Updated plans for the first phase of slopeside development at Brundage Mountain Resort were recently approved by Adams County Commissioners.
The approval allows construction to begin on Norhaven, a 39-unit subdivision with a mix of “single-family villas, twin gable duplexes, and multi-story lofts.”
Norhaven will be built over several years on 9.5 acres next to Northwoods, the resort’s first base area subdivision that includes 32 lots for homes and cottages with ski-in, ski-out access on the Lower Rodeo trail.
Adams County approved Northwoods for up to 88 units in 2022. The updated plans approved by the county replace 45 townhomes proposed in the original plan with the Norhaven subdivision.
“This updated layout is better suited to both the land and the market,” said April Whitney, a Brundage spokesperson.
Brundage served as the developer of Northwoods and sold all 32 lots. Two home sites are complete, with 10 more custom home builds set to begin this summer.
Developer partnership
Norhaven, however, will be developed by MTN Origins, a development firm based in Hailey that bought the 9.5 acres from Brundage. Whitney declined to reveal the sales price to Valley Lookout.
MTN Origins’ development portfolio includes more than 100 luxury custom home builds in Blaine County and Jackson Hole, as well as the 2015 remodel of the Sun Valley Lodge.
“We’ve all skied at Brundage over the years and appreciate that it’s an independently owned resort, not Epic or Icon, it’s owned by a group of families who grew up skiing here, who love skiing here, who all have that passion in their hearts,” said Travis Jones, a partner in the firm.
The homepage for a promotional website for the subdivision dubs Norhaven “the last great place,” with video scenes from around Brundage playing behind the text.
Northwoods and Norhaven combined account for about 6% of the 1,200 homes envisioned for the resort’s base area in a 2009 master plan approved by the county. Each phase of development is subject to additional county review.
All residential development is on 388 acres of private land around the base area that Brundage acquired in a 2006 land trade with the Payette National Forest.
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Development profits
Brundage President Bob Looper touted residential development as a funding source for improving the resort’s other amenities.
“Residential development at Brundage is important because it creates an important income stream that will fund the next round of improvements to trails, lifts, terrain, and lodge facilities.”
Since 2020, about $35 million has been spent on upgrades at the resort, including a new lodge, installing the new high-speed Centennial Express chairlift, and a new ski patrol building.
The resort also developed employee housing in New Meadows and established Brundage Mountain Fire and EMS, a private emergency response agency funded by the resort and base area homeowners.
Brundage’s current 10-year improvement plan calls for more lodging and dining in the base area, as well as opening more terrain across the mountain for skiing and snowboarding.
The resort operates under a permit from the Payette National Forest that allows ski runs and infrastructure on federal land. In 2020, the permit was extended through 2060.
Brundage opened for its first ski season in 1961.
