APA and Ski Bowl boosters win one in North Creek

The now-defunct Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks sued the APA in 2006 over a unit management plan that cleared the way for the North Creek ski bowl interconnect project.

The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Olympic Regional Development Authority were also named in the suit.

The project aims to tie the local ski bowl to the Gore Mountain resort area for the first time, with a new ski lift and trails.

The RCPA argued that New York state failed to complete a full environmental review that factored in the impact of the ski development on state land and the nearby Front Street condo project.

Environmentalists also argued that the project exceeded the legal limits for development on Adirondack forest preserve set out in the State Land Master Plan.

In a ruling dated July 13th, state Supreme Court Justice Michael Lynch rejected those arguments and dismissed the suit.

…this Court has determined that the State respondents’ determination that the proposed developemnt would not degrade the physical, biological and social resources of the area was rationally based…

This represents another big step for boosters of the North Creek ski development project.

Tags: adirondacks