Developers proposing a massive village at the base of a remote and rustic Colorado ski area suffered another setback Thursday when the state Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that voided county approval of the project.
Two environmental groups and the operators of the Wolf Creek ski area in southwestern Colorado had accused the county of being a rubber stamp for Texas billionaire developer Red McCombs.
A lower court had ruled that Mineral County had not followed a state law requiring year-round access for wheeled vehicles. A single dirt road that leads to the property is covered by up to 10 feet of snow in the winter and is used by the Wolf Creek ski area.
The ruling means that the Village at Wolf Creek, being developed by Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture, first must obtain adequate access to the 287.5 acres of private land within Rio Grande National Forest before it again seeks final approval of the plans.
The appeals court rejected other issues raised by the environmental groups, including water and scenic views, saying they could resurface later but are moot for now because the county approval was overturned.
The U.S. Forest Service had approved construction on two roads the developer needs for access to the land, but that approval is entangled in a separate lawsuit filed by Durango-based Colorado Wild and the Alamosa-based San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council.
Messages left for the developers, county officials and the environmental groups were not immediately returned.
The Forest Service had given the developers permission to build one road for primary access to the village from a nearby highway and to extend an existing road from the ski area’s parking lots.
The groups environmental groups claim the Forest Service didn’t adequately analyze the project’s potential impact.
A separate lawsuit filed by the Pitcher family, which operates the ski area, is also pending.
The $1 billion Village at Wolf Creek project would includes 222,100 square feet of commercial space, hotels, and homes for up to 10,500 people.
