If Deer Valley had kept the timeline it gave Park City, the lots at the bottom of Aerie Drive would be a construction site by now. Snow Park would have about 400 parking spaces for the 2026-27 ski season, which KPCW reported was a 75% reduction from peak conditions. There would have been no summer concerts at the base this year, and none next year either.
Instead, snowmaking crews started the week of Nov. 2 on a mountain whose base looks the way it did last winter, and the resort is aiming for a Dec. 5 opening, depending on conditions. Deer Valley's 2024 conceptual schedule made this season the toughest stretch at Snow Park. The resort put its expansion uphill and east first, so for Aerie this is one more ordinary winter at the base. The garage and transit center are approved and unbuilt, and the village above them still needs its own application.
| What the conceptual schedule called for in 2026-27 | Where it stands in November 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Snow Park parking | About 400 spaces | Lots intact; Deer Valley listed 1,340 free Snow Park spaces last season |
| Snow Park loop | Closed to day-skier cars during the heaviest work | Open as usual |
| Summer concerts | None in 2026 or 2027 | No construction took place in summer 2026 |
| Garage and transit center | Under construction | Approved, not started |
| Village above the garage | Phase II application expected | Still listed by the city as coming "later" |
What Park City Approved, and What It Left for Later
On Feb. 26, 2025, the Park City Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the first phase of Snow Park Village. That phase is the base underneath any village: a three-level garage with up to 1,971 spaces, an underground public transit center near Snow Park Lodge, and new road, utility and pedestrian work. According to KPCW's account of the vote, the resort also planned a new traffic signal, a roundabout and a shared lane around the Snow Park loop for transit and emergency vehicles.
None of the buildings Aerie would eventually look down on are part of that approval. The hotel, residences and shops above the garage belong to a separate Phase II application. The city's Snow Park Village project page still says that application "is expected to be submitted for Planning Commission review later." The drafts have changed along the way. A November 2024 Park Record report on Deer Valley's schedule listed a 120-key hotel, 83 branded residences, 30,000 square feet of retail, a private club and an event center. Three months later, KPCW described 120 hotel rooms, 100 condos, 30,000 square feet of commercial space, an event center and a possible ski club. Until Phase II reaches the Planning Commission, those numbers are proposals.
The right to build at all goes back much further. Deer Valley says its development rights at Snow Park come from the founders' original master plan, which Park City approved in 1977, and that the Snow Park base is the last major piece of that plan still unbuilt. The surface lots below Aerie have carried those entitlements for close to half a century.
Why the Work Went Uphill First
The 2024 conceptual schedule called for breaking ground in May 2025 and finishing by 2030. In June 2025, Deer Valley said it was "resequencing its development plans" and that Snow Park construction would not begin that summer or during the 2025-26 season. In April 2026, the resort told The Park Record that its priority "continues to be the expanded terrain," adding, "We don't have an updated timeline, however, there will be no construction this summer."
The expanded terrain is in East Village, on the Jordanelle side. In September, a helicopter set Hail Peak Express, the final lift in the expansion, The Park Record reported. The lift is expected to run this season, serving seven runs and 200 acres and carrying up to 2,400 skiers an hour. East Village also has 1,200 free day-skier spaces and complimentary trams toward the mountain hub. According to TownLift, Hail Peak brings Deer Valley to 32 lifts and 4,500 skiable acres.
East Village had already been part of the Snow Park plan. When the permit was approved, Deer Valley's attorney told the Planning Commission he expected skiers to migrate to the new East Village base on their own once construction disrupted Snow Park, according to KPCW. The resort built out East Village's terrain and parking before touching Snow Park, so the alternative base is in place before Snow Park starts sending any skiers away.
