News

“Cleaning House” by Senior Mountain Planner, Pete Williams was recently featured in the September 2011 issue of SAM – Ski Area Management.

This article focuses on how resorts can increase profits through improvements to operational efficiency. Three fundamental aspects of the concept are discussed: operations, sustainability, and design. Operations includes components such as snowmaking, grooming, lift ops, and food service. Examples of sustainability initiatives include installation of wind turbines and reduction in power use through more efficient snow guns. The design aspect is where the biggest long-term gains can be seen. The goal is to ensure that all components of the resort are correctly sized to the visitation levels and market position of the resort.

Click on the following link to view the article in its entirety: Cleaning House_Operational Efficiencies

Visit the Ski Area Management website for more ski industry news.

SE Group is in the process of completing the Land Use Plan Update for the Town of Ridgway, Colorado. Ridgway is located in southwestern Colorado, and is situated at the base of the spectacular San Juan mountain range. This is an important year-round tourism destination, with Telluride, Mountain Village, and Ouray in close proximity; but it also has a rich Western heritage that is rooted in agriculture and mining. The land use issues that Ridgway faces are reflective of those roles, as residents want a vibrant economy that reinforces its small town character and quality of life.

The Land Use Plan Update involved a creative and engaging public process that was facilitated by SE Group, but driven by the community. Stakeholder interviews, three public workshops (including one charette), and a Citizen Task Force carried the plan forward continuously within a compact timeline, and ensured that the plan is a true reflection of the community’s vision for the future.

The resulting plan is a guidebook-style land use document, with illustrative concepts and forward-thinking policies. One important overarching goal of the community’s is to focus growth inward to preserve surrounding agricultural lands and to strengthen quality of life, environmental sustainability, and character of the town. In order to achieve this, the plan includes incentive-based density bonuses, new land use classes to encourage compact development and mixed uses, and policies to support high quality development projects.

The Ridgway Land Use Plan Update is expected to be completed in January 2012.

Please contact Melissa Sherburne (msherburne@segroup.com) for more information.

SE Group is privileged to be leading the Hunter Creek-Smuggler Mountain Cooperative Plan (Hunter-Smuggler Plan), under the direction of the U.S. Forest Service. This exciting project is a new way of planning Forest Service lands that have high recreational use, wildlife and ecosystem values, and are adjacent to mountain and resort communities. The community-based plan involves participation from a wide range of stakeholders from local recreation, conservation, and environmental groups, as well as agencies and jurisdictions, and covers over 4,000 acres on the White River National Forest just outside of Aspen, Colorado.

The Hunter-Smuggler Plan included an extensive visioning process, which resulted in the completion of a Vision Document. The Vision Document represents common values shared amongst most stakeholders, and provides a foundation for identifying opportunities, or actions, to meet that vision within the planning area.

The Hunter-Smuggler Plan is currently in the Opportunities Phase of the process, in which the plan document will be drafted, and include recommendations for forest health, wildlife habitat, recreation, and education projects within the planning area. Following the completion of that document, the projects will be evaluated through a public National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

The Vision Document, a process overview, and other planning materials are available on the project website: www.hunter-smugglerplan.com.

Please contact Travis Beck (tbeck@segroup.com) or Melissa Sherburne (msherburne@segroup.com) for more information.

SE planners are putting the finishing touches on the multi-season recreation plan for Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington. Owned by the Three Rivers Park District, the Strategic Business Plan for Hyland is designed to articulate the evolution of the ski area from a predominantly winter-oriented operation into a true multi-season recreation destination. With a loyal local customer base (70% are under 17!!) and proximity to the Mall of America (40 million annual visits just 8 miles away), the proposed summer business is poised for success!

The plan, which features a Snowflexâ summer terrain park, a challenge course, mountain bike skills area, zip line and alpine coaster, is already creating significant buzz in the Minneapolis area—especially the summer terrain park.  Please follow the links below for local press coverage of the multi-season proposal.

Please follow the links below for local press coverage of the multi-season proposal.

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/125863733.html

Skiing or snowboarding in July? It could happen at Hyland

Claire Humber, Director of Resort Planning and Design, was recently invited to join the Recreation Development Council (RDC) of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).  The ULI councils focus on specialized fields in land use and development, and are designed to provide a forum for education, networking, and sharing best practices. Councils promote excellence in programming, solicit the highest quality of industry leader, and foster and preserve a culture of openness and sharing.  Councils strive to achieve a balance of disciplines between the development, professional services, academic/not-for-profit/government, and finance arenas with a cap of about 50 members. Achieving the correct balance of members on a Council preserves the intimacy and diversity required to share best practices and mistakes made/lessons learned which are the cornerstone of participation.

