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Deer Valley loses another key figure as major development talks continue

Steve Issowits held a crucial role in the Snow Park project discussions

A key figure in Deer Valley Resort’s discussions regarding a development proposal on the parking lots at Snow Park recently left the resort.
Park Record file photo

A key Deer Valley Resort figure in the discussions regarding a major development proposal at Snow Park left the resort in recent days amid the early talks with the Park City Planning Commission about the project.

Steve Issowits was Deer Valley’s vice president of real estate and resort planning. He was part of the team that presented the Snow Park proposal to the Planning Commission in recent months and was seen in some ways as the leader of the Deer Valley side of the talks even though he was not the project manager.

There are longstanding development rights attached to the parking lots outside Snow Park Lodge. Deer Valley is engaged with the Planning Commission about a development that would remake the Snow Park base area with a hotel, residential lodging, retail spaces, dining locations and entertainment. The concept relies on constructing large underground garages that would replace parking that exists in the lots. There would also be significant transportation infrastructure.



Issowits arrived at Deer Valley in early 2013 and was there during an era of change in the ski industry that included the sale of Deer Valley to the firm now known as Alterra Mountain Company.

“Steve is a big loss from our Deer Valley leadership team,” Deer Valley said in a prepared statement in response to a Park Record inquiry. “We will miss him but also wish him well and know that he is only a phone call away. Steve contributed so much to the resort, from community relationships to development and improvement planning over the last eight years.”



The resort said Rich Wagner, who is the vice president of development, has worked alongside Issowits and served as the project manager for Snow Park for longer than one year. The resort said it is evaluating the post that was held by Issowits “and will be assessing our needs for this role in the near future.”

The prepared statement from Deer Valley said “no delays are expected in our timeline of working with the Planning Commission.”

“Rich has been involved for over a year working with Steve on community relations and will continue to spearhead this process moving forward,” the resort said.

The Planning Commission discussions about the Snow Park proposal are expected to unfold over coming months, with panelists likely spending significant time on the blueprints for the parking and the transportation infrastructure. The overall layout and the design of the buildings will also likely be notable points as the Planning Commission discussions continue.

The departure of Issowits was overshadowed by the late-November loss of Jeremy Levitt, who was the president and chief operating officer of Deer Valley. He left after leading Deer Valley for a little more than a year and just before the opening of the ski season.

Deer Valley and the Planning Commission on Wednesday are scheduled to resume the discussions about the development proposal. A tour of the land is slated at 4 p.m. followed by a meting that is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held virtually. More information is available on the City Hall website, parkcity.org. The direct link to the meeting agenda is: granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/parkcity/adc77e287f52ed500c39d4dbe21e67ae0.pdf.

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