Tupper Lake, NY, Oct 15, 2012 — The Adirondack Club and Resort proposed for Tupper Lake has been delayed by a lawsuit filed by two environmental advocacy groups, and the case is now being reviewed by judges in Albany. But with election day less than a month away, the future of the resort is also on the agendas of politicians.

There appears to be bipartisan support for the development, which has been on the drawing board for nearly a decade.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Sep 26, 2012 — A local group that organized in 2009 to reopen Big Tupper Ski Area and to advocate for development of the Adirondack Club and Resort says the popular local destination will not reopen this year.

The group, called ARISE, operated the mountain on a volunteer basis, while waiting for a new resort destination to be built in Tupper Lake.

The group struggled last year because of the warm, snowless winter.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Sep 19, 2012 — Environmental groups say they suspect that Governor Andrew Cuomo may have meddled illegally in the decision to grant permits for a big new resort in Tupper Lake. The project was given the green light earlier this year by the Adirondack Park Agency.

State officials say the permits were given after a fair and impartial review. But two green groups are demanding information about what role the governor's office played in the process.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Jun 11, 2012 — In March, two environmental groups and a small number of landowners sued the state of New York, hoping to invalidate permits allowing construction of the Adirondack Club and Resort in Tupper Lake. Green groups argued that the Adirondack Park Agency had failed to enforce key regulations designed to protect open space in the Park.

The lawsuit has been moving forward, with all sides filing legal briefs with the state Supreme Court. Brian Mann spoke about the latest developments with Martha Foley.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Nov 21, 2011 — On Friday, the Adirondack Park Agency commission delved deep into the business plan for the proposed Adirondack Club and Resort. The APA will vote in January on whether to approve the massive project, which supporters hope will revitalize the economy in Tupper Lake. The development has been on the drawing table for years, with more than seven hundred condos and mansions, along with a marina, equestrian center and modern ski hill.

One part of the Park Agency's review involves determining whether the project will have negative economic impacts on the community. As Brian Mann reports, that effort is complicated by the fact that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about how the resort will be financed and built.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Nov 18, 2011 — Yesterday was the first full day of public deliberations for the Adirondack Park Agency as commisioners consider a permit for the Big Tupper resort project.

The massive resort - with more than 700 homes, condos and mansions -- has developed into a flashpoint in debates over the Park's future and a final vote is expected in January.

On Thursday, commissioners heard testimony over a wide range of topics. But a key focus was the lack of comprehensive scientific data showing the resort's impact on wildlife.

As Brian Mann reports, specific concerns were raised about the construction of one new neighborhood that could displace amphibian species.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Apr 22, 2011 — For seven years, developer Michael Foxman has been promising to build a massive new resort in Tupper Lake, worth roughly $500 million.

He's hoping to win final approval for the project from the Adirondack Park Agency this fall.

Many community leaders have embraced his vision as a way to revive a former logging and manufacturing town that lost seven percent of its population over the last decade.

But an investigation by North Country Public Radio, in partnership with the Adirondack Explorer magazine, found that significant doubts remain about the economic viability of Foxman's resort.

Over a period of weeks and dozens of interviews, we found that important questions remain unanswered about how the resort will be financed and marketed.

As Brian Mann reports, it's unclear when the project's elaborate infrastructure and amenities, including those at the Big Tupper ski area, will be built.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Apr 22, 2011 — The story reported above by Brian Mann, in cooperation with the Adirondack Explorer, looks hard at the financial underpinnings of the big luxury resort project proposed for Tupper Lake several years ago. It raises complicated questions and concerns still on the table as the Adirondack Park Agency prepares for its final review, and decision.
Martha Foley spoke further with Brian this morning about the skepticism he found, and why these questions matters.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Mar 10, 2011 — The Adirondack Park Agency's staff has released a draft version of what the state is calling "potential permit conditions" that would shape the big new resort proposed for Tupper Lake.

APA officials say those conditions for the Adirondack Club and Resort could change following a final round of hearings that are set to get underway later this month.

The project also needs a final vote of approval from the APA board.

But it appears that the Park Agency's staff is preparing to recommend that the project be allowed to move forward with some relatively minor changes and restrictions.

Jessica Collier broke the story about these APA documents in yesterday's Adirondack Daily Enterprise. She spoke about her story with Brian Mann.  Go to full article

Tupper Lake, NY, Jan 20, 2011 — After years of public review, town hall meetings, mediation sessions and negotiations, the Adirondack Club and Resort project is entering its final phase.

An adjudicatory hearing will begin soon, possibly as early as next month, overseen by administrative law judge Daniel O'Connell.

When that hearing is finished, the Adirondack Park Agency will have sixty days to vote on whether the 600-unit resort should be given a permit or not.

But as Brian Mann reports, the various factions taking part in the hearing are still as deeply divided over key issues as they were half a decade ago.  Go to full article