The company that runs the Mount Sunapee ski resort has presented its five year plan to New Hampshire officials.
The company proposes creating 75 acres of new ski trails, and building as many as 250 new condominiums.
But a group of citizens who live near the mountain oppose those plans.
New Hampshire Public Radio's David Darman has more.
Mt Sunapee ski resort's managers say they want to build the trails on the west side of the mountain in the next 5 to 10 years.
Jay Gamble of Okemo/Mt Sunapee is the ski area's general manager.
He says a new trail system will keep skiers coming back.
a third top to bottom summit lift and trail network will add a lot of variety of skiing, enhance the skiing experience at mt sunapee and i think for the next 40 years keep mt sunapee as one of the leaders of nh skiing.
To create the trails, the ski area's managers are asking state officials to approve expanding the area the company leases in Sunapee State Park.
Okemo/Mount Sunapee signed a 30 year lease with the state back in 1998.
If the state grants the lease variance, Okemo/Mount Sunapee promises to donate 100 acres of conservation land on the mountain in return.
Okemo/Mt Sunapee managers are also planning to build 175 to 250 condominiums on land they own at the bottom of the proposed ski trails.
The development would be entirely within the town of Goshen.
The real estate development has catalyzed opposition to the project from some residents of Goshen and other nearby towns.
About one hundred neighbors have formed the Friends of Mount Sunapee, and executive director Tom Eliot says the state should not approve the project.
why is this in the public interest. why are the people of nh going to sacrifice their state park for this company to make more money? and i don't think there's a good answer to that, and we're going to find that out this summer.
But Mt Sunapee's managers say the expansion would mean economic benefits for the state.
Jay Gamble says business could increase 25 percent with the new trails.
And he says expanded business means more money for state and local governments.
there are business profits taxes. there are rooms and meals taxes, local municipal and property taxes. we provide a significant revenue stream to the state as well as i think locally, we're a very strong environmental citizen as well as a good corporate citizen with local giving.
The Mt Sunapee ski trail expansion cannot go forward without state approval.
Sean O'Kane is the new commissioner of the Department of Resources and Economic Development.
He points out he's been on the job only a few weeks, so weighing the costs and benefits of the proposal may still take time.
and i think we need to look at the environmental impacts. we need to look at the economic development impacts. we need to talk about the impact on the infrastructure. so, this is not an easy decision i don't think its a yes or no either way its going to take alot of involvement i think its going to take an awful lot of listening to people, who were wonderful today
Okane promises there will be opportunities for public comment as DRED examines the Mount Sunapee proposal.
DRED plans to hold a meeting later this summer, probably in August.
But as yet, the Department has no timetable for either approving or rejecting the plan.