The focus of the RDC is recreation-based second home communities and resort/leisure communities and facilities.

SE Group has recently developed an innovative project specific website for a U.S. Forest Service Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) project.

In addition to presenting scientifically objective information, transparency and public engagement are paramount to a proper NEPA process. SE Group has developed a website—www.breckenridgepeak6.com—to provide the public an opportunity to review the project document online. The website also includes project information, site photos, status updates, etc. Essential to the management of public comments on this project, the project specific website interacts directly with a custom Comment Management System. SE Group has recently developed this functionality to allow key stakeholders, agencies, and the public to efficiently review and comment on the Draft EIS. This Comment Management System allows the website user to explore and comment on all sections of the Draft EIS and categorize comments by topic. This system will expedite efforts to review and track comments to create a more timely transition into the Response-to-Comments phase of the project. To see how this process works, please visit www.breckenridgepeak6.com.

SE Group anticipates using this website format for future projects that involve presenting information and engaging stakeholders in a process.

Approximately nine months after filing for a Vermont Land Use Permit (Act 250), Mount Snow Resort (Dover, Vermont) was recently granted Master Plan approval for approximately 900 residential units along with major upgrades to skier service spaces, lifts and associated amenities.  SE Group, as resort master planners, worked very closely with the Mount Snow team, project environmental and engineering consultants Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) and project architects Linesync Architects to craft a flexible development plan that maintained a strong sense of arrival, critical day skier parking, more pedestrian-oriented spaces and better integration of the base area with the on-mountain facilities.  The plan also actively incorporated regional transportation services to provide a high quality and robust transit option for regional resort guests.

The master plan approval allows the project to move forward on detailed design and permitting of specific construction phases at the state and local level.  SE Group continues to work with the team to refine the first phase of construction.

After more than a year of design and permitting process, the Open View Solar Farm in New Haven, Vermont recently secured a Certificate of Public Good from the Vermont Public Service Board. The project consists of a 2MW photovoltaic array (to be the largest in Vermont), along with an operating sustainable organic farm.

SE Group, working with the developer of the project Cross Pollination, has provided aesthetic and land use compatibility analysis and testimony to the Board.

After much interaction with local and regional planning committees, the developer was able to reach a stipulated settlement with a broad array of stakeholders that greatly expediated the approval. The project is expected to be under construction in Fall 2011.

For more information, visit the project’s website at www.iwantmygreenpower.com

The Gunstock Area Commission, overseers of the publicly-owned Gunstock Recreation Area, recently voted unanimously to proceed with implementation of the first phase of the area’s Multi-Season Recreation Plan. Installation of this inaugural phase, including an Aerial Treetops adventure park, a “top-to-bottom” ZipTour Mountain Zip Line Adventure, Segway tour, and the year-round use of the Big Air Bag that made its debut at the area this winter, will begin this spring in anticipation of summer 2011 operations.

SE Group has worked closely with the Gunstock team for over a decade. Our most recent collaboration with Gunstock, resulting in the 2010 Master Plan, focused on increasing the multi-season recreation program for the area, and expanding the existing business into a more sustainable, year-round operation. SE Group congratulates Gunstock for moving forward with the implementation of their multi-season recreation program, and looks forward to product testing later in the year!

More details on the roll out of Gunstock’s multi-season plan may be found in the following article: http://citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110302/GJNEWS02/703029911/-1/CITIZEN. For more information on Multi-Season Recreation Planning, please contact Claire Humber (chumber@segroup.com) in our Burlington, VT office.

Mark Hamelin – SE Group Director of Design in Burlington, Vermont, presented a lecture on “The Integration of Sustainable Storm Water Strategies in a Campus Setting” at the NNEC ERAPPA Spring 2011 Conference. Hosted by Norwich University, the well-attended event featured educational programs for facility professionals from higher education and K-12 schools in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

SE Group assisted the University of Vermont and the project architects (Ellenzweig Architecture and Freeman French Freeman Architects) with the design of a new facility within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Plant and Soil Sciences Department and the Department of Plant Biology. The James M Jeffords Hall opened in the Fall of 2010.

The project is consistent with the University’s Campus Master Plan principles and premises by: 1) utilizing developed land as first options for building; 2) maintaining and enhancing circulation paths for pedestrians; 3) locating the new facility proximate to the high traffic northsouth pedestrian corridor; 4) creating an important linkage to the new student center and its circulation; and very importantly 5) developing a sustainable, energy efficient facility and showcasing new technology.

The proposed new structure is intended to form an architectural “gateway to the sciences” while also having a sympathetic relationship to the varied styles of the neighboring buildings. At the same time, this new facility will create a modern infrastructure to support the University’s high standards of scientific research and teaching. The site is an important feature in meeting these research and teaching objectives with three distinct curricular zones: urban agriculture, herbaceous collections, and the arboretum.

