About 30 community members attended the planning department meeting. Of those, about 20 spoke. A few of the comments supported the resort's proposal to expand the Eagle and Silverlode chairlifts, and all speakers were generally in favor of lift upgrades.
The plan is to turn the three-person Eagle lift into a six-pack and remove the Eaglet lift altogether. Silverlode chair will transition from a six-person to an eight-person. It would be the first eight-pack chair for Vail Resorts.
The plan is to turn the three-person Eagle lift into a six-pack and remove the Eaglet lift altogether. Silverlode chair will transition from a six-person to an eight-person chairlift. It would be the first eight-pack chair for Vail Resorts.
Many who spoke brought up concerns that new parking systems planned for next season and the resort’s overall capacity would overwhelm already crowded conditions on the mountain. The resort projects an 11% decrease in vehicles parking at PCMR base if a $25.00 day fee is charged.
Park City Planning Director Gretchen Milliken said Park City Mountain agreed to biannual meetings with the city to evaluate the effectiveness of the new parking system.
"The applicant shall be responsible for effectively managing the parking reservation system with an on-site parking attendant present with a turn away and tow policy for people without reservation. The applicant shall use the net proceeds generated from paid parking at the mountain village base area, Park City Mountain, to reinvest in transportation, transit, and parking measures in and around the resort area."
Paid parking reservations will be required under the new 2022-2023 system for vehicles with fewer than four people. The cost of parking has not been announced.
People who live or own property at the Snow Flower condos at the base area said they were highly concerned about noise, privacy, infrastructure, and other impacts.
As a result of public input, the planning department negotiated with the resort over amendments to the parking plans. They also adjusted offsets – such as moving the Eagle chair loading zone to 30 feet away from the condos. Other agreements between the city and resort, Milliken said, include landscaping and more mitigation of environmental impacts to the area.
“We are adding a new landscape to that--so a landscape vegetation removal and replacement plan. And then we're adding the language that the plan shall address plant screening, landscaping, and or installation of a privacy gate fence at the Snow Flower property line at the cost of the applicant.”
The project does not require a vote by the planning commission or council. With the approval, residents can expect groundbreaking this summer. Park City Mountain Resort summer trails will be detoured at the base and mid-mountain where the Silverlode chairlift is located.
The complete recording of the meeting can be found on Parkcity.org.
