Deer Valley Resort in Utah is known for being one of the first resorts to offer free parking to its visitors. This has become a large part of the resort’s mission to give first-class service to skiers who come to the mountain. However, this might all be about to change.
Deer Valley’s development team is considering implementing paid parking policies. According to an article from Park Record, Deer Valley planners believe transitioning into a paid-parking structure will encourage visitors to use public transportation. The end goal of incentivizing the use of public transportation is to reduce the amount of traffic going in and out of the mountain’s base area.
The development team is currently working on plans for massive growth and construction on a 15-acre portion of the resort. The project has been named “Snow Park Village,” and it will transform the Snow Park Lodge parking lots into a brand new base area. The new base area will be equipped with bigger parking garages, new lodging options, new restaurants, and new entertainment options for skiers.
If the projects are approved by Park City’s City Council, the combination of both projects will catapult Deer Valley Resort into a period of massive innovation. Since the birth of the resort in 1981, Deer Valley has owned the development rights to the 15 acres that the Snow Park Lodge parking garages currently reside. This development plan serves as a massive opportunity for growth in the resort. A new base area would allow for more visitors to see the resort so many people have fallen in love with it over the years.
Although the new resort modifications will surely be innovative and exciting, let’s not forget about the implications of developing a new paid-parking structure. This change might cause skiers who rely on Deer Valley’s free parking to come to the mountain to take their business elsewhere. For a resort that prides itself on giving back to its customers in every way possible, the paid-parking structure could result in a massive backlash from loyal customers.
This plan to develop Snow Park Village and change the structure of free parking is still very new and will require many meetings with City Council and other Park City town planners. Robert Schmidt, the president of the development company chosen to design the new resort modifications, says that the prices to park will be fair. The goal of this new project is not to drain skiers of more cash, it is really to encourage the use of public transportation to reduce the highly trafficked resort.
Deer Valley was not made to support the amount of traffic that it is currently facing. This new parking structure could possibly fix that problem.
Would you pay for parking at Deer Valley? Leave your thoughts below.
“give first-class service to skiers and snowboarders”, no snowboarders allowed at DV…
Of course! Just edited. Thank you!
Agree, $250/day isn’t paid by people who take the bus. Maybe a few IKON holders from SLC will be nice to Park City and use a bus from Kimball or something but….
This makes no sense: Deer Valley Resort in Utah is known for being one of the first resorts to offer free parking to its visitors. Really? When? Parking was once free everywhere.
If you can’t afford to pay for parking then you most likely can’t afford to ski at deer valley…