An extensive plant list was compiled with the aid the faculty who will be using the area, with an emphasis on native species, unusual adaptive species, and plants with agricultural uses. Stormwater technologies are also being incorporated for educational purposes, including planted swales, a treatment pond, and a roof collection system and cistern.

Check out this video article from the University of Vermont: http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=17255&SM=newssub.html

The 2010 consumer survey results are in! Now that all the data have been analyzed, we can revisit the key questions: What is the state of the real estate market? Who’s buying, what do they want, and how are they going to get it? And, more importantly, are these changes long lasting?

There is a market. A quarter of the survey participants indicated that they are ready to buy within the next two years. The preferences and attitudes expressed by these near-term buyers have identified multiple opportunities to improve messaging to prospective customers. It is time to reposition, repackage and re-engage our customers.

Long lasting changes are here…but really cyclical in nature. Many of the trends identified are long lasting. While the recession may have accelerated the pace of change, most of the shifts are normal cyclical adjustments. Understanding the depth and current needs of the primary buyer groups, Boomers and Gen X, is key. It is critical to identify which locations and products work for them, and create efficient packages of product and amenity that meet their divergent needs.

Please contact Claire Humber in our Burlington office if you would like to review the results from the recent consumer survey efforts or the past industry professionals surveys.

SE Group, teamed with Freeman French Freeman architects, has been awarded the contract for designing a new student center and dormitory for Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VT.

At 4 p.m. on October 1st, Burlington’s Mayor Bob Kiss, alongside representatives from Quebec, Congress, and American Indian organizations, dedicated the Champlain 400 Plaza–a pocket park designed by the SE Group’s Burlington, VT office. The park is just one of the commemorative pieces that were designed as part of the Quadricentennial–a celebration that marked the 400th anniversary of the explorer Samuel de Champlain’s arrival to the region.

The SE Group design team worked with the Quadricentennial committee to design a welcoming space for quiet reflection. Adding to the sense of place are the native materials used in the design. The stone material used for mosaic centerpiece, into which a relief of the lake is cut, is comprised of gray “Champlain Marble”–which is quarried in northern Vermont and is part of the world’s oldest known fossil coral reef. The stone block benches that frame the plaza also come from the quarry.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony, the Mayor dedicated the space to “friendship, goodwill, and a bright future.”

Claire Humber will be presenting “Resort Real Estate-Consumer Trends Emerging From the Economic Crisis” at the Ski Areas of New York Expo at The Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, NY this week. Her presentation is first thing on Tuesday, September 21. Don’t miss it! For more information on the show, go to: http://www.iskinyexpo.com/

She will also be on hand at the SAM Summer Ops Camp immediately following the SANY Expo on Wednesday, September 22 and Thursday, September 23. More information can be found online at http://www.saminfo.com/events/summer_ops_camp.php.

After a long effort to gain master plan entitlement and water rights,  the Copperstone project in the Methow (Washington State) has been fully vested and is seeking developers.  SE Group worked closely with the client team on the master plan, designing 47 lots and an amenity package that includes a lodge, beach, natural open spaces and a trail network.  The resulting plan was then led, with SE Group assistance, into a complex entitlement process to secure the necessary approvals.

The Developers are looking for buyers who may want to move forward with the implementation phase.  More details on the project can be found at www.copperstonecommunity.com.

In spring of 2009, the Kelsey Norden Resort Real Estate Survey was launched to better understand potential changes in consumer behavior emerging from the economic crisis, and to estimate how long resulting trends may last. The survey was targeted toward industry professionals with significant experience in the world of resort real estate development, in the belief that these experts would be better equipped than consumers to forecast the future of consumer behavior as consumers were still reeling from the financial crisis.

The initial survey efforts continued in the fall of 2009 and spring of 2010, continually benchmarking the evolving opinions as we work our way through the recession.

Although the economy is far from a full recovery, North American consumers have begun to spend again. In response to this renewed activity, the survey efforts were expanded in Spring of 2010 with the implementation of an extensive survey of over 6,000 resort real estate consumers. In addition to confirming trends identified in the earlier professionals’ surveys, the consumer survey results allow a direct look at customer preferences in today’s resort real estate marketplace.

The consumer survey was made possible in partnership with a geographically diverse group of 20 top-tier resort property developers. The surveys closed in July, with over 6,000 responses comprised approximately of 80% qualified, prospective customers and 20% existing owners.

This extensive data provides an unprecedented view of current resort real estate consumer demographics and preferences, and answers those “$64,000 questions” on the top of every developer and resort operator mind: “Is there still a market for resort real estate? Who’s buying, what do they want, and how are they going to get it?”

