ELK MEADOWS

[oldno7]

Always wondered who cut the original Mt. Holly runs, none of them followed the fall line.(very hard to ski) Later the Elk meadows runs had good fall lines but only beginner terrain.
On the theme of this thread-- it would ruin a good mountain to let it be privately developed. The used terrain and existing runs are mediocre at best. Having said that the terrain going both east and north are incredible.
This resort failed because Brian Head did not. A little closer to Vegas and no road or access issues in the winter. I also think Brian Heads terrain is mediocre but they built good infrastructure and more importantly a town.

[offpiste]

It failed because people don't want to drive the canyon. Infrastructure a little. But the folks I talked with had plenty of money to buy and build whatever they wanted and they said the travel was the deciding factor, no large airport and charter buses basically refused to travel the canyon.

I have to agree with the statement on the runs we tried our best to get them down a fall line on the old Mt. Holly side, we came in and tried to clean them up but it wasn't happening without major tree removal.

The best part is still the back country, that is why they need to leave it alone and let people use it.

[stefan]

An Unlikely Shangri-la:

Part I: Little room is left for new development at the West

[stefan]

SB53 overturned
Utah Supreme Court strikes down law curbing land-use initiative campaigns
By Cathy McKitrick
The Salt Lake Tribune


No matter the dispute - whether about pigs in Kanosh, a power plant near Sigurd or a posh resort outside Beaver - a recent state law shut the door to Utah residents seeking to settle those spats at the ballot box.

On Friday, the Utah Supreme Court flung that door wide open again.

A unanimous seven-page ruling tossed out SB53 as unconstitutional and empowered Utahns to take on land-use decisions through the time-honored practice of gathering enough signatures to force a public vote.

The issue came to a head when some die-hard Sevier County residents launched a grass-roots push so voters could weigh in on a proposed coal-fired power plant near Sigurd.

"When we started out in February 2008, we believed we were doing a countywide right to vote," Sevier County resident Elaine Bonavita said Friday. "We now can say we played a part in restoring the right to vote to all Utahns across the state."

SB53, sponsored by Sen. Brent Goodfellow, D-West Valley City, barred voters from launching initiatives dealing with land-use ordinances. The bill breezed through the 2008 Legislature, got signed by the governor and took effect in May.

Bonavita led a successful effort to get the 299-acre coal-fired power plant on next month's ballot. However, attorneys for Sevier Power Co. pointed to SB53 and argued that Proposition 1 should be removed. A 6th District judge agreed.

Early last week, Utah's high court ordered the measure back on the ballot and, on Friday, issued its full opinion.

"This direct prohibition of the subject of an initiative brought otherwise within the conditions, manner and time restrictions imposed by law is beyond the power of the Legislature to enact," Justice Michael Wilkins wrote.

With that, the court upheld the people's power to initiate legislation on any subject, including land use.

In March, land-use attorney Jeff Owens called SB53 a loss for Utahns.

He ultimately argued Sevier County's right-to-vote case before the high court.

"They let me gravy-train my way to a Supreme Court win," Owens said, crediting the grass-roots residents for "doing the hard work."

SB53's reversal took Goodfellow by surprise.

"It was never my intent to take away the power of the people to petition their government," he said.

"My intent was to protect the integrity of master plans, private property and land-use documents."

Sevier Power's co-owner, Bruce Taylor, hoped for a different decision.

His efforts to get the required approvals for a proposed $600 million facility have spanned eight years.

Farther south, Beaver County resident Margaret Wellman, who took part in the fight against the exclusive but embattled Mount Holly ski-golf resort, applauded the ruling.

"It affects the whole state," she said, "so we're happy for everybody who does not want to see unlimited, big development."

Kanosh resident Steve Maxfield, a Millard County Commission candidate, also rejoiced.

Maxfield has pushed for a referendum on his town's new land-use document that bars residents from owning pigs.

"Kanosh is a great town that has been around for over 150 years," Maxfield said. "We've chosen to be neighbors. If our neighbor wants to have a pig, that's OK."

[oldno7]

So if I read this right---- The local people(county level) will be able to decide on environmental issues through referendum? I love the idea, but it flies in the face of Environmental organizations who think all land should be managed from Wash. DC.
Could this possibly even be used on state levels to put Wilderness on a referendum?

[stefan]

Could this possibly even be used on state levels to put Wilderness on a referendum?

i am not sure, but i have a feeling this would only apply to state land and not federal land.

if you are interested in raising this issue in the context of wilderness, please do so in the environmental issues forum, thanks.

[offpiste]

Interesting to see Gene Gatza still talking on the subject he was one of the original six of us that built/renovated Elk Meadows in 84. He went back and worked as manager of properties and knows what he is talking about.

[stefan]

the continuation article ...

Unlikely Shangri-La,
Part II
Winning over the residents of Beaver
By Christopher Solomon
High Country News


As introductions to the community go, the Mt. Holly Club

[offpiste]

interesting article, lets see if they actually open this fall or not. Snow cat skiing that will also be interesting if they can get permission to go out of bounds with them into national forest lands. If not that will be an expensive boring cat ride.
sounds like they have hooks in the legislature, interesting how money will do that for politicians.
it would be interesting to see the books for beaver county school district to see if they did give that kind of cash to them.
I still hope they keep it out I still want to go and ski the area!!

[oldno7]

And now the "Yellowstone club" has filed for bankruptcy.

Hopefully not too late to set a precedence for Elk Meadows.

Sorry no link-

[Win]

On a similar note:

Tomorrow the Toquerville city council votes on the the "theme park". Amazing that almost nothing has been written about it.

