While resort construction continues at Deer Valley East Village, developer Extell is also planning workforce housing to support the resort.
At a meeting of the Military Installation Development Authority board Aug. 20, Extell Executive Vice President Kurt Krieg said studies are underway to assess what to include in the Marina West housing project.
“Before we turn in our site plan to MIDA, we want to make sure we have the proper programming and workforce housing uses, as well as the associated community amenities such as restaurants and grocery stores and a gas station,” he said.
MIDA is the state body overseeing East Village and other projects around the Jordanelle Reservoir.
A workforce housing site plan will come before MIDA in early 2027, and the housing should open for the 2028-29 ski season. MIDA has previously said Marina West will have up to 600 units.
MIDA board member Erik Rowland said when the resort project was proposed in 2002, the population of Wasatch County was around 8,000 people. Now, Deer Valley East Village will require about 6,000 workers.
“Just the number of people needed to sustain the facility will match the entire county’s population when the project was initially proposed 20 years ago,” he said. “So, that’s a staggering statistic, and I think just really highlights the need for a workforce housing solution.”
Several dozen condo units in the Pioche development are already set aside for workforce housing.
While Marina West is in the planning stages, Krieg said it’s been a busy summer for construction elsewhere in the project.
“There’s really a lot of workers, about 350 daily right now, that are either on the mountain for ski improvements or that are working on civil improvements,” he said.
One new hotel, Canopy Deer Valley, opened in mid-August.
Other buildings, including the Four Seasons, the Waldorf Astoria and Deer Valley’s base lodge, are in the middle of construction.
Across the highway at SkyRidge, developer Tyler Aldous said a 67-unit lodge is in the works.
“MIDA will be deeded three units to do business in the state of Utah,” he said.
A golf clubhouse will open in late September.
MIDA was founded to serve the military and promote economic development. One hundred hotel rooms at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley are set aside at discounted rates for service members.
