BROOMFIELD, Colo.-
Vail Resorts Inc. plans a $1 billion development billed as one of the largest “green” projects at a North American ski resort.
The development, Ever Vail, will total about 1 million square feet, including condos and commercial buildings, on 9.5 acres at West LionsHead in Vail. A hotel, offices and resort facilities are also proposed.
If the project wins certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system, or LEED, it would be the largest such development at a North American resort, according to Vail Resorts.
The LEED building rating system is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. The nonprofit group, a building industry coalition, promotes environmentally friendly buildings that use less energy and water, emit less pollution and conserve materials.
An independent, third party conducts the certification.
“When the opportunity presented itself to create a new neighborhood at the base of Vail Mountain that would be truly sustainable, we knew that this was the right thing to do for the environment, our guests, our company and the community,” Vail Resorts Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz said Monday.
Vail Mountain’s vehicle maintenance shop yard and warehouse, a retail and office complex and a gas station are now on the site. They’ll be replaced by condominiums, a 100,000-square-foot hotel, restaurants, a park, new parking structure, a ski operations facility and a gondola to the ski mountain.
Katz said Vail Resorts’ goal is to get LEED certification for each building and for the overall development under a new pilot program promoting environmentally sustainable neighborhoods. Plans include using recycled construction material, natural lighting and alternative energy.
The LEED neighborhood development program is new and projects haven’t been chosen yet, U.S. Green Building Council spokeswoman Caitline Bennett said in an e-mail. Up to 120 projects will be selected and developers will be notified by mid-May she said.
Katz said the building plans are another step in its efforts to lessen the company’s environmental impact. Last August, Vail Resorts bought about 152,000 megawatt-hours of wind-generated electricity to offset the power used by its five ski areas and other businesses.
“The first question that always needs to be asked is whether or not additional development is necessary at all,” said Ryan Bidwell of Colorado Wild, a Durango-based environmental group.
Colorado Wild has been critical of Vail and other ski resorts, saying that while they are investing in alternative energy, they don’t always protect wildlife habitat and water. But Bidwell said the type of in-fill development planned by Vail is better than building in a new spot.
“Making more efficient use of already disturbed land is an environmentally preferred practice,” Bidwell said.
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