Highlights of proposed expansion New lifts: New Jolly Jug and Placer detachable six-chair lifts, plus replacement of the Corona lift with a six-chair lift and replacement of the Challenge and Cannonball lifts with a single-chair lift. Trails and terrain: Addition of 66 acres of new trails; creation of 77 more acres of tree and gladed skiing areas; modifications to 42 acres of existing tree and gladed terrain. Facilities: A new 850-seat Challenge Mountain lodge below the top of the Indian Peaks lift. The existing 3,000-square-foot Lookout lodge will grow to between 7,700 and 9,700 square feet, adding 300 more guest seats. Parking to increase by 560 spaces. Boundary adjustment: The resort’s footprint would grow by about 70 acres on its north side and 18 acres on its south More info: www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=42285

Eldora Mountain Resort on Tuesday received a green light to proceed with its expansion plans in a draft decision issued by the U.S. Forest Service.

The announcement is a critical benchmark in the years-long initiative by Eldora to expand and make improvements that planning director Jim Spenst has said are necessary to make the resort 21 miles west of Boulder “a sustainable, viable business.”

A massive draft of the environmental impact statement had been released by the Forest Service in February 2014, followed by a public comment period and a series of public meetings, at which public comment on the voluminous document was accepted.

Those comments, including critical feedback from Boulder County commissioners who strongly urged that Eldora look for ways to improve strictly within its current boundaries, were weighed in producing the finalized environmental impact statement and draft decision.

Resort spokesman JP Chevalier was restrained in his initial comments on the decision.

“At Eldora Mountain Resort we’re pleased that there has been a release of information, and before we take any further steps on making any comments, we want to digest the document. It’s lengthy,” Chevalier said.

Chevalier added, “We’re still in our winter 2014-15 season. We’re wanting to take care of our customers and do what we need to do, and obviously, take this on board as time permits.”

A number of environmental groups, including the Indian Peaks Group of the Sierra Club, have previously come out in opposition to Eldora’s plans. They aren’t happy with the latest development.

A broader group watching closely — and opposing Eldora’s expansion — is the Middle Boulder Creek Coalition, of which the Sierra Club Indian Peaks Group is a member.

“We’re very disappointed, but it’s not unexpected,” said Dave Hallock, a longtime Eldora resident and coordinator for the Middle Boulder Creek Coalition.

“They gave the ski area everything they wanted, plus some. Nothing that we said was, I think, even heard. It’s like they’ve been on this course from day one and everything else was a dog-and-pony show. And so here we are.”

‘There will be impacts’

Eldora occupies about 1,204 acres of land. Of that, 524 acres are on Forest Service land, 220 acres are owned by the resort, and 460 acres are on private land leased by Eldora Mountain Resort. Its elevations range from 9,200 feet at the base to 10,800 feet at the summit.

Official legal notice of the Forest Service’s draft decision on Thursday will open a 45-day window during which objections can be submitted, before its draft decision is finalized.

“The draft decision proposes allowing the ski area to expand its terrain and facilities on National Forest System lands,” according to a Forest Service news release.

“For more than half a century, Eldora ski area has been part of Boulder County’s recreation tradition,” Forest Supervisor Glenn Casamassa said in a prepared statement. “This decision will provide enhanced opportunities for the skiing public to enjoy a downhill ski area within an hour of Denver.”

Casamassa noted in the announcement that the improvements will enhance the safety and reliability of the resort’s chairlifts and terrain, particularly during wind events.

“The expanded, more natural terrain and improved on-mountain guest services will help Eldora Mountain Resort provide the alpine ski experience expected by clients,” Casamassa said.

“While there will be impacts from construction of the new lifts and the terrain expansion, these will be limited in scope and duration and can be minimized through strict mitigations and design criteria.”

Highlights of the resort’s plans include new Jolly Jug and Placer detachable six-chair lifts, plus replacement of the Corona lift with a six-chair lift and replacement of the Challenge and Cannonball lifts with a single six-chair lift.

Other improvements are to include 66 acres of new trails, creation of 77 acres of tree and gladed skiing areas, plus modifications to about 42 acres of existing tree and gladed terrain across six areas. Also proposed is additional snowmaking coverage of about 65 more acres.

Also, Eldora plans a new Challenge Mountain lodge below the top of the Indian Peaks lift, offering 16,000 to 20,000 square feet and 850 seats for guests. The existing Lookout lodge would increase from 3,000 square feet to 7,700 to 9,700 square feet.

Additionally, the resort’s footprint would grow by about 70 acres toward Middle Boulder Creek on the north and about 18 acres toward Jenny Creek on the south.

Bridge still in plans

Bill Ikler, a Nederland resident and wilderness chair of the Indian Peaks Group of the Sierra Club, expressed dismay about Tuesday’s decision.

“I can just say that we’re extremely disappointed with the decision, given the number of people from the public that objected to the proposal. And also, the environmental impacts,” Ikler said.

“I think the thing we’re most concerned about is the (potential impact to the) wildlife corridor” to the immediate north and south of Middle Boulder Creek, Ikler said.

“And the effect it’s going to have on backcountry travelers. And it’s the same for the expansion to the south, that crosses the Jenny Creek access trail, unless they re-route the access trail. That’s going to cross four ski runs. That’s what it appears to me.”

The decision was also panned by Dale Case, Boulder County land use director.

“We’re pretty disappointed in the document and the decision, that it didn’t address the concerns that were raised by the citizens of the county,” Case said.

“I think process-wise going forward, we’re going to spend some time going through this decision, to try to understand and see where those differences (between county concerns and Forest Service conclusions) are, and try to figure out next steps for the county in response to this decision.”

Another concern to many who have spoken out about Eldora’s plans is a proposed bridge across Middle Boulder Creek which resort planning director Spenst said would facilitate construction and maintenance access during the summer — and for emergency vehicles’ egress during the ski season — but would remain secured, otherwise.

That bridge, viewed with caution particularly by residents of the nearby town of Eldora, survives in the plans approved by the Forest Service.

“The construction of the bottom terminal of the Placer Express chairlift will necessitate the construction of an access road and bridge across Middle Boulder Creek,” the draft decision states.

Because of the resort’s split between Forest Service land and privately held land that is subject to county jurisdiction, Case said numerous aspects of the expansion may still likely need to undergo special use review by county commissioners.

Charlie Brennan: 303-473-1327, brennanc@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/chasbrennan