On Tuesday, January 3, Sugarbush Resort submitted two sets of applications to the town of Warren Development Review Board seeking approval to redevelop the former Rosita’s Restaurant and three of the four parcels known as the “Sugar Cube” to house Sugarbush Resort employees.
The Rosita’s project contemplates a four-story apartment building housing 16 studio apartments along with four floors of congregate living. The congregate living units include a total of 176 single occupancy bedrooms with shared living, dining, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities.
The Sugar Cube project contemplates rebuilding three existing single-family dwellings. The redevelopment plan includes one 2-bedroom, one 4-bedroom and one 6-bedroom single family dwelling(s).
“We are incredibly excited to bring these projects to the table,” said John Hammond, president and COO of Sugarbush Resort. “Workforce housing has been in short supply in the Mad River Valley for a long time. We believe these projects will support the resort’s employee housing needs for many years to come.”
Both projects are located along the Sugarbush Access Road in Warren, in the vacation residential and/or Sugarbush commercial zoning districts. Construction could begin as early as summer 2023.
The resort is currently housing 212 employees for the current 2022/23 ski season in a mix of owned and rented facilities.
Currently Sugarbush Resort hires approximately 160 international employees and 50 domestic employees for the ski season who require housing to work at Sugarbush during winter months. The resort estimates it will need to house up to 250 employees in the coming years.
Alterra Mountain Company, Sugarbush’s parent company, has elevated workforce housing as a top priority across the enterprise and is currently investing $55 million at Winter Park Resort in Colorado on a 332-bed workforce housing project. Alterra is assessing employee housing needs across all resorts within the portfolio and is now looking forward to making significant investment at Sugarbush towards workforce housing.
