Goshen Recreation District

Updated Jan. 2019:  View/download  Goshen, N.H. Zoning and Building Ordinances Amended 2018 (pdf 507kb)

Summary of the Recreation District – A.4 (adopted March 2014, amended 2018)

A.4. Recreation District
There shall be a Recreation District to accommodate the needs of year-round recreational and other uses within the leasehold area of Mount Sunapee Resort. More specifically, the purpose of this district is to: (a) provide for the base and on-mountain facilities necessary to operate the ski mountain; (b) encourage the use of the facilities and site for year-round recreational and cultural uses and activities; and (c) allow for commercial and other uses.

A.4.a. District Boundaries
The initial boundaries of the Mount Sunapee Recreation District are all of the land within the leasehold area owned by the State of New Hampshire within the Town of Goshen, Tax Map 411 Parcel 011, and Tax Map 412 Parcel 032.

If a Mount Sunapee Resort Five-Year Master Development plan is approved by the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development (“DRED”) for expanding the recreational facilities of Mount Sunapee Resort in Goshen, the following parcels, owned by Sunapee Land Holding and shown on the Master Development Plan submitted to DRED, shall automatically be added to the Recreation District: Tax Map 411, Parcels 010, 013, 015, 024, 025, and the remainder of Tax Map 412 Parcel 032.

A.4.b. Uses Permitted (subject to site plan review approval by the Planning Board)

A.4.b.1. Chair and surface lifts, and gondolas;
A.4.b.2. Alpine and cross-country ski trails, hiking, biking and snowshoe trails;
A.4.b.3. Base lodge facilities to accommodate lift ticket sales, ski and bicycle repair, rentals,
sales and accessories; ski and bicycle lockers/employee locker room; ski school and ski patrol facilities; restaurant/lodge/banquet facilities/snack bar sales; meeting facilities; offices and facilities ancillary to the Mt. Sunapee Resort including recreational, real estate sales and rental offices, cultural and educational programs; and parking lots;
A.4.b.4. Ski racing facilities;
A.4.b.5. Snowmaking facilities;
A.4.b.6. Outdoor ski and bicycle storage facilities;
A.4.b.7. Inline skating and skateboard park;
A.4.b.8. Recreational uses and facilities including, but not limited to, parks, playgrounds, play fields, tennis and volleyball courts, swimming pools, and ice rinks;
A.4.b.9. Special community events;
A.4.b.10. Day care centers/nurseries for recreational activities, day camps, and child care services;
A.4.b.11. Temporary structures/tents to accommodate cultural, recreational, educational, or commercial uses;
A.4.b.12. Accessory buildings for maintenance equipment, water treatment and storage, and other storage needs accessory to the principal recreational uses;
A.4.b.13. Public utility and public service structures and service; wastewater treatment facilities and potable water wells; and
A.4.b.14. Toboggan, luge, and bobsled runs; alpine slides;
A.4.b.15. Equestrian facilities;
A.4.b.16. Water slides and water parks;
A.4.b.17. Miniature golf and golf driving range;
A.4.b.18. Other structures or uses ancillary to
the operation of the principal recreational uses.

Amended August 6, 2018, Goshen, NH. Zoning and Building Ordinances
A.4.b.19. Anything not specifically listed above needs approval from the Planning Board and/or Zoning Board.

A.4.c. Uses Not Permitted

Prohibited uses within the Mt. Sunapee Recreation District include:
A.4.c.1. Golf course and associated facilities;
A.4.c.2. Motorized Dirt Bike and/or Motor Cross tracks.

A.4.d. Steep Slopes and Clear Cutting Exceptions for Trails

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Ordinance, the Planning Board may grant approval of clear cutting for maintenance, development of new trails, or widening of existing trails, and installation of lift structures and snow-making equipment on steep slopes if the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Planning Board through the Site Plan Review process that: (a) the slope shall be stabilized both in the short term during construction and for the long term after construction to minimize soil erosion and thereby minimize the potential negative impact on downstream water resources; (b) new or expanded trails will not damage old growth forests; and (c) erosion and sedimentationcontrol plan shall be prepared and designed in accordance with the standards and specifications outlined in the Stormwater Management and Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook for Urban and Developing Areas in New Hampshire.

A.4.e. Scenic Ridgeline and Hillside OverlayProvision
Chairlifts, Towers, and equipment required for their operation are exempt from Section IIIM Scenic Ridgeline and Hillside Overlay Provision of the Goshen ordinance.

Background Infomation

Goshen, in 2014, adopted a new Recreation District that identified specific parcels that “shall be added” to the District if the Department of Resource and Economic Development (DRED) approved the West Bowl expansion on Mount Sunapee.

At the time, Okemo/Mount Sunapee Resort was the operator of the ski area at Mount Sunapee State Park. Okemo/MSR proposed in its 2014 Master Development Plan a significant expansion onto public and private land in Goshen.

DRED approved the West Bowl expansion in 2016. The expansion approval automatically added to the Goshen Recreation District the following parcels: Tax Map 411, Parcels 010, 013, 015, 024, 025, and the remainder of Tax Map 412 Parcel 032.

The operator of the ski area, a Mueller-controlled entity, owned the privately held parcels that were added to the Recreation District. The Goshen parcels were titled to Sunapee Land Holdings LLC.

The Muellers started to acquire land in Goshen adjacent to the state park within a few years of obtaining the ski area lease (in 1998) from the State of New Hampshire.

In 2018, the Muellers sold their Mount Sunapee ski area business and their privately held land adjacent to the Mount Sunapee State Park to Vail Resorts.

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