A Ski Morning From Aerie, Under Last Season's Terms
With the base unchanged, the way to get from Aerie to the lifts looks a lot like last winter. Deer Valley set these terms for 2025-26:
- Snow Park lots. Snow Park stayed free, with 1,340 spaces. The resort's only paid-parking pilot was at the Jordanelle lot. On busy holidays and weekends, Lot 2 was held for vehicles carrying three or more skiers who planned to ski together. Smaller groups were sent to Lots 3, 4 and 5. The Park Record's winter guide noted that Snow Park and East Village lots typically filled early on busy weekends.
- Richardson Flat. When the resort lots filled, guests were sent to the Richardson Flat Park & Ride. Last season a free express bus ran from there to Snow Park every 15 minutes at peak times, daily from Dec. 7, 2025, through March 31, 2026.
- The 20 Tan bus. Last winter, Park City Transit extended the 20 Tan route up Aerie Drive. Transportation Director Tim Sanderson said the change answered community feedback, The Park Record reported. The route connects Park Meadows and Royal Street with the resorts and Main Street. Last year's winter schedule took effect Dec. 8. For this winter, the City Council has reviewed a plan that builds bus runtimes around historical congestion by time of day, so frequencies can vary and delays don't spread from one route to the next, TownLift reported.
The real change on an Aerie resident's route is at the bottom of the hill, not at the resort. High Valley Transit has finished its work at the Park Avenue and Deer Valley Drive intersection, one of four completed segments of the SR-224 rapid-bus project. Chief Development Officer Gabriel Shields told The Park Record that the improvements there "do a lot for reliability and movement." He said some drainage work may continue into the winter but should not affect drivers.
East Village is also now a reasonable choice for après as well as parking. Canopy by Hilton Deer Valley soft-opened in late August with four dining outlets. Tavolona and Fornetto serve dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Tavolona also serves breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to The Park Record. Alpine Attic is open Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 11 p.m., with live music planned. The hotel holds a public grand-opening event on Dec. 3, with a ribbon cutting at 6:30 p.m., two days before the resort's target opening.
What the Base Below Aerie Becomes When the Work Does Start
The approved garage would not add much day-skier parking. Of its 1,971 spaces, only 1,360 can go to day skiers. The rest are reserved for hotel guests, shoppers and other visitors. KPCW reported that Deer Valley can currently park about 1,700 vehicles at peak, counting on-street spaces. The cap comes from a December 2023 agreement in which the City Council negotiated a 20% reduction in day-skier parking. Deer Valley also pledged $15 million toward a new city transportation facility and agreed to build a gondola connecting Snow Park and East Village. The garage's 1,360 day-skier spaces are close to the 1,340 free Snow Park spaces the resort listed last season, and they would sit underground beneath the planned village.
Other changes come with the permit. KPCW reported that one condition of approval ended on-street parking along Deer Valley Drive after the 2024-25 ski season. Deer Valley officials also told the commission they intend to charge for parking at some point, without saying how much or when. A traffic study projected that the finished development would add more than 800 daily trips to Snow Park. The Park Record notes that Deer Valley is expected to publish detailed operating plans for the base as each stage of work begins.
The construction plans reviewed in late 2024 also give some idea of what the work itself would look like. The mitigation plan, as The Park Record reported, proposed construction hours of 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with no work during the week from Christmas to New Year's Day, on federal holidays, or during major events including the Sundance Film Festival. City staff asked for a plan to keep the 4:30 p.m. finish from overlapping with peak winter traffic, and the resort said contractor schedules would be set to avoid that conflict. In the city staff report posted with the hearing packets on the city's project page, staff also recommended signs and monitoring to discourage day skiers from using nearby residential areas for parking during construction. The hour limits and residential signage are protections that matter most to a neighborhood perched directly above the work.
Construction at Snow Park will start with a Phase II filing for the village above the garage. Until that application appears on the Planning Commission's agenda, the lots below Aerie will open each season much as they always have.
People who own on Aerie or are thinking about it should understand where the Snow Park Village plans stand, because buyers ask about them. Jensen and Company has followed Deer Valley's base since well before this plan, and we are glad to talk through how it fits into owning a home above it.
