“No hammer will swing at Sugar Loaf for two years”
By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
Jeff Katofsky, the new owner of Sugar Loaf, visited the dilapidated onetime ski resort for the first time on Wednesday, Dec. 14 — a biting cold and snowy day in Leelanau County.
He told the Glen Arbor Sun that he estimates it will take 3-5 years to open Sugar Loaf, which was once the county’s largest employer and the pinnacle of downhill skiing in this part of the state. Sugar Loaf has been shuttered since 2000 and seen a charade of would-be owners come and go.
Katofsky acquired Sugar Loaf from Remo Polselli this fall.
He walked the grounds of the boarded up lodge twice with county code inspector Steve Haugen and his architect from Infuz Architects (with whom he is also developing properties in Romulus and St. Clair, Michigan), but the weather prevented Katofsky from trekking to the top of the mountain. “I’m not into extreme sports,” he said.
The southern California attorney, property developer, and minor league baseball team owner still believes Sugar Loaf is “a great piece of property” and he envisions one day opening a four-season resort rather than a mere ski hill that might only make money for several weeks in the winter.
But, said Katofsky, “it needs a lot of work. The pipes, the lifts, every inch of it needs to be replaced. No hammer will swing their for at least two years.”
The next two years will be spent paying consultants to assess the property.
Katofsky cautions Leelanau County residents passionate about Sugar Loaf against expecting concrete results any time soon.
“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” he said. “People expect the hill to open tomorrow. That’s totally unrealistic.”
How did Katofsky react after seeing Sugar Loaf in person for the first time?
“I don’t think he was surprised by anything,” said Haugen. “He’s seen multiple pictures and videos of the property before coming here.”
At some point, Haugen will officially ask Katofsky to “button up” the dilapidated lodge and take steps to prevent trespassing or injury. But the code inspector doesn’t intend to draw a red line in the snow anytime soon (as he did with previous owner Polselli).
“I’m not sure how he’d get things buttoned up this time of year,” said Haugen. “We’ve talked, he knows what he needs to do. I think he’ll follow through with it without too many problems.”
Katofsky said he spent no more than 36 hours in the region — a working trip — though he did reportedly dine at the Bluebird in Leland.
