Rutland Herald
By Lola Duffort
Staff Writer | April 14,2016
Staff Writer | April 14,2016
KILLINGTON — The $130 million ski village
long planned for the base of Killington Ski Resort remains on hold as
Act 250 permits and Killington town approval related to the project are
tied up in the state’s environmental appeals court.
The issue has seen some movement: On March 7, Environmental Court Judge Thomas Durkin affirmed an Act 250 permit issued to Killington / Pico Ski Resort Partners for a parking lot reconfiguration tied to the project.
Stephen Durkee, a Mendon resident who owns commercial, residential and undeveloped property in Killington, had appealed the permit claiming he was concerned about stormwater runoff and traffic. Durkin found there was “insufficient factual foundation” to support Durkee’s concerns.
Durkee’s attorney, Nathan Stearns, a White River Junction lawyer, said his client had since filed a motion for clarification. Once Durkin acts on that motion, Durkee will have 30 days to appeal the decision to the Vermont Supreme Court. Stearns couldn’t say whether his client would choose to take that route.
Meanwhile, a decision regarding the ski village’s larger Act 250 permit — also on appeal — is expected any day now, said Christopher Roy, a Burlington lawyer representing the resort and SP Land Co., the ski village’s developer.
After it was issued in October 2013, the Act 250 permit was cross-appealed by Durkee — citing stormwater, aesthetic and traffic concerns — and by SP Land Co., which took issue with several conditions tied to the permit.
“They’re hopeful that (the parking decision) is indicative that the decision on the village master plan will likely be positive. But you don’t know until you see it,” Roy said.
The project envisions creating, in phases, 2,300 residential units, a 77,000-square-foot skier services building, 32 new residential lots and about 200,000 square feet of retail space over the next 20 to 30 years.
Meanwhile, the Killington Planning Commission’s site-plan approval for the first phase of the project, awarded to SP Land Co. on Jan. 13, has also been appealed by Durkee to the Environmental Court. Durkee again raised concerns about traffic and the project’s aesthetics.
“You won’t see heavy equipment out there next week,” Roy said. “I can basically guarantee that.”
lola.duffort @rutlandherald.com
The issue has seen some movement: On March 7, Environmental Court Judge Thomas Durkin affirmed an Act 250 permit issued to Killington / Pico Ski Resort Partners for a parking lot reconfiguration tied to the project.
Stephen Durkee, a Mendon resident who owns commercial, residential and undeveloped property in Killington, had appealed the permit claiming he was concerned about stormwater runoff and traffic. Durkin found there was “insufficient factual foundation” to support Durkee’s concerns.
Durkee’s attorney, Nathan Stearns, a White River Junction lawyer, said his client had since filed a motion for clarification. Once Durkin acts on that motion, Durkee will have 30 days to appeal the decision to the Vermont Supreme Court. Stearns couldn’t say whether his client would choose to take that route.
Meanwhile, a decision regarding the ski village’s larger Act 250 permit — also on appeal — is expected any day now, said Christopher Roy, a Burlington lawyer representing the resort and SP Land Co., the ski village’s developer.
After it was issued in October 2013, the Act 250 permit was cross-appealed by Durkee — citing stormwater, aesthetic and traffic concerns — and by SP Land Co., which took issue with several conditions tied to the permit.
“They’re hopeful that (the parking decision) is indicative that the decision on the village master plan will likely be positive. But you don’t know until you see it,” Roy said.
The project envisions creating, in phases, 2,300 residential units, a 77,000-square-foot skier services building, 32 new residential lots and about 200,000 square feet of retail space over the next 20 to 30 years.
Meanwhile, the Killington Planning Commission’s site-plan approval for the first phase of the project, awarded to SP Land Co. on Jan. 13, has also been appealed by Durkee to the Environmental Court. Durkee again raised concerns about traffic and the project’s aesthetics.
“You won’t see heavy equipment out there next week,” Roy said. “I can basically guarantee that.”
lola.duffort @rutlandherald.com
Comment: Finally this is getting some press. It's pretty sad that the town of Killington has been tearing itself apart in the interest of economic development while one person blocks the largest economic development project to come down the pike since the resort was first created.
Vito
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