Stratton and Sugarbush Resorts' Owner is Taking the Housing Crisis Into Its Own Hands
Alterra Mountain Company recently announced a capital plan of more than $400 million for the 2025-2026 season, a significant and recurring theme is investment in workforce housing.
For anyone who has waited in a long lift line on a powder day or found a favorite on-mountain lunch spot unexpectedly closed, the connection between a ski resort’s staff and the quality of a ski day is crystal clear. This season and beyond, Alterra Mountain Company, the parent of Stratton and Sugarbush, is betting that the solution to a better guest experience starts with a very basic need: a place for its employees to live.
The company is making a major push to tackle the workforce housing crisis head-on, and its plans in Vermont could reshape not only resort operations but also the communities around them.
The Big Picture: A Corporate Plan Meets a Vermont-Sized Problem
Alterra Mountain Company recently announced a capital plan of more than $400 million for the 2025-2026 season across its portfolio. While new lifts and terrain out West grab headlines, a significant and recurring theme is investment in workforce housing. Alterra’s plan explicitly includes funding for new and renovated employee housing at several resorts, with Stratton named as a key site.
This initiative lands in a state facing an acute housing shortage. According to the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, Vermont needs to build an estimated 24,000 to 36,000 new year-round homes by 2029 just to stabilize the market. This pressure is amplified in resort towns, where seasonal workers, visitors, and an influx of new residents all compete for limited inventory, driving up costs and making it difficult for resorts to staff up for the winter.
What Alterra is Doing at Stratton
Stratton is seeing one of the most direct investments, with the resort committing $8 million to add approximately 200 beds for its workforce. According to the Stratton Mountain Blog, this was achieved by purchasing multiple properties in the nearby Manchester area. This strategy moves employee lodging from a system of scattered, leased properties into permanent, resort-owned housing, providing stability for both the resort and its staff.
A key part of this plan involves converting former motels for seasonal use. Engineering filings from MSK Engineers show that three Manchester properties—the Chalet Motel, Chalet Annex, and EconoLodge—received approvals to operate as employee housing from November to April. Together, these properties now house about 120 workers. While many Stratton employees still rent independently in surrounding towns like Winhall and Londonderry, this investment marks a significant step toward securing a local workforce.
What This Means for Skiers:
More Reliable Operations: A stable, well-rested workforce is more likely to mean lifts spinning on time, especially after a big storm.
Shorter Lines: Better staffing can lead to more ticket windows, rental counters, and ski school lessons being available, particularly during peak holiday periods.
More Consistent Services: Fewer "closed due to staffing" signs on mountain restaurants and cafes.
The Local Trade-Off: By converting traditional motels into seasonal staff housing, the number of available motel rooms for visitors in the Manchester area may decrease during the winter. This could shift visitor demand toward remaining hotels and short-term rentals, a trade-off local communities weigh against the economic benefit of a fully operational resort.
Sugarbush Pursues a Long-Term Fix in the Mad River Valley
At Sugarbush, the approach is focused on building new, dedicated housing from the ground up, though the process is still navigating local permitting. The resort currently relies on a patchwork of owned and leased properties, alongside its "Tenants for Turns" program connecting employees with local landlords, to house around 200-235 workers each season—a system that sources like WCAX and Vermont Public have reported on as a persistent challenge.
Two key projects are in the works in Warren to create a more permanent solution:
"Sugar Cubes": Located at the corner of Golf Course Road and the Sugarbush Access Road, this project involves redeveloping a site to create a four-bedroom house and a duplex with two four-bedroom units, for a total of 12 beds. According to the Valley Reporter, the project has advanced through some permitting stages.
"Rosita’s" Site: This is a much larger proposal for a four-story building near the Sugarbush Health and Recreation Center (SHaRC). The plan calls for 18 studio apartments and 192 single-occupancy rooms with shared common areas. The project remains in the permitting process, with details outlined in the Warren Development Review Board’s public findings.
What This Means for Skiers: If these projects are approved and built, Sugarbush could house a significant portion of its staff in dedicated, walk-to-work facilities. This would drastically reduce the risk of no-shows on storm days, improve staffing reliability for everything from ski patrol to snowmaking, and help keep more terrain and services consistently open.
Community Questions Vermonters Are Asking
Does repurposing motels help or hurt the local lodging economy? It does both. It supports the region's largest winter employer (Stratton) but also removes dozens of visitor-oriented motel rooms from the market during ski season. The decision reflects a balancing act between supporting resort operations and maintaining a diverse lodging base for all tourists.
Are these beds winter-only or year-round? The Manchester motel conversions are approved for seasonal use (November to April). However, Stratton has stated it is exploring year-round solutions to support its summer operations. The proposed "Rosita's" project at Sugarbush is designed as year-round housing but is not yet approved.
How does this fit into Vermont’s wider housing push? These resort-led projects are a small but visible part of the much larger housing construction needed statewide. While they address a specific business need, they also highlight the intense pressure on housing in mountain towns and contribute, on a local scale, to the broader housing goals outlined by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency.
What Stays the Same for Passholders and Day Visitors
It’s important to note what Alterra’s announcement doesn't change. Ikon Pass access and benefits at Stratton and Sugarbush remain the same, and no new pricing for day tickets has been released. The plan does include capital for lift upgrades—namely modernization work on the Summit lift at Sugarbush and the American Express at Stratton—but these are aimed at improving reliability, not expanding terrain.
What Happens Next
Stratton: The resort will utilize its newly acquired housing in Manchester for the upcoming winter season. The community can expect Stratton to continue exploring partnerships and potential projects for year-round housing to better support its summer workforce.
Sugarbush: The future of the resort’s housing situation hinges on the permitting process for the "Sugar Cubes" and, more significantly, the "Rosita's" projects. Progress can be tracked through the Town of Warren’s public meeting agendas and minutes. Until those projects are approved and built, the resort will continue to rely on its existing network of leases and community partnerships.
Statewide: The conversation around housing in Vermont's resort communities is far from over. As the state continues to pursue its ambitious goal of building tens of thousands of new homes, the balance between housing for visitors, workers, and year-round residents will remain a central issue for local and regional planners.