As Deer Valley Resort shares details of its construction plan for a new base village with hotels, restaurants and retail one thing is increasingly clear: parking access will go down as the buildings go up.
Currently, on busy days when street parking is utilized, Deer Valley can hold around 1,700 cars in Snow Park.
But the project’s five-year construction timeline will drastically cut that number in some years, including the 2026-2027 ski season, when only 400 spots will be available in Snow Park.
Attorney Wade Budge, who represents Deer Valley, told the Park City Planning Commission Wednesday he expects skiers to naturally migrate to the new East Village base in Wasatch County due to the disruptions.
“I think people who are coming from the valley, which is my experience, will obviously quickly understand that going and getting off [U.S. Highway] 40 and onto a surface lot is going to be a good experience, particularly with all the lift development that’s occurring currently over in that area,” Budge said. “I anticipate, particularly as you get parking down to 400 spaces here in Snow Park, that’s going to naturally move that segment of the skier base over to East Village.”
Deer Valley has 500 parking spots and three operating three lifts at East Village this winter. The resort also plans to offer parking and free shuttle service to East Village from Jordanelle State Park.
By winter 2025-2026, parking in East Village will grow to 1,200 spaces as construction ends. There will also be three new base
lifts and an additional 500 acres of skiable terrain on that side of the mountain, formerly known as Mayflower.
To get to Snow Park, the resort is encouraging skiers to utilize public transit, specifically from the Richardson Flat park and ride.
At a Thursday open house, however, resort regulars like Jeb McCandless expressed skepticism about Deer Valleys parking predictions.
“I’m real concerned about parking," McCandless said. "I really hope that you guys deal with that properly. Losing spaces is going to be much more inconvenient than anyone can imagine. So good luck.”
Another woman, who asked not be identified, also worried about losing easy access to Snow Park.
“What concerns me is that you’re really pushing for people to take buses," she said. "If we’re forced to take buses, I don’t know about you guys but I’ve had two broken ankles and I can’t get into my ski boots, get on a bus, walk up here.”
Lower Deer Valley resident Meredith Berkowitz said the resort should implement a paid reservation parking system due to the cutbacks. She and others also expressed concerns about construction noise during the planning meeting Wednesday.
Deer Valley is hoping to break ground on the project by next summer, pending city approvals.
