Where The Sanctuary sits, was originally conceived with the former developer as Sawmill Village in 2006, and failed in 2008. Our family purchased the development and the Gatehouse in late 2017 with a vision to revitalize the development of the South Bowl and continue building the community. The original developer built 13 homes and the Gatehouse entryway. Of the 13 homes, none have original owners as of 2023. We still own the Gatehouse and use it as a gathering place for community Holiday parties to reconnect with familiar faces and meet some new ones. We also use it as a place to spend time with family and friends when we’re at Snowshoe.
In 2018 we sold 6 lots, planned on developing high-end luxury homes, and had put an agreement in place with Snowshoe Mountain to contribute $2,000,000 towards a chairlift that would service the south bowl area. On the very same day that we received approval, we learned about the Cheat Mountain salamander being a threatened species. This stalled our chairlift plan, as well as any work on the expansion of the development. Little did we know that this was just one of the obstacles we would encounter..
Fast forward to 2019 when we pivoted from large homes to, what we believed, would be the answer to a market shift to smaller homes. With great excitement, we went to market through the winter of 2019/2020 and sold 12 homes in 2 weeks. Then Covid waylaid our plans. The buyers backed out, and we refunded everyone who asked. We subsequently lost our builder and had to pivot to a new manufacturer. The next chapter was not without its challenges with ongoing cost increases, supply chain issues and having to engage new partners as others threw in the towel and walked away.
My team at The Sanctuary remains committed to developing the South Bowl. If you’ve been to Snowshoe, you’ll understand why we’re so inspired by the future of this wild and wonderful place. And if you haven’t, we invite you to come see what Snowshoe has to offer. It’s easily accessible from major metropolitan areas like Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
In Spring of 2022 we pivoted to a modular home model. We built two homes to test the modular model last year and we are confident that this is the path forward for us. In 2023 we are building four more and already laying the groundwork for the next homes in this phase of the development.
While we work on bringing these homes to market, we are also in pre-development for the next phase at The Sanctuary. We are aiming to break ground on the infrastructure for the Bear Run Road project next summer. This will be a ski-out community with homes ranging in size from 4 to 6 bedrooms, between 2,000 and 3,000 Sq Ft, coming to market for next winter at price points from just below $750,000 to $1.5MM. The scope of this phase extends to 30+ new homes coming to the neighborhood over the next few years.
Snowshoe Mountain, and Alterra share our vision for the potential in the area and we are excited for the next chapter in this beautiful place, surrounded by so much wilderness.
There is room for you here. Come see why Snowshoe Mountain is a great place for your family’s home away from home.
