Idaho Springs, CO – Clear Creek County commissioners last week rejected plans by a Coors family scion to build a 12-acre beginner ski and snowboard area near St. Mary’s Glacier.nMichael Coors, a descendant of brewery founder Adolph Coors, bought the 284-acre property close to the defunct St. Mary’s Glacier Ski Area, which closed in 1984, in 2005 for $1.64 million and planned to develop Eclipse Snow Park. Although first planned as a terrain park-centric resort, Coors eventually reshaped the plan to that of a beginner-friendly 12-acre ski area.

The three-member county planning board rejected the proposal by a vote of 2-1 after an emotional final development hearing in which many residents voiced opposition to the proposal out of concern regarding traffic and an inadequate infrastructure. An equally vocal group of supporters were anxious to see the county’s tax base supported by the development.

In 2007, Clear Creek County voted to rezone the area to allow for a ski area. County Commissioner Joan Drury, however, cited safety concerns with Falls River Road as the only way in or out of the area in voting to reject the proposal. Following the hearing, Coors expressed his shock at the plan’s rejection following the rezoning decision three years earlier.