New Creekside day lodge delayed By Chris Woodall Construction of Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation's new Creekside day lodge will be delayed until 1998, says president Doug Forseth. But site servicing toward construction of the foundation and parking garage of the condominium development on the south portion of the Creekside revitalization project will start next summer, Forseth says. To continue through to completion of the condo project would interrupt ski operations for the 1997-98 season. The same condo conundrum occurs for the day lodge. It will replace the current day lodge and is on the same location. Work on a new day lodge — and an associated building beside it to the north consisting of condos, the new Dusty's tavern and retail shops — will begin as soon as the ski season ends in 1998 so both will be ready for the 1998-99 season, Forseth says. That third building is to be four stories. The original plan called for 20 condominiums on the top two floors, Whistler Mountain’s administration offices on the second floor and entertainment and retail facilities on the ground floor. Changes have taken the administration offices out of the mix. "We decided that wasn't the best use of that space," Forseth says. More condos will occupy that floor instead. "We'll put our administration space elsewhere." Part of the delay hinges on Whistler Mountain not settling on a partner for the south building development. "We haven't come to a final agreement with the people we're talking to, but we expect to reach that point for the whole thing," Forseth says. There are three potential partners in this final stretch of negotiations, but Forseth declined to specify who they are. Construction in 1998 will see the 90 parking spaces for the 70-unit south condo development created. The south building will be located between the Whistler Mountain Ski Club cabin and the new gondola. If the new Creekside gondola is the star of the development, the three buildings can be said to form a crescent moon around it. Landscaping will enhance the bowl-like setting within that crescent, creating a catchment basin to conform to maximum flood plain requirements of the site. It's thought that debris from the biggest flood predictable in 300 years will be caught in the basin. Flood waters will flow under the plaza at the middle of the moon and spill onto the parking lot — sculpted to divert water back into Whistler Creek. Although the developments will eat into the current parking area, Forseth says Whistler Mountain hopes to retain its 1,100 parking spots with underground parking in the new buildings. Whistler Mountain’s contribution to the project is about $7 million. Future plans include townhouses where Whistler Mountain's administration offices now reside, retail/commercial spaces where the skiers chapel sits, and a hotel. Far into the future, Whistler Mountain plans to develop a third ski lift base in the Function Junction area.
