Instead of an exclusive ski area with jet-setters visiting their multimillion-dollar homes, locals here have seen no changes at the Mount Holly Club atop the Tushar Mountains.

There's no Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course being built, or water projects, or anything else at what was supposed to be, by now, a world-class ski resort, 18 miles east of Beaver.

"I thought [the development] was a bit grandiose," said Beaver County Commissioner Chad Johnson, who supported a 2007 agreement that allowed developers to proceed, even though he had reservations about the project. "I thought it was quite a bit to bite off."

Johnson hasn't been in contact with Mount Holly officials and knows nothing of their future plans. But when no applications were filed last spring with the Beaver County planning commission, he could tell little would be done this construction season - a limited one because the resort is at 10,000 feet, where snow can fly as early as September and linger until June.

What's more, he added, "I know [the developers] have a ton of things filed against them."

Those include a lawsuit headed to the Utah Supreme Court that challenges a law passed by the Utah Legislature limiting local rights to pursue land-use initiatives and referendums.

The BRAVE vs. Beaver County suit was filed by Mount Holly Club opponents who collected 845 signatures on a petition calling for the county's approval of the project to be put to a public vote. BRAVE stands for Save Beaver County, the Beaver River, and varied estates, according to court documents.

There is also a notification of default that Beaver County filed against the project's main developer, Mount Holly Partners LLC. Beaver County Deputy Attorney Leo Kanell said developers owe nearly $69,000 in fees for improvements made by a special service district at the development from when it was known as Elk Meadows.

And there's a lawsuit that one contractor, Murray-based engineer Bill Risen, filed against Mount Holly's partner company, CPB Development, that seeks $644,000 for work on a wastewater treatment plant.

While hesitant to discuss his claims because of the suit, Risen acknowledged, "I did some engineering work for Mount Holly in 2007 and waited more than a year to get paid . . . I've paid off my subcontractors and have waited more than a year to get some funds [from Mount Holly]. I just want to get paid and move on."

Developers blame a national economic slowdown for their setbacks. They remain determined to move forward after reorganizing some of the project's design and financing elements. The project, they now say, will bloom come springtime.

Company spokesman Bill Quick said developers have taken a new financial direction because of the economic slowdown, attempting to raise capital internally and by partnering with club members. "We don't want to incur a significant debt to get the ball rolling. "It will take some time to flush out."

He would not divulge the current number of club members, citing a desire to protect the group's privacy. "Let's just say there are multiple investors."

Quick said delays are problems common to many developments and predicted the disputes will be settled soon.

"The membership is not nervous about the timeline. It's not so much a problem as it might be perceived," he added.

The development started in the 1970s as a public ski resort, known as Mount Holly and later Elk Meadows.

Over the years, it grew into several condominium projects, on private and state trust lands, organized into homeowners associations.

Many residents in those associations have had a contentious relationship with the Mount Holly Club since the fall of 2006, when developers arrived on the scene, hoping to buy property to secure their project.

Its first phase is envisioned to scatter multimillion dollar homes over 1,800 acres within a fenced perimeter. Ski lifts that have been idle for years will be restarted for club members whose summer recreation would revolve around the Nicklaus-designed golf course. When completed in a decade, developers projected their finished club to be worth $3.5 billion, boosting Beaver County's tax base and providing jobs for locals. But the golf course remains a distant promise and prospects for skiing this winter appear slim.

If nothing gets built, it wouldn't disappoint Brent Stapley, a Beaver business owner who opposed the project from the outset.

"My concerns were if they [developers] were financially capable of really doing it," Stapley said.

Stapley added that in tough economic times, those who can afford to build at Mount Holly are more likely to pick places in Colorado like Vail or Steamboat Springs. Some resorts there are slicing off chunks of their property for private clubs like Mount Holly.

"Their timing is wrong," Stapley said. "Their plan [Mount Holly Club] may have worked 10 years ago. Now the big boys are jumping into the private club business. If you have $50 billion, you're still going to look for the best deal."

Quick expressed confidence that competition from other private resorts will not divert potential customers away from the Mount Holly Club.

"It's a proven deal," Quick said. "We take potential members there and it's an easy decision to make simply because of the shear beauty of the location."

mhavnes@sltrib.com