Courtesy Great Gulf
Great Gulf and Safdie Architects envision a promenade around Snowshed Pond with luxury condos built in future phases.
By Polly Mikula
At the Killington Cup last weekend, Great Gulf the developer for the planned Killington Village at the base of Snowshed and Ramshead, unveiled renderings — it was the publics first look into the vision of the new developer.
Great Gulf bought the rights and permitted plans to develop a village at the base of Killington Resort in May from SP Land Co. The new village will at the base of the mountain on 1,095 acres of development land (the village portion will be on 45 of those acres). Permits for Phase 1 include about 32,000 square feet of commercial space and 225 new units of housing with a mix of condos (193 units), townhomes, and single-family homes.
Michael Sneyd, president of the Resort Residential Division of Great Gulf called the original permitted plans “a substantial foundation,” and “a very good plan” when speaking at a community meeting, Oct. 19, adding, “but we think Killington deserves something better than very good. We believe this ski village should be better than any other ski village.”
Great Gulf’s re-envisioned village design includes a pedestrian-only Main Street that leads to the base of the mountain, where a crystalline lodge will welcome visitors (replacing the current Snowshed and Ramshead lodges). The Crystal Mountain Lodge will be made of cladding and joined glass at various angles. It will be visible from both the slopes and the village, Sneyd explained. And its design will reflect the natural landscapes — picking up the colors of every season.
Plans also show Snowshed Pond ringed by a waterfront promenade.
There are “two significant gathering areas,” Sneyd explained. “The Main Town Square in the middle of the village and the Snowbeach Square that celebrates the biggest ski beach in the East.”
The ski beach connects the Snowshed lift and the Ramshead lift. “And it’s flat the whole way,” Sneyd explained. Killington Road will be depressed underneath it and the skiers will go over it on a wide flat bridge. Killington Road will then continue up to K-1 via Vale Road.
“The village will be a hub of activity,” said Killington Resort President and CEO Mike Solimano. “Whether it’s something like ice skating or concerts, this will give people in the area a great place to come together and hang out, not to mention improving the availability of real estate and infrastructure in the Killington region.”
Great Gulf (a company that has built more than 90,000 homes in 20 cities across the U.S.) has hired Safdie Architects to lead the redesign of the village in collaboration with PWP Landscape Architecture.
“We knew early on, only a world-class design team could realize our vision for the four-season mountain resort we believe is the future of Killington,” stated Elly Reisman, chairman of Great Gulf on LiveKillington.com.
Architect and founding partner Moshe Safdie said his “goal is to capture the spirit and character of a Vermont village in a contemporary rendition of vital public spaces for all seasons.”
Safdie Architects has collaborated with PWP Landscape Architecture on a number of projects internationally, including the Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore.
Courtesy Great Gulf
Great Gulf and Sadfie Architects have released a series of concept renderings for their newly proposed Killington Village.
Timing
Because Great Gulf is planning for a major change to the permitted village plan, the new plans will now have to be approved by Act 250 — Vermont’s land use/development law.
Sneyd expects to submit the new plans for review in January 2024. Timing from there is “hard to say… I mean, we would love it to take six to nine months.”
If the permitting process goes quickly, construction could start as early as spring 2025, Sneyd said. Once it gets started it will take two years to build out Phase 1. “Then, as soon as we get Phase 1 on its way, we’ll be working on the next phase,” he explained “We’re excited to begin; to build something absolutely iconic.”
Safdie and PWP got together and created a new village design “that is elegant in its simplicity,” said Sneyd, “We’re participating with the community, town, resort and state to make Killington the best ski village of the future,” he explained. “Right now Killington is the biggest ski mountain in the East, it’s got the best snowmaking, it’s got the best lifts, grooming equipment, etc … but it doesn’t have the best village — and that’s where we’re coming in to be part of the future of Killington.”
At the World Cup, Great Gulf representatives had a chance to chat with many in the VIP tent that their company sponsored.
“Our goal was to talk with people who may be interested and learn more about what it is they particularly are looking for. Is it two bedrooms? One bedroom? Studio? Townhome? Single-family home? We’re able to offer them all right now.”
“We got a lot of feedback and most of it was really really positive,” Sneyd concluded. “What an amazing event!”
For additional renderings visit: MountainTimes.info. For more information visit: LiveKillington.com.