And I've really taken a liking to that area of the Fishlake NF, we spent a bit of time up there over the Summer.

Win

[trackrunner]

And now the "Yellowstone club" has filed for bankruptcy.

Hopefully not too late to set a precedence for Elk Meadows.

Sorry no link-

news links

http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/...llowstone.html

how it may effect a similar colorado resourt

http://coloradoindependent.com/14960...ntana-colorado

AP article
http://ktar.com/?nid=45&sid=988306

[stefan]

[b]Mount Holly needs voter approval, justices say
Ritzy resort

[oldno7]

Mount Holley Partner's LLC's bankruptcy was finalized in Oct. Auction to be held in next 3 day's. Minimum bid 1 million.

[stefan]

thanks for posting, kurt.

[stefan]

[b]Elk Meadows ski resort on auction block
Foreclosed

[stefan]

Ski resort goes up for auction
BY JENNIFER WEAVER
November 17, 2009


CEDAR CITY - In three more days a new owner of Elk Meadows Ski Resort could be moving his or her bid from escrow to a 15-day closing process in the commercial, quick-sell auction of the 1,138-acre property.

The 30-day campaign to sell the recreational land that peaks at 10,300 feet, with a 1,300-foot vertical drop, is soon coming to an end and sure to bring a new chapter to the secluded property in the Tushar Mountains. Once heralded to be the new Yellowstone Club, offering an exclusive ski and golf community much like that in Montana, the resort is now a mere shadow of dreams once held by a Holladay-based company, Mount Holly Partners, LLC., that filed voluntary bankruptcy, July 9, 2009. The bankruptcy was finalized last month.

"I've been up there before and skied there years ago and was just there last week to take a look at it," said Rich Gillette, a local broker for Mountain View Real Estate who is assisting with the sale. "By the looks of it, it hasn't ran for a good six to seven years. From what I understand, a company borrowed a bunch of money and didn't put a nickel into it so the company that owns it now is looking to liquidate it and recapture some of the loss."

LFC Group of Companies is auctioning Elk Meadows online for a minimum bid of $1 million. The auction concludes Friday, 5 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. The estimated property value is more then $5 million. LFC Director of Marketing Kelly Lovegrove said the auction is a sealed-bid format where bids go into escrow. The bids will then be delivered to the client for review and the option to take what is deemed as the "right buyer and right price" or open the process further for online bidding, Lovegrove said.

"The client may opt to position the highest bid to other prospective buyers and then it starts to look like eBay," she said.

Lovegrove said she could not reveal the identity of the LFC client. However, the Beaver County Zoning Office said its documents reflect AMDS Holdings, which foreclosed on the property in April and assumed the $19 million loan that Mount Holly Partners defaulted on in 2008 - also identified on disclosure forms on the auction Web site.

The disclose forms also stated that Elk Meadows possesses liabilities of up to $429,600, which includes an estimated $85,000 in back property taxes.

Lovegrove said those facts have not deterred interest in the ski resort with more than 7,400 hits to the Elk Meadows Web page and 130 registered users who have expressed the desire to place a bid.

"It's very much like a poker game and we won't find out until the very end if the client takes to the online bidding. It will be only then, when - for the first time - it becomes transparent," Lovegrove said.

Lovegrove said $200,000 is required for a bid deposit to be made. Thus far, an undisclosed number of bids have been received from all over the United States, Canada, Mexico and London, she said.

"It has been an interesting path as to where the property has ended up today," Lovegrove said. "It has gone through foreclosure and litigation and one group, who really does want to sell it quickly, is represented in its agreement for the low, minimum, $1 million bid."

The ski resort - originally called Mount Holly Ski Area - opened in 1972 and consisted of a Heron-Poma double chair and T-bar, reported www.coloradoskihistory.com. The Web site said by 1985, the independently operated Elk Meadows Ski Area was developed and installed a Poma triple chair, Poma double and platter lift. In 1988, the two ski areas were marketed together and a shuttle bus connected them, the Web site said. The ski areas were owned by Henry Jung of Canada by 1994.

Financial problems arose with Jung seeking bankruptcy protection and he sold the resort in 1997 to Schmitt Industries of Portland, Ore. Schmitt proposed a major expansion for the ski area but experienced opposition by Beaver County and ski area officials over a water treatment plant and water rights, which led to the resort's initial closure, the site said.

It did reopen for the 2001-2002 ski season but closed again after running out of operating money. It was then sold to CPB Development, LLC, the site said. In December 2006, MHU Holdings, Ares Funding, LLC and CPB Development, LLC, formed Mount Holly Partners, LLC, which aspired to invest more than $3.5 million to upgrade the property to a gated resort community with lifts connecting the two ski areas and a Jack Nicklaus golf course to be called the Mount Holly Club, the memorandum of law said in the case before Judge R. Kimball Mosier of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah.

Kimball entered an order denying a motion to dismiss the bankruptcy case of Mount Holly Partners, LLC. MHU Holdings of New York City, opposed the bankruptcy, which subsequently resulted in litigation and eventually a negotiated settlement. Following the dismissal of the bankruptcy petition, MHU Holdings acquired the full interests of Mount Holly Partners, LLC., and its affiliate, AMDS Holdings, foreclosed on the property.

"We haven't done a ski resort before. This is our first auction of a ski resort," Lovegrove said.

[offpiste]

Oh to be a millionaire right now!!!

[stefan]

Oh to be a millionaire right now!!!

no kiddin' right?

[stefan]

[b]Want a tony ski resort? Elk Meadows bids restart Monday
High-end property