CARRABASSETT VALLEY — The Planning Board on Thursday reviewed the process to approve final plans by Boyne Resort to build homes, ski trails and a high-speed lift on the western side of Sugarloaf Mountain.

In September, the board gave preliminary approval to the initial plan for the Sugarloaf West Mountain Expansion Development. It allowed the company to start work on a final subdivision plan.

The project is awaiting approval from the Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The department accepted the permit application for processing Nov. 3, 2021, according to Jami MacNeil, project manager for DEP’s review of the consolidated Site Law and Natural Resources Protection Act.

“The department is nearing the end of its review and we anticipate issuing a decision within the next few weeks,” MacNeil wrote Tuesday in an email to the Sun Journal.

Boyne Resort is proposing to build 225 housing units, ski trails, a high-speed lift and about 140 acres of beginner and intermediate ski terrain, along with over 300 parking spaces on about 450 acres, according to the application.

“The purpose of the project is to employ a comprehensive master planning approach to further develop the western side of Sugarloaf Mountain to include additional ski trails for all abilities, skier services infrastructure, roads, bridges, parking lots, and housing consisting of condominiums, duplex-style townhomes and single-family lots,” according to documents.

The Planning Board’s discussion Thursday included parking lot space sizes. Some members mentioned they would possibly consider a waiver on the size. The proposal calls for 9- by 18-foot spaces while the town’s ordinance calls for 10- by 20-foot spaces

Sugarloaf is requesting a waiver to go with the smaller sizes. The larger spaces could reduce the project’s plan for the number of housing units, among other aspects.

As is, the housing consists of 54-single family lots and four condominium buildings, for a total of 88 to 112 units, and 22 duplex-style townhomes for another 44 units.

Town ordinances have fluctuated from both sizes over the years, Code Enforcement Officer Chris Parks told the board.

One board member who measured all the lined parking spaces in the area found they were mostly 9 by 18 feet.

It was previously mentioned the typical industry standard for parking sizes are the smaller size.

The rough estimate of the project cost in the preliminary application is about $125 million but with inflation and rising costs of materials and services it could be much more.

“The costs shown for townhomes and condos in the application are still very much estimates and could change significantly,” Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin wrote in an email on Thursday. “The anticipated costs tied directly to the West Mountain expansion are in the neighborhood of $25 million, which covers roads, utilities, trails and the new chairlift.”

The rough estimate also includes $100 million for building costs for skier services, townhomes and condominiums.

The project will be funded with a mix of corporate revenue and financing, according to the financial sheet in the application.