City council in Wildwood, Mo., approved a plan to add a year-round zip line attraction with four courses, despite opposition from residents who said they were worried about two of the courses running close to their homes. The project is expected to cost $2.5 million to build and could bring in up to $1 million a year.
The Wildwood (Mo.) City Council voted on January 22 to let the operator of Hidden Valley Golf and Ski Resort add a year-round zip line attraction with four courses, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The decision came despite strong opposition from some nearby residents who said they were worried about two of the courses running close to their homes and the traffic and noise from the attraction, the Post-Dispatch reported.
The council’s resolution approving the zip line allows it to operate daily and year-round from 9 a.m. to sunset on the 244-acre property, the Post-Dispatch reported.
The council tweaked Hidden Valley’s requested route for one of the zip lines, moving it farther away from homes. But the council denied a similar plea from residents that another line also be moved back from the property line, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Representatives from Hidden Valley’s operator, Peak Resorts, said moving that the second line would be nearly impossible due to the steep terrain involved. Officials also pointed out that the course would be more than 1,000 feet from the closest homes, the Post-Dispatch reported.
The 13-3 council vote came after almost three hours of discussion by residents and council members. The more than 18 members of the public who spoke were about evenly divided on the zip line plan, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Rob Vorel was among those opposed, especially to the two courses that come closest to nearby homes. “These two lines do not belong in residential areas,” he said.
Vorel also raised questions about the veracity of threats made by an executive of Peak Resorts to close Hidden Valley entirely if the zip line wasn’t approved for year-round operation, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Tim Boyd, chief executive of Peak Resorts, had said a proposal approved by the Wildwood Planning and Zoning Commission in November for limited operations would make it financially unfeasible for him to run the business. “They basically signed a death certificate for Hidden Valley, and I think it’s going to be a big loss to the community,” Boyd said at the time.
After the threats, city officials sent the proposal to a council subcommittee for review. That eventually led to the latest vote on the subcommittee’s recommendation, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Hidden Valley said the zip line is needed as a new source of revenue amid a shortening season for skiing and snowboarding on hills covered in manufactured snow. When they pitched the plan in June, the operators said the zip line was expected to cost $2.5 million to build and could bring in up to $1 million a year, the Post-Dispatch reported.
The zip line courses will be contained to Hidden Valley’s boundaries. As part of concessions to nearby homeowners, the operators agreed not to add lighting or a public address system. Company representatives said they will also consider posting signs asking zip line riders to be quiet near residential areas, the Post-Dispatch reported.
But those concessions weren’t enough for some opponents. Councilwoman Debra Smith McCutchen was among those on the council who voted against the resolution approving the zip line, the Post-Dispatch reported.
“No one wants Hidden Valley to close,” McCutchen said. But she said the concerns of residents should be foremost and both courses that had drawn so many residents’ ire should be pushed back.
Councilman Greg Stine voted with the majority. He disputed claims raised by some residents at the council meeting that city officials had urged Hidden Valley to offer more year-round recreational opportunities, the Post-Dispatch reported.
“We’re in a difficult position,” Stine said. “We’re trying to do what’s best for the community, and we’re not doing some sort of malicious scheming.”
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