Please contact Claire Humber in our Burlington office if you would like to review the results from the industry professionals survey efforts, know more about our on-going consumer market research, or discuss the “hot-of-the-presses” findings of the recent consumer survey. Claire will be discussing these findings at the upcoming Northeast Winter Sports Summit and fall meeting of the Ski Areas of New York. In addition, the survey results will be featured in the September edition of Ski Area Management.

The Moran Center at Waterfront Park  was granted unanimous approval by the City of Burlington (VT) Development Review Board (DRB) on August 10.  Nearly a decade in the planning, the Moran Center will be the showcase of the Burlington Waterfront; a redevelopment of a former industrial powerstation into a vibrant mixed-use public/private development.  Working closely with long-time architectural collaborators at Freeman French Freeman, SE Group has been heading the site design component of the project, integrating the various program elements together.  As a critical civic environment, the program includes such diverse uses as an indoor ice climbing facility, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, community sailing center, outdoor ice rink, splash park, public arts and a skate park.

The project will now move forward with the development of detailed construction documents.  For more information on the project please contact project manager Michael Willard.

Recent initiatives by the Vermont Public Service Board have created an incentive program for renewable energy development that has resulted in dozens of new wind/solar/biomass initiatives in the past year.  SE Group, which for nearly a decade, has provided consulting and permit support services on renewable development projects, has been contracted by local and national developers to help them navigate the Vermont Certificate of Public Good (CPG) process.

Regional development company Pomerleau Real Estate approached SE Group early in 2010 to help it permit Ferrisburgh Solar Farm, a one megawatt solar field on an 8 acre parcel of land they owned in Addison County, Vermont.  The tract, adjacent to US Route 7 and near a regional high school, was an excellent venue for hosting the facility; offering great solar exposure, good visibility for the public and the unique opportunity for development of an educational curriculum on solar energy production with the adjacent school.

SE Group worked closely with Alteris Renewables and the Project’s legal team on addressing the visual and land development resource issues associated with the project and provided expert testimony to the Vermont Public Service Board.  In August 2010, the project was awarded a CPG to operate as the first large scale solar project  in the state.  SE Group is continuing to support the project as it moves forward with site development this fall.

For more information about the project or the other renewable energy consulting services offered by SE Group, please contact Mark Kane, Director of Environment & Entitlement Solutions.

In April 2009, resort real estate industry colleagues Christopher Kelsey and David Norden collaborated on a research effort to better understand potential changes in consumer behavior emerging from the current economic climate. Nearly 400 industry professionals participated, and the resulting report, Resort Real Estate Survey – Industry Perspective on Consumer Trends Emerging from Economic Crisis, was very well received.

To support this work, SE GROUP conducted a “Think Tank” session with a number of mountain resort industry folks to delve further into the “so what?” question as it relates to the industry. Our team continued this conversation with a panel discussion at the National Ski Areas Associate conference in May.

A large number of enthusiastic respondents encouraged a follow-up effort to help evaluate how opinion is changing as the economy trends in a more positive direction. Accordingly, a second survey was launched in November to ask similar questions to the initial version, gauge the current mood with in the industry, and to better define emerging consumer trends.

Please contact Claire Humber in our Burlington office if you would like to review the results from both survey efforts, or know more about our on-going market research.

SE Group is proud to announce that Michael Willard has earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) professional accreditation (AP). Michael’s accreditation supports SE Group’s commitment to providing our clients with innovative and sustainable design solutions.

Even if project goals do not include LEED certification, this accreditation will help our clients to achieve a comprehensive and holistic approach to their projects, including site sustainability, water efficiency, energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality.

Contact Michael to discuss opportunities for making your projects more sustainable.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impact.

Mountain resorts spend up to 5% of revenue on energy costs. Despite recent declines, diesel prices are projected to increase by 17% between 2009 and 2010. The long-range forecasts for electricity rates are expected to increase by a minimum of 2% by 2030.* Managing energy has never been more critical to a resort.

Meet REBA: Resort Energy Balance Analysis

REBA digs deeper into your energy supply and demand to better understand the daily pattern of use. With this strategic insight you can begin to plan for a world with increased energy costs, help improve your margin and avoid loss of operational quality.

For over 50 years, SE Group has worked with some of the industry’s key lift, snowmaking, renewable energy and building systems vendors on more than 2000 projects worldwide. SE Group has developed REBA to help resorts explore innovative ways to build more economically and environmentally sustainable businesses. Working collaboratively with industry partners, REBA can help you test options and see results.

Contact Mark Kane to see how REBA can help you control your energy future.