Deer Valley Resort wants to build its first six-passenger lift and is seeking Park City Planning Commission approval for what is currently known as Lift 7 as well as additional ski runs.

The panel on Wednesday is scheduled to hold a hearing and possibly vote on a permit sought by the resort. A City Hall report drafted in anticipation of the Planning Commission meeting indicates Deer Valley is seeking approval for:

• Approximately 4.6 miles of ski runs.
• Lift 7, which would stretch for 0.56 of a mile on Park Peak. The lift would serve beginner terrain at the resort’s upper elevations.
• A terminal and accompanying building for storage.
• An operator house.

“Lift 7 serves as a vital connector lift operated by Deer Valley, facilitating skier access to beginner terrain within the existing ski terrain under Deer Valley’s control,” a summary of the project drafted by Deer Valley and submitted to City Hall says.

The summary also says Lift 7 would “not offer up-mountain access from any of Deer Valley’s base areas, thereby not augmenting the resort’s capacity or creating additional parking demand.” It also notes Deer Valley’s concept for major development at the Snow Park base.

“Traffic and parking arrangements for the entire resort are comprehensively addressed within the ongoing Snow Park development applications. This strategic approach guarantees that Lift 7’s implementation remains in harmony with broader resort infrastructure plans,” the summary says.

The City Hall report includes a passage provided by Deer Valley stating: “The proposed Ski Lift will circulate skiers on the new beginner ski runs. The new Ski Lift will not move skiers to or from any base area skier portal (current Deer Valley or expanded terrain). Rather, this is a circulator Ski Lift that will move skiers within the newly created beginner terrain pod near Park Peak. Those skiers can choose to ski back to the various skier portals or other Ski Lift infrastructure. All of this is to say that no parking, traffic, or transportation plan is required because there is no direct connection between the various base area skier portals and the proposed Ski Lift infrastructure.”

Deer Valley is undertaking the efforts to build Lift 7 amid a push to remake the wider resort. Deer Valley is expected to be before the Planning Commission later in 2024 with the Snow Park concept with the possibility of construction starting in April 2025, depending on the timeline of the talks between the resort and the panel. One of the aspects of the Snow Park plans is a public-private partnership between Deer Valley and City Hall designed to address transportation and housing. A large Deer Valley expansion in Wasatch County, known as Deer Valley East Village, is also underway.

The Planning Commission meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. at the Marsac Building. It will also be broadcast online on the municipal website, http://www.parkcity.org.  The direct link to information about the meeting is: https://parkcity.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/39581/15.