NEW ASHFORD — Silverleaf Resorts, the Dallas-based corporation that owns the Oak N’ Spruce time-share condominum complex in Lee, is poised to build 332 more here, after buying the former Brodie Mountain Ski Area for $2.6 million.
In a deal that took well over a year to complete due to questions about infrastructure and building height, among other things, Silverleaf closed the sale on July 16, acquiring the 589-acre property from FO Ski Resorts, whose president is Brian Fairbank of Hancock, according to documents at the Northern Berkshire Registry of Deeds in Adams.
Building Inspector Vincent Lively Jr. said yesterday that Silverleaf plans to build 28 three-story buildings on the Brodie site, each containing an average of 12 condominiums, which will be sold as time-shares to vacationers. The entire project has been estimated at $41.8 million.
“It was a long time coming, but I think it’s going to be a nice project,†Lively said. “The Planning Board spent a lot of time working on it, and I’m sure it will be in the best interest of the town.â€
He said engineer Vincent Guntlow of Williamstown plans to begin work on infrastructure this summer, but construction of the condominiums may not begin until next year.
Silverleaf officials did not return calls seeking comment. A spokesman said the company would be issuing a news release later this week.
Fairbank, owner of the nearby Jiminy Peak resort, had first disclosed a pending condominium deal in March 2003, without revealing the developer. The following month, Silverleaf announced it would build the project, to be called the Snowy Owl Resort.
The company said at the time that the resort would yield a minimum of $212,000 in annual property taxes once all condominiums were competed, in an estimated 10 to 15 years. Planners estimated the project would also have an impact of about $3.65 million annually on the Berkshire economy, including a $1.4 million payroll.
Sally Johnstone, Jiminy Peak director of marketing, said Tuesday that Jiminy, which closed the Brodie area to skiing in 2002, would continue to operate a snow-tubing operation there this winter. Beyond that, she said, she could not say. Jiminy will lease the land from Silverleaf.
According to Lively, Silverleaf may revive Fairbank’s abandoned plan to create a water park at Brodie, although he did not know whether the company planned to make it available for public use or for its customers only.
Lively said Silverleaf acquired the necessary building permit for the time-share project this March but was not able to proceed with the deal until getting a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals in June from a requirement to install elevators in the three-story buildings. The board granted the variance because the buildings will not be classified as hotels or motels, and enough ground-floor units will be accessible to the handicapped.
The Planning Board reviewed the project extensively and used a consultant hired at the expense of the developer. The plan must follow the criteria of the town’s resort bylaw, which was developed when Fairbank had proposed a much bigger development after purchasing the ski area from J.W. Kelly Enterprises with a partner in 1999. His plan had a one point included a hotel, water park, fitness center, retail establishments and a restaurant. He said last year that he had to “abandon†his dream because he could not find interested co-developers to help finance it.
The Silverleaf proposal announced last year contained no mention of retail establishments, and the company had planned for it to be a private community, for customers only. Three tennis courts, two swimming pools, a miniature golf course, a picnic area, a playground and other amenities were included.
The orginal plan had called for a groundbreaking in the summer or fall of 2003 on the first phase of the project, which was to have included 36 condominiums. All 332 condominiums were envisioned as two-bedroom units sold for one-week or two-week intervals. Some local officials said at the time that the resort would provide an opportunity for local spin-off businesses.
Silverleaf has had a stormy relationship with the town of Lee, where it had tried unsuccessfully for years to add 240 condominiums to the 140 in its resort there. Last week, the Lee Selectmen finally approved a special permit by Silverleaf to construct 78 new time-share units. The proposal included imposing a conservation restriction on 207 acres of the 244-acre property.
The New Ashford condominiums would also require a substantial area of that property to be restricted, under the resort bylaw and a special permit granted to Brodie in 2001.
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Two Men Found Guilty of Marijuana Trafficking
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Monday, May 6, Yebin Mai, 32 of Staten Island, NY and Dem Wu, age 52 of Staten Island, NY, were found guilty by jury of their peers in Berkshire Superior Court.
Yebin Mai was found guilty of two charges: Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds and Witness Intimidation. Dem Wu was found guilty of Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds.
According to a report, on July 30, 2020, State Police responded to a request for assistance from the Eversource Electric Company. The emergency dispatcher stated that two Eversource linemen were attempting to fix an electrical problem when they had a confrontation with individuals at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy. The residence belonged to Bin Huang after he purchased it in 2017 for $200,000 cash.
When state troopers arrived, the linemen stated that they responded to a report from a resident at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy claiming that power was fluctuating. When the linemen arrived at the house, they observed severely damaged wires and insulators leading from the roadside poles to the residence. When the Eversource linemen approached the house a man came out to meet them. The man, later identified as Yebin Mai, spoke limited English; therefore, communication between the Eversource linemen and resident became difficult. The linemen tried to explain that they would need to turn the power off to conduct a safety check of the electric meter and surrounding electrical connections. Mai became agitated. He handed the linemen an envelope filled with money later determined to be $600. The linemen attempted to return the envelope multiple times, but Mai would not take it. The linemen decided to leave the property. They called the police and waited for them to arrive, stated a report.
A trooper and Eversource supervisor arrived on the road at the end of 72 Jackson Road's driveway. A short time later, Mai drove down the driveway and attempted to leave in a pick-up truck with New York plates. There were two other passengers in the truck, including Dem Wu.
The trooper instructed Mai to stop and turn off the truck which he obeyed. All the individuals returned to the residence so the linemen could complete their inspection.
In a police report, the following items were observed at and around the house:
4 separate electrical meters in poorly constructed boxes on the side of the house
Some melted wires and metal around the meter boxes (believed to be due to an excessive amount of energy being drawn through the wires)
Evidence of a small fire around one of the meter boxes
A smell of fresh grown marijuana (which grew once power was cut to the house and fans in the residence stopped running)
The sound of multiple fans inside the residence with no visible air ventilation system on the outside of the house
Windows with curtains drawn and boarded shut
A backyard covered in debris from a renovation, green planning pots, and large florescent light fixtures
Ring door cameras
A small path in the woods that ended in a pile of used potting soil and roots and stalks of freshly harvested marijuana plants
Additionally, Eversource reported that the monthly electric bill for 72 Jackson Road was approximately $10,000 per month, much higher than the average homeowner's bill.
The individuals on the property were questioned and ultimately allowed to leave. On July 31, 2020, Massachusetts State Police, including the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and a member of the DEA arrived at 72 Jackson Road to execute a search warrant.
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