"There is still a lot of work to be done before we get on the same page as the borough - so far as the overall business plan," said Leonard Hyde, president of JL Properties, an Anchorage development firm heading up the study.

"Once that occurs, then there will be a process where we work with the borough to try to achieve an agreement to develop the area. That will drive when we are able to start construction," Hyde said Dec. 23. "My guess is construction would start in the spring of 2006."

The project plans include a downhill ski area, a day lodge and a residential development of 300 to 400 homes, ringed by Nordic ski trails, said Jim Sawhill of Lounsbury and Associates, the engineering firm doing design planning for the residential area.

There will also be a Nordic ski venue, including a stadium, on the outskirts of the development, with options for a biathlon range, Sawhill said. "We are doing the engineering and residential design of the southside residential development. Former Olympic skier Bill Spencer, who has won several mountain marathon races, has been engaged to design the trail system," he said.

Sawhill said each of the homes in the residential area, on lots from 1 to 5 acres, would have individual well and septic systems.

"The task of putting in a public water and sewer system wouldn't be cost effective for the large lot development that would be appropriate for this area," Sawhill said. "It's expensive to put in pipes and when you have large lots the cost per lot is too high."

Among those attending an initial presentation to the borough in mid-December was Kathy Wells of the Hatcher Pass Special Land Use District citizens planning board. She was not enthused.

Hatcher Pass should be designated as a special-use district, a form of zoning, so that development can be done right, she said.

"They want onsite water and sewer for each home. If you want this to be a quality development, you need a public water and sewer system," she said. "We're all going to be drinking each other's sewage some day, and that's not responsible development for that area."

Wells serves on the citizens board as a spokesperson for Friends of Mat-Su. The group is a nonprofit organization that offers education and information on land-use planning.

Sawhill said that additional studies would be needed "to prove up each development area is suitable for well and septic systems. No one needs to develop something that's going to fail and cause problems," he said.

Sawhill said the homes would be predominantly occupied by full-time residents. "But we're also going to have some vacation homes up there too," he said. "There are also options for some condominiums and lodge, a little hotel and some cabins scattered around."

The village center concept that was developed will have good architectural controls, that fit in with the architecture and vegetation that's there, he said.

"We will have a special use district through the Mat-Su Borough that will control the housing densities, setbacks, landscape buffers, and all those things to maintain a quality development," Sawhill said. "There will also be codes, and covenants cover the house design and other things within the development to maintain standards and provide for a high-quality development."

Hyde said that what with long-term road improvement plans in the Mat-Su Borough, he expected the development to become a commuter area.

"The commute time to Anchorage, once Trunk Road is fully rebuilt, is about an hour," he said. "We expect there will be some people living there who work in the Valley and some second-home owners, too."

The plan calls for a community with homes in a "significant range of home prices."

The plan also envisions commercial development. "Over time, we would see convenience and resort type shopping, not unlike what you see at ski resorts," the report states.

"It will start out small, but we have master planned the ultimate village, including a lodge with convention facilities. It would be planned (with) some rustic aspect to it, but we want it to have a contemporary feel to it at the same time," Hyde said.