McCombs Hits Another Roadblock

Village at Wolf Creek Delayed Yet Again

By Carson Bennett, 12-02-08

	Alberta Peak and Knife Ridge at Wolf Creek

Developers of the proposed Village at Wolf Creek have run into another snafu.

You may remember from my post on February 11 that Red McCombs and the Leavell-McCombs Joint Venture (LMJV) agreed to write a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a private road that would cut through public lands. If built, the road would allow access to 287 acres of private land on which McCombs wants to build a resort city at the foot of the Wolf Creek ski area. Now, nine months later, the U.S. Forest Service has yet to receive an amended EIS. On November 20 the Forest Service officially suspended the EIS application process, effectively rendering McCombs’ Village at Wolf Creek a pipe dream.

Of course, the developers could always start over. McCombs does own a decent chunk of land at the base of the small ski area (although the land-swap deal in which he acquired it was a bit shady, as the Durango Telegraph reported in 2004). He and his partners could begin the process again by submitting a new application to the Forest Service, but with public opinion overwhelmingly against developing the land into a resort town, and with access now blocked by the suspended EIS process, it may require more time and money than McCombs is willing to invest.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.