Hooray! I know some people won’t be as happy about it as I am, but I’m sure they’ll get over it. I’ve found a couple of stories saying The Village at Wolf Creek is back on track. It’s only taken 20 years! There’s an article in Biz Journals and and article in the Denver Post.
The Denver Post takes a very negative slant, “It is clear that the development of Wolf Creek Pass isn’t in the public interest.” I’ve been following this topic for a while now and, frankly, not everyone is all upset about it. There are large groups who are making a lot of noise about potential environmental impact and economic impacts. I’d even say there is a fair amount of validity in this. However, at town meetings that Red and the gang have held in the past, a large number of people have supported his project and the economic gain it could bring to the area.
Honestly, I don’t know the specifics of the project. I would hope that it is fairly eco friendly and uses as much green technology as possible. If it is, indeed, a threat to the local ecosystem – then I don’t want it to happen. However, it’s my belief that the area will some day be developed. It’s an amazing place to ski/board. That said, I think groups should focus on guiding the project down the best path instead of trying to block it altogether. Just my $0.02.
Village at Wolf Creek
Thanks to ski-blog for the scoop. It would seem that one of the pending lawsuits regarding the Village at Wolf Creek finally reached a resolution. The following is from Mineral County Minor (and is also quoted on the ski-blog link above)
WOLF CREEK— The owners of Wolf Creek ski resort and developers of the proposed Village at Wolf Creek have reportedly settled their lawsuit over the project.
The Pitcher family, owners of the ski area through Wolf Creek Ski Corp. Inc., sued Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture over the $1 billion Village at Wolf Creek resort project in 2003.
U.S. District Court Judge John Kane dismissed the case last Tuesday without ruling as to the admissibility of any evidence presented, according to The Associated Press.
The Pitchers reportedly cooperated with the Village at Wolf Creek’s developers early on, but pulled out in the 1990s.
Led by Kingsbury Pitcher, they sued the joint venture, claiming they had no legal responsibility to help develop the resort. Leavell-McCombs countersued, alleging that the Pitchers had committed fraud and breached their contract.
The settlement cancels a trial that was scheduled for July 7. The Pitchers had reportedly threatened to introduce evidence of the political intrigue that has surrounded the Village since the 1980s. The two sides were haggling over political allegations when the settlement was announced…
A separate lawsuit filed by environmental groups over the development was settled out of court in February, with steps yet to be taken including evaluation of an access road by the U.S. Forest Service, approval of a highway access permit by the Colorado Department of Transportation and approval of development plans by Mineral County, which can only be considered after access is approved.
According to Honts, the next step will be with the Forest Service, which is under a court-ordered agreement to do another environmental impact study for proposed access roads to the development.
Forest Service spokesman Mike Blakeman said the government will bill McCombs for the costs of the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for access roads and Forest Service employees will do most of the work on it, not a private contractor. Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) officials will choose the team that does the environmental analysis.
I was beginning to think the whole project was going to fade away. Looks like things are rolling along at a snail’s pace.
Village at Wolf Creek
Well, it looks like the resistance to the planned Village at Wolf Creek managed to secure another milestone.
West indefinitely extended an order preventing McCombs and his venture from starting road construction or applying for a key permit.
I still tend to think this is merely a setback for what will ultimately be inevitable. Apparently some damaging emails surfaced between the group working on the project and the group doing the independent environmental impact study. It’s kind of an interesting read – lots of drama and corruption. Still kind of a bummer for those of us that would like to have a condo at Wolf Creek!
Village at Wolf Creek
I was trying to find contact information to ask for an interview and found an official website for The Village at Wolf Creek. I was wondering how long it was going to take to get a site online! I’ll feel silly if I learn that it’s not new. I sure couldn’t find it when I was doing my last post on the topic. Anyway, the site has a land use map, an artist render of the village entrance, information about the area, a current status report, lots of other info and even a link to a “Friends of Mineral County” newsletter. Side note: I wish they’d let me work a little on the site…
Village at Wolf Creek
Every time I sat on the lift with someone new, I had to go on and on about the quality of the snow there at Wolf Creek. Finally, one of the locals grinned and said, “Don’t tell your friends!” I laughed; it wasn’t the first time I’d heard a remark like that.
Wolf Creek boasts the ‘Most Snow in Colorado’. They make zero inches of snow. The ski area is in just the right geographical location. Go a few miles down the road, and epic snow conditions might just turn into open dry land. The only thing more remarkable than the quality of the the snow conditions, is the total and utter lack of significant development.
You have two towns relatively close to the ski area. We stayed in South Fork. It was the cheapest option, and we were on a budget. The town boasts very little; but you can find a warm room for the night at a good rate. About equal distance in the opposite direction is the town of Pagosa Springs. There’s a small resort on top of the suflur hot springs in the middle of town. Pagosa is just big enough to offer a commuter airport. Mostly, I remember seeing lots of hotels.
Meanwhile, the ski area itself is small and usually under-crowded. This is about to change. Everyone dreams of finding that last little ski town. A fellow named ‘Red’ McCombs apparently dreams of building it from scratch. He’s calling it the Village at Wolf Creek. Ironically, while trying to research the venture (for potential personal investment), I found the most valuable information on the opposition’s website:
Texas billionaire developer “Red” McCombs seeks to construct a city of up to 10,000 people just below the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Ski Area, one of the snowiest spots in Colorado. – Friends of Wolf Creek
There’s also a large amount of surprisingly up-to-date information in the Wikipedia entry:
Wolf Creek’s future as a local’s resort has become less certain recently with Billionare developer Red McCombs’ proposed development of a village of 10,000 people within the boundaries of the ski resort.
And a bit on this fellows blog: The Glory of Southwest Colorado
I’m excited about the whole thing. I’d like to buy one of these new condos and live at Wolf Creek for a season. I imagine myself working from home and snowboarding until I can’t snowboard any more. Here’s hoping…
Village at Wolf Creek
Hooray! I know some people won’t be as happy about it as I am, but I’m sure they’ll get over it. I’ve found a couple of stories saying The Village at Wolf Creek is back on track. It’s only taken 20 years! There’s an article in Biz Journals and and article in the Denver Post.
