Expansion Plan Approved for Mount Sunapee Resort

The state approved a revised edition of the Master Development Plan/Environmental Management Plan submitted by the Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury for an expansion in the West Bowl following consideration of public comments and consultation with various stakeholders since June 2014. 

The West Bowl area is mostly located on private property, except for a section of state land connecting the property to the existing ski area.

The resort’s original plan, initially estimated to cost $21 million, included the creation of four new ski trails that connect to the existing ski area, as well as a high speed lift, base lodge and limited parking area.

“The revised plan I have approved represents a balanced and responsible project,” says Jeff Rose, commissioner of the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development. “The ability to bring recreation, conservation and economic promotion together in a thoughtful way is one of the defining attributes of the agency and our State.”

Some of the plan’s new provisions are as follows:

• 150 acres associated with ski area expansion and facilities in the West Bowl will be transferred to the State.
• Prior to any construction, Mount Sunapee Resort will donate an additional 260 acres to the State as conservation land, with deed restrictions.
• An additional 10-year renewal option will be added to the lease.
• Ski trails within the Exemplary Natural Community will be eliminated.
• The East Bowl, including Old Growth Forest, will be formally protected.
• A minimum of 70 acres will be added to the regional Exemplary Natural Community.
• The Town of Goshen will have safeguards if it decides to change its zoning within the Sunapee Recreation District. Private lands adjacent to Mount Sunapee State Park are within Goshen’s Recreation District, which does not allow for residential and commercial real estate development.
• Mount Sunapee Resort will provide funds to the Natural Heritage Bureau to develop ecological assessment.

Rose says the plan would establish a cooperative agreement between DRED, Mount Sunapee Resort and the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition to maintain year-round hiking on the Summit Trail and protect the safety and stewardship of the trails.