Developers of the Silvertip resort are working toward establishing a gondola from their golf course up to the top of Mount Lady Macdonald.
Developers of the Silvertip resort are working toward establishing a gondola from their golf course up to the top of Mount Lady Macdonald.
The concept for a gondola was included in the 2007 approved master plan as part of its resort village, which would be adjacent to the current golf course and clubhouse.
Stone Creek Resorts developer Guy Turcotte outlined the renewed plans Thursday (Sept. 17) at the Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association luncheon.
“This was always contemplated in our 2007 plan and so we are looking at locating a gondola to the old Mount Lady Macdonald teahouse that would start on the far side of our driving range and would go to the teahouse,” he said.
The proposed idea will be further detailed to the public during one or two open houses in the upcoming months.
There is a former lease at the top of Lady Mac from a previously abandoned teahouse development and Turcotte said the idea is to repurpose that “and I think it would be a wonderful thing for Canmore.”
But in addition to the gondola, Turcotte said the development has proposed to have a transit gondola starting at the base of Silvertip Trail next to the Trans-Canada Highway and connect to the resort.
He said both visitors and future employees living in Silvertip employee housing along Palliser Trail could use the gondola to get to the resort for work, or to continue up to the top of the mountain.
Silvertip has land along Palliser for 850 units of employee housing units. “The thing that we have added this year is looking at bringing a transit gondola down by the highway where it is easily accessible and would be very convenient for staff to make it up to our village,” he said.
“We are pursing this independent of our village proposal.” Turcotte said the proposal is a “pretty ambitious undertaking” along side the resort centre development proposal they are also moving forward with.
That resort centre’ s first phase is proposed to include 13 buildings and a conference centre with 800 to 900 accommodation units as part of that.
He acknowledged the 2008 economic downturn resulted in the development plans being put on hold, but the last two years Stone Creek Resorts has taken a new look at how to make it happen. “And by make it happen, I mean get it financed,” he said.
