minimal locals only there and only a limited amount of time.

-Brian in SLC