Sugarbush Resort is a four-season mountain resort overlooking the Mad River Valley of central Vermont. The resort has been a leader in sustainable practices since creating an in-house team to advance environmental initiatives more than two decades ago. VHB’s environmental team has worked alongside Sugarbush to support the resort’s long-term growth initiatives, including the Lincoln Peak Base Area Development, which included a new hotel, lodge, and residential real estate.
VHB was able to maximize the development yield by restoring several important high-elevation brooks and streams, including Rice Brook, a 1.6-mile-long mountain stream that runs through the Lincoln Peak Base Area. VHB used state-of-the-art stormwater controls, culverts, wet ponds, infiltration systems, and grass swales to bring this waterway back to life. Restoration of Rice Brook won the 2012 Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.
This stream daylighting project created additional value, as the stream serves as an aesthetic focal point for a new residential community adjacent to the Lincoln Peak Base Area Village, Rice Brook residences, which feature a mix of 15 two-, three-, and four-bedroom ski-in/ski-out townhomes.
VHB has also assisted Sugarbush with ski lift replacements, environmental services, permitting for snowmaking, and lodge improvements.
