But he remains undecided this time around. Forest Service forester who can see the site from his home in Jefferson, opposed the larger hotel. It is unclear whether this proposal will garner the same opposition as the larger hotel project, when thousands of people signed a petition against it.Ĭhris Thayer, who serves as the Appalachian Mountain Club’s representative on the commission, called the proposal “creative in its approach to summit operation and visitor experience challenges” but he said it “deserves more careful consideration to impacts on highly sensitive natural resources and viewshed aesthetics.”ĭavid Govatski, a retired U.S. In exchange, the Cog would agree not to pursue further expansion on the summit.Ī spokesperson for the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Presby said the latest proposal, which includes plans to pipe sewage down the mountain and fiber-optic upgrades, has the support of the state. That project came under widespread criticism from environmentalists and hikers, who argued the 25,000-square-foot (2,300-square-meter) hotel would damage the fragile alpine ecology and destroy the scenic views. The project, presented earlier this month to the Mount Washington Commission, comes several years after Presby scrapped a plan to build a 35-room hotel on the mountain.