A vacant restaurant that once served bison steak to skiers in Little Cottonwood Canyon could be reborn as a tiny hotel with a pizza counter, if Alta's Town Council signs off on a zoning change next month. The Shallow Shaft, closed during the coronavirus pandemic, sits at 10199 E. Highway 210 on a 0.21-acre lot that owners Walter Krebsbach and Andrina Hougham want to redevelop into a year-round, eight-room micro-hotel with a small restaurant attached.
The council discussed the proposal during a meeting the week before publication but did not vote, according to Building Salt Lake. Mayor Roger Bourke expects the council to take up the matter again at its next meeting, when he anticipates a vote. Bourke told the outlet the core issue before the council is about lot coverage rather than whether the building or its proposed use should be approved, and he said he could not forecast which way the vote might go.
A Long Road Through Alta's Planning Process
Reconstruction plans for the site were first formally introduced to Alta officials in April 2024 and went through multiple revisions over the following two years, according to town meeting records posted at Utah.gov. Those revisions added affordable workforce housing, lowered the guest room count, introduced a coffee shop concept, and adjusted driveway access to satisfy Utah Department of Transportation requirements. The building itself dates to 1956, when it was built as a ski shop, restaurant, and apartment complex, before Krebsbach acquired it in 1986.
The existing structure needs to be torn down and rebuilt to current code, the proposal notes, and current zoning would otherwise only allow rebuilding on the same footprint plus a 250-square-foot increase for lots under one developable acre. That allowance represents roughly a 6% increase in lot coverage. The proposed changes would modify lot width, slope, and lot area requirements so the building can be repositioned with an expanded footprint. Jay Springer, the attorney representing Krebsbach and Hougham, said the owners intentionally drafted the proposal, per Building Salt Lake's reporting.
Why This Zoning Fight Is So Narrow
The reason this fight is confined to one small parcel comes down to Alta's zoning map. Under municipal code, Subzone C of the Base Facilities Zone applies exclusively to the Shallow Shaft and the neighboring Photohaus parcel, according to town records filed with Utah.gov. Subzones A and B, by contrast, cover larger historic properties including Alta Lodge, Snowpine Lodge, Rustler Lodge, Goldminer's Daughter, and Alta Peruvian Lodge. Alta Lodge sits just south of the Shallow Shaft site but carries Zone A or B designation rather than Zone C, meaning any changes approved for this property would not alter density rules for those bigger lodges.
Under the new proposal, an eight-room cap would apply to the compact hotel facility, and that cap would include any on-site worker housing units built alongside it. The proposal does not specify exactly how many of those eight rooms would be set aside for employee housing.
The Kitchen Question and Storm Safety
One of the thorniest points in negotiations was a disagreement over hotel rooms with adjacent kitchens. To address it, applicants drafted a new Compact Hotel Facility definition that would permit shared cooking amenities in Subzone C, allowing the town code to accommodate a small hotel with cooking facilities for the first time. The design also incorporates avalanche-resistant structural engineering meant to let guests and workers stay inside safely during canyon “inter-lodge” shelter-in-place events, which are common during severe winter storms along Highway 210.
The proposal's other features include covered parking, solar panels, and energy-efficient insulation. Supporters frame the project as filling a gap in canyon lodging and dining. Alta Ski Area already offers smaller, more intimate lodging options compared with neighboring Snowbird, which is known for larger, higher-end accommodations, and the new restaurant is envisioned as a pizza spot serving skiers, hikers, and Alta's full-time residents alike.
What Comes Next
The proposed text amendment includes amendment and public-notice provisions. According to Building Salt Lake, the council plans to vote on the proposal on October 14, 2026. Alta itself remains a tiny, isolated enclave, which helps explain why even a 0.21-acre redevelopment draws this level of scrutiny from town officials.
The parcel also fronts a stretch of State Route 210 that has drawn broader transportation attention: the Utah Department of Transportation selected a gondola alternative for Little Cottonwood Canyon in July 2023, with estimated total capital costs of $729 million, according to Lift Blog. Lawmakers had not funded the project, and no construction timeline had been set. Before its pandemic closure, the Shallow Shaft was the only other dining option outside Alta's lodges, and its bison steak was particularly popular, according to SnowPak. Whether it reopens under this new micro-hotel model now rests with the council's upcoming vote.
