Design changes to delay plans for Killington hillside village

Developers of the proposed 450-acre retail and residential village at the base of Killington Resort, the largest ski area in eastern North America, say design changes will delay the project by at least a year.

Great Gulf real estate group announced plans Last winter, investments were made for a new hostel, approximately 32,000 square meters of commercial space, 193 apartments and 32 detached houses; This is said to be the beginning of a larger capital investment of $3 billion over the next quarter century.

Developers were hoping to win local and state approval for the first phase of the World Cup ski competition this weekend at the Rutland County resort. Instead, they are now preparing to announce a new timeline that will aim to obtain permits in 2025, begin construction in 2026 and open the first buildings by 2028, according to Michael Sneyd, president of Great Gulf’s resort residential division.

“People ask me, ‘How come you’re not in the approval process right now and why don’t you show us your latest plans?’ “I tell them, ‘Good design takes time,’” Sneyd said. “The village will be the focus and so we really want to make sure we do the best job possible.”

A year ago, the Great Gulf hired an international company Moshe Safdie’s architectural firm — whose work ranges from the Habitat 67 World Fair housing complex in Montreal to the Singapore Marina Bay Sands resort featured in the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” — and PWP Landscape ArchitectureIt is known for the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.

Killington, which has been owned by Utah-based Powdr Corp. since 2007. purchased earlier this year by a group of local and regional investors, including Phill Gross, co-founder of Boston Adage Capital Management and investment committee member of US Ski & Snowboard; Michael Ferri, a member of the Killington Mountain School board of trustees and partner in his family’s Valvoline Instant Oil Change franchise; and the Great Gulf.

Killington’s new owners have presented their views on the village, starting with a proposal for a central lodge to replace the existing Snowshed and Ramshead buildings.

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with Kevin O’Connor
22 August 2024 11:0226 September 2024 11:55

“The facility came back to us recently and said, ‘Can we increase the size a little bit?’ “He said,” Sneyd said, “and that’s something we continue to work on.”

Developers are also working to preserve a pond that was originally planned to be partially eliminated, reroute vehicle traffic to make the village more pedestrian-friendly, and add more space for recreation in the spring, summer and fall.

idea of ​​a village It dates back to 1958When Killington Peak, Vermont’s second highest peak, became a ski area. But decades of ownership and permitting issues have left the plan sitting on the drawing board.

Although Great Gulf paid $43 million for the village land, it has not yet released a price tag for the overall retail and residential project or the individual housing units.

Local, regional and state economic leaders created the district, which funded a tax increase that was approved by town voters last year. In conclusion “Killington Forward” The package provides more than $60 million in funding for public road and water infrastructure improvements through grants, forgivable loans and tax increment financing.

Once developers revise their proposals, they will present phase one designs to the town’s development review board and the state district Act 250 land use commission; second, the commission that received the initial concept for a village. 1998 and went on to confirm an earlier proposal 2013 and again upon objection 2017.

Later phases of the project could add 2,300 homes over the next two to three decades, as well as an estimated 1,000 contracting jobs and 1,200 permanent positions, according to recent documents filed with the state.

Great Gulf estimates construction could average $118 million annually if the quarter-century proposal is developed, but future phases would need to go back to town and state reviewers for approval.

“Our goal is to create a ski village in Killington that equals mountain perfection,” Sneyd said. “We want to make sure we get our first steps right, so when we launch this project, it will be a huge success from day one, and that will continue for the next few decades.”