A bittersweet end: Ball drops on Sugar Loaf resort
Nov. 4—TRAVERSE CITY — The rumble of backhoes and the echoes of walls crashing down at the former Sugar Loaf ski resort could be heard across the rural Leelanau County landscape.
The moldering resort with its caved-in roofs, broken windows and graffiti has lately been the target of vandals after more than 20 years of empty rooms and neglect. On Wednesday it was finally being laid to rest.
"My only comment is 'yahoo,'" said Marilyn Bordeaux, describing the former resort as a "horrendous eyesore."
Bordeaux has lived full time in a condominium on the property for about four years. She said she has had some trepidation about what would go there, saying she doesn't want to see something like a big amusement park.
"I would be happy if it went back to nature, but that's probably not realistic," Bordeaux said.
Condos, townhouses and an airport strip were once part of the Sugar Loaf property but were separated years ago.
Demolition is being completed by Taplin Enterprises, which has offices in Kalkaska.
Bordeaux said the company has been pretty secretive about when it would start but she's been watching for demolition to start since Monday, when she saw a big rig dropping off equipment. She took pictures and videos as soon as work started.
Sugar Loaf, located in Cleveland Township, opened in 1947 and by the mid-1970s attracted 3,000 to 4,000 skiers per day. It once was the largest employer in Leelanau County, with the hotel, lodge and condominiums often filled to capacity.
While many county residents have fond memories of skiing, dancing and partying at the resort in years past, Cleveland Township Supervisor Tim Stein is not one of them.
"The township is extremely happy that the buildings are coming down and will no longer be a health and safety hazard," Stein said. "It's just finally come to fruition. It's been 20 years and a lot of hard work."
The resort has been vacant since it closed in 2000. Since then the property has had a convoluted ownership history, with records naming both Kate Wickstrom and Remo Polselli — who did time in prison for tax evasion — as owners.
After several years of decay, the property was purchased in 2016 by Jeff Katofsky of Sweet Bread LLC, who became the new owner in a settlement deal with Polselli.
In addition to Sugar Loaf, the deal included the St. Clair Inn and what is now the Radisson Hotel Detroit Metro Airport, both of which he renovated.
Records show that Katofsky took out a $6 million mortgage backed by Polselli on the property, saying Polselli's name would be removed from the property after financing was complete. Prior to the deal with Katofsky, Polselli had had the property listed for sale for $8.7 million.
Katofsky visited Leelanau County in 2017 and told a crowd of hundreds that the beloved ski resort would thrive once more as a four-star resort that would create 250 year-round jobs.
A real estate developer, Katofsky laid out his plan to invest $134 million into the new resort. Demolition would begin in June 2020.
Katofsky, who also owns the Orem Owlz baseball team in Utah, was seen as a savior in the community.
Things got ugly when he delayed demolition and Cleveland Township officials cited him for violation of a blight ordinance the township enacted more than a year ago. Katofsky has said he was delayed by the pandemic.
Polselli had also faced misdemeanor charges for long-standing construction code violations on the property.
By December 2020, when real estate advisor and Leland Public Schools board member Ross Satterwhite announced the long-shuttered resort was sold. Satterwhite's company, Iron Bridge Capital, represented Sugar Loaf's new owner, SPV 45 LLC, in the purchase.
Satterwhite has said he is not one of the buyers. He has not said who the new owner is, but said the company is not affiliated with former owner Jeff Katofsky.
Bordeaux said the new owners seem conscientious and she hopes they care about the people, the land and the peninsula.
"Hopefully they're Leelanau County lovers," she said.
