Ludlow, VT – A Vermont state agency has granted its approval for developers to construct a new 93-acre base village at Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow.
The approval, granted under the state’s strict environmental Act 250 also known as the Land Use and Development Act, will allow developers to proceed with constructing a 208-unit recreational residential planned community to include 22 single-family homes on individual lots; 32 duplex buildings (64 units); nine townhouse condominium buildings (120 units); a three-level, 18,000 square-foot owner’s base lodge with portions open to the general public; two ski lifts; seven new ski trails with snowmaking coverage totaling approximately 22 skiable acres; interior roads, parking areas and an emergency access drive; utilities; and a gate house. The project is planned for a location off of West Hill Road and Trailside Road known as the Miller and Carnes Parcels, adjacent to the existing ski resort below the existing South Ridge Express Quad chairlift.
The new base lodge will contain a mix of retail, recreation, and dining facilities, as well as two residential condominium units in the upper floors. One of the new lifts would be a 1,500‐foot internal lift in the southern portion of the project site, which would service the internal ski trails in this area intended to provide ski-in, ski-out access to homeowners. The other new lift would be a 2,600‐foot fixed‐grip quad lift, which would extend from just north of the new base lodge to the existing South Ridge Chair of Okemo, and would provide service both internally to the remaining new project trails, and as a connection to the rest of Okemo.
The Land Use Panel of Vermont’s Natural Resources Board granted its approval on Friday. Developers Timber Creek at Okemo Number II, LLC and Okemo Limited Liability Company, the ski resort, first submitted the proposal to the agency in October 2012. The Town of Ludlow Development Review Board already granted its approval in 2011. Build-out is anticipated to take place over 10 to 15 years.
A timetable for construction has not yet been revealed, although construction sequencing calls for building of the connector ski lift, the owner’s lodge and two condominium buildings in the project’s first phase.