Jeff Katofsky’s iconic St. Clair Inn on Lake St. Clair is scheduled to re-open in late September. A grand opening will be Saturday, Sept. 21. That’s important for Leelanau County residents, because Katofsky also owns Sugar Loaf, the derelict and mothballed ski resort that has been closed since 2000.
Skiing option “still on table” but with fewer than five lifts. Katofsky also postponed a public open house in Leelanau until “sometime in late spring or early summer,” once he has resolved key questions such as whether Sugar Loaf will ever host downhill skiing again.
After leaving the decrepit lodge and climbing up the mountain, Jeff Katofsky felt better about his prospects to revive Sugar Loaf—once the economic lifeblood and biggest employer in the county but which has been vacant since 2000.
Jeff Katofsky, who purchased Sugar Loaf resort last November, will return to Leelanau County on Friday, Oct. 20, and meet with the public at 11 a.m. at the Leelanau County Government Center where he will field questions about the path forward for the long-shuttered ski resort.
Jeff Katofsky — a Southern California attorney, property developer, and minor league baseball team owner — is on the verge of taking over Sugar Loaf from the ski resort’s longtime owner Remo Polselli. Katofsky told the Glen Arbor Sun he will close escrow before the end of October. According to Leelanau County code inspector Steve Haugen, the transaction could be official by the end of this week.