Sugarbush Resort personnel discussed its application to replace Tommy’s Toy tow at Mount Ellen with a Magic Carpet, or covered carpet conveyor surface lift with the Fayston Development Review Board this week.
The DRB heard about plans to construct the carpet lift, for $515,000, at Mount Ellen. The lift will by 250 feet long and 6.75 feet wide. The work will be done this summer. The lift being replaced, Tommy’s Toy tow, is a rope tow that rises 75 feet and is to the south and east of the base lodge and the top few tiers of parking.
Per the project narrative, “the project will provide an industry standard lift and a gently graded slope suitable for learning which is currently lacking at the Mt. Ellen base area. The replacement lift will be adjacent to the existing lift serving a similar amount of terrain. 1.07 acres of terrain will be regraded on the Easy Does It trail for the beginner learning area,” Joel Rhodes, environmental compliance coordinator for the resort wrote.
As part of the project, existing snowmaking piping will also be relocated to accommodate the new lift alignment. The project is being reviewed under Fayston’s conditional use review standards and it must meet the general standards for conditional use.
Per zoning administrator Jason Wilson conditional use approval “shall be granted by the DRB upon finding that the proposed development shall not result in an undue adverse effect on the 1) capacity of existing or planned community facilities and services, 2) character of the area affected, 3) traffic on roads and highways in the vicinity, 4) bylaws in effect, and 5) utilization of renewable energy sources. In addition, these general standards, the Board may also consider and attach specific conditions to conditional use approval as appropriate to avoid, minimize or mitigate the adverse impacts of a proposed development, including 1) siting and dimensional standards, 2) performance standards, 3) access and circulation standards, 4) landscaping and screening standards, and 5) stormwater management and erosion control standards.”
