The ski resort plans to move parking underground to make way for a new base development with 120 hotel rooms, 100 condos, 30,000 square feet of commercial space, an event center and potentially a new ski club.
Under the permit approved Wednesday, the resort can build a three-level garage with up to 1,971 spaces. Only 1,360 spaces can be used by day skiers. The remaining parking must be for other visitors, like hotel guests and shoppers.
With on-street parking, Deer Valley says it can park around 1,700 vehicles today during peak conditions.
Deer Valley officials have told the commission they intend to charge for parking in the future, however it’s unclear how much and when fees will begin.
As a condition of approval, Deer Valley Drive on-street parking will no longer be allowed after this ski season.
The permit also gives Deer Valley the green light to construct an underground transit center and make road, utility and pedestrian improvements in Snow Park. The resort plans to install a new traffic signal, roundabout and shared lane around the Snow Park loop for public transit and emergency vehicles.
So far, permits for any other construction have not yet been approved.
Deer Valley intends to break ground on the project in May. Parking will be reduced during construction.
During the summer of 2025 and the 2025-2026 ski season, about 700 spots will be available.
The ongoing construction also means no summer concerts in 2026 or 2027.
Parking capacity will be at its lowest, with only 400 spots, a 75% reduction compared to peak conditions today, during summer 2026 and the 2026-2027 ski season.
The full project is expected to take five years to complete.
Attorney Wade Budge, who represents Deer Valley, previously told the planning commission he expects skiers to naturally migrate to the resort’s new East Village base in Wasatch County due to the disruptions.
The planning commission began reviewing Deer Valley’s proposal last year, after the city council came to an agreement with the resort over a right-of-way easement. In exchange for giving Deer Valley the ability to construct the new base village, the resort committed to pledge $15 million to the city for a new transportation facility and agreed to build a gondola connecting Snow Park and East Village.
The city council also negotiated a 20% day skier parking reduction as part of that agreement, in an effort to reduce the traffic impacts of the project.
A traffic study projected the new development will generate more than 800 additional daily trips to Snow Park.
The resort plans to submit an application later this summer for the second phase of the project, which will include all of the vertical development on top of the garage.
The total cost of the transformational project is unclear for Deer Valley, which is privately-owned by Alterra Mountain Company.
