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SALT LAKE CITY – Plans for a proposed roller coaster at the Snowbird ski resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon were derailed Wednesday by the Salt Lake County Board of Adjustment.
I think it's fair to say we definitely disagree with the decision. We're very disappointed.
–Snowbird spokesman Jared Ishkanian
The board voted unanimously to approve an 8-page report overturning a January decision by the Salt Lake County Planning Commission to grant a permit for the project.
The report states the roller coaster is not an activity described in the county ordinance that defines a ski resort, a definition "explicitly oriented around snow-related activities."
The board also took exception with the commission granting a slope waiver when much of the track would exceed the county's 50 percent limit.
The board's ruling can be appealed in 3rd District Court, but a spokesman for Snowbird said no decision had been made yet how to proceed.
It's a huge victory for the environmental community. A huge victory for the users of the Wasatch and a huge victory for the people who love this place, whether they use it or not.
–Carl Fisher
"I think it's fair to say we definitely disagree with the decision. We're very disappointed," spokesman Jared Ishkanian said.
He said it was important to the ski resort to "have activities in the non-winter months to allow us to remain economically viable in all of our seasons."
Now, Ishkanian said, it looks like this project is stalled. "We'll be looking at our options going forward," he said, including whether to pursue the roller coaster "or any other potential projects."
Save Our Canyons and Tom Stephens, which appealed the planning commission's decision to the board, were both pleased with Wednesday's action.
"It's a huge victory for the environmental community. A huge victory for the users of the Wasatch and a huge victory for the people who love this place, whether they use it or not," said Carl Fisher, executive director of Save Our Canyons.
Email:lroche@ksl.com
