Park City’s Administrative Hearing Officer Tim Pack denied an appeal of Park City Mountain's planned upgrades to Silverlode, Eagle and Eaglet chairlifts Wednesday, July 29.
He concluded the Park City Planning Commission correctly applied city land management code and affirmed the commission’s decisions to grant the lift permits.
The improvements will expand the Silverlode Express from a six-passenger detachable lift to one that carries eight. The 30-year-old Eagle and Eaglet chairlifts will be replaced with a six-passenger detachable chairlift and mid-mountain station.
The commission approved the upgrades May 27. Six Park City-area residents then appealed the decision June 8, arguing the improvements would add to overcrowding and dangerous conditions at the resort.
Appellants argued commissioners didn’t factor in Park City Mountain’s calculations on how many skiers and riders the mountain can manage. That’s called comfortable carrying capacity.
The capacity issue figured prominently in the resort’s first attempt to upgrade Silverlode, Eagle and Eaglet in 2022. Four residents eventually overturned the planning department’s initial approval and kick-started three years of litigation.
However, hearing officer Tim Pack wrote in his decision that there is no causal relationship between increased lift capacity and an increase in skiers on trails.
He instead said there’s evidence lift upgrades will actually increase safety.
Pack’s analysis found upgrading lift infrastructure will improve safety, reliability and overall guest experience. Parking and traffic will also not have increased demand, the decision reports, as there’s a mitigation plan.
Pack’s review was limited to information from planning commission meetings and comments from attorneys for the appellants, Park City Mountain and the city.
Park City Municipal and Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise foundation are financial supporters of KPCW.
