WASATCH COUNTY — There is a Tiger tale to be told in the midst of the Wasatch County Commission's granting concept approval to a tony 7,000-acre development at the Jordanelle Reservoir.
"Tiger Woods has been up here fishing. Mark O'Meara has been up here fishing," said Dale Berg, partner in Sowby & Berg, consultants to Robert Larsen of Park City, owner of the Victory Ranch development that has lured the best-known golfer on the planet, Woods, and O'Meara, one of his closest friends on the Professional Golfers Association Tour, for visits to Utah.
"Bob (Larsen) has a great fishing guide that takes them to the good places, so they do pretty well," said Berg, who saw four years of preparatory planning and work culminate in the commission's decision to give Victory Ranch a first-stage go-ahead.
Victory Ranch must jump through several more regulatory hoops before holes are dug for the 792 units, including a 50-room fishing lodge plus three 18-hole championship golf courses, along the Provo River on the east side of Jordanelle.
"They now must provide in greater detail the ways the project impacts everything from water quality to spotted frogs to the deer winter range to 'strutting area' for sage grouse," said Wasatch County planner Al Mickelsen.
In dotting those I's, Victory Ranch must pass muster with the Planning Commission and the County Commission through both preliminary and final phases. Before it can come back to the county, it must acquire a 404 Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"That demonstrates we won't adversely affect the environment beyond a reasonable doubt," Berg said. "That can take six months to six years, you just don't know."
But Larsen, a developer who owns Silver Creek Commerce Center east of Park City, is investing more than $200 million in infrastructure, impact fees and planning. And Wasatch County stands to gain approximately $18 million annually to its general fund at build-out, commonly estimated 10-15 years down the road.
So both builder and county are eager to see the project meet requirements.
"All the development at the Jordanelle can mean a tremendous boost to our county economically," said County Commissioner LaRen Provost.
"It's big for the educational system — 60 percent of every nickel goes to schools," Berg said.
It will take tremendous economic juice to buy into the action at Victory Ranch. And although neither Woods nor O'Meara are said to be close to signing dotted lines, theirs is the ilk Victory Ranch promises to attract as residents. And golf is a major portal if you want to hob or nob or elbow-rub.
"To live there, every resident must be elected to a golf membership," Berg said of the River, Mountain and Long Hollow courses.
Berg would not name the designers but claimed they would be "designer designers," so to speak — among the best-known in a field so exclusive Jack Nicklaus, generally held to be the greatest golfer in history before Tiger came along, needn't apply.
"They (Victory Ranch designers) are in the caliber where they do five to eight courses a year. Jack Nicklaus does 50 a year. Well, that tells you how much service you are going to get out of him personally," Berg said.
Berg also declined to discuss building lot prices. But he said Victory Ranch has enough high-end bells and whistles to equate with Deer Crest. It is considered the top luxury dog among Jordanelle developments with lots averaging just above $1 million minimum and houses in the $5 million to $10 million and up range.
"It will compare favorably with Deer Crest," Berg said.
While there are 217 building pads designated for primary residents, Berg said Victory Ranch doesn't plan on local marketing, and anticipates mostly out-of-state clientele.
"I suspect that people in Utah wouldn't come here," Berg said.
They can, however, be guests at the fishing lodge, the only aspect open to the public.
Some members of the public are unhappy with Victory Ranch, never mind who buys there. The project will have negative environmental, traffic and other impacts, they believe.
"There are a lot of good things about the project — open space and river restoration. That should help in the long run. But in 20 years, taking a walk along a real, natural river will be a more valuable experience than playing golf," said Paula Trater, Kamas, who has worked since 1992 with the state, counting spotted egg masses for spotted frogs — considered an "indicator species" for potential environmental harm to other animal life.
"The golf course will hurt the spotted frog. A big issue is the location of the fishing lodge, located right at a breeding population of the spotted frog," Trater said.
Berg said Victory Ranch has been working with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Division of Water and Pollution Control in planning the project. "The existing frog habitat, we have spent thousands of dollars identifying where that's at," Berg said. "We are going to create new spotted frog habitat."
In fact, he said, the wildlife-type environment is a central come-on for deep-pocketed players, be they named Tiger or not.
"We want people to say, 'I'm part owner in a 7,000-acre ranch. Come out to Utah and play some golf,' " he said.
E-mail: gtwyman@desnews.com; danderton@desnews.com