Empire Pass vs. Deer Valley East Village: Which Slopeside Address Fits?

Both addresses put you on Deer Valley snow, and they are not the same purchase. Empire Pass is finished: twenty years of buildings, five lifts, known dues and a resale market that moves faster than its reputation suggests. Deer Valley East Village is being built around you, with new terrain each season, hotels still opening, lodges not due until 2027–28 and roughly 1,700 residences still to be absorbed. The clearest difference is price per square foot. Empire Pass listings currently ask about $2,970 a foot against about $2,220 at East Village, so the established address carries roughly a 30 percent premium.

How do Empire Pass and East Village compare?

	Empire Pass	Deer Valley East Village
County	Summit	Wasatch
Status	Built out, mostly resale	Under construction through 2028
Ski access	Five lifts, including Silver Strike, Northside, Ruby and Empire Express	East Village Express gondola, Hail Peak Express, new for 2026–27
Closed sales since Jan 2024	37 sales, median $4,900,000, $2,265 per sq ft	162 sales, mostly new delivery; $2,120,580 median excluding Pioche Village
Current listings	12 active, median $7,172,500, $2,972 per sq ft	31 active, median $3,250,000, $2,223 per sq ft
Days on market	24 days median on closed sales; 76 on current listings	103 days median on current listings
Sale-to-list	97.3% median	New construction largely at list
Transfer fee at closing	Varies by property; master association publishes 1%	Varies by project; Cormont reported at 1.25% plus 0.25%
HOA dues	$19,000 to $50,000 a year by building, plus the master association	$4,500 to $22,400 a year by project
Club	Talisker Club available, not required	No equivalent; hotel and project amenities
Nightly rentals	Varies by building and by unit	Varies by project; Cormont yes, Marcella no
Drive to SLC airport	About 50 minutes	About 40 minutes

What is Empire Pass?

Empire Pass is the top-of-mountain neighborhood in Upper Deer Valley, entitled through the Flagstaff annexation and built out over the past twenty years. Its buildings sit between roughly 8,900 and 9,600 feet and are served by the Northside Express, Silver Strike Express, Ruby Express, Empire Express and Lady Morgan Express.

The housing is layered by vintage. Arrowleaf, Shooting Star and Grand Lodge date to 2005 through 2008. Silver Strike Lodge, Montage Deer Valley residences, One Empire Pass, Empire Residences and the Residences at the Tower came later and trade higher. The newest project, Sommét Blanc, sold all 39 residences before a single closing, with delivery in 2026 and 2027.

Here is what has actually closed since January 2024, by building.

Building	Closed sales	Median price	Median price per sq ft	Median days on market
Flagstaff	8	$5,150,000	$2,555	4
Arrowleaf	7	$4,075,000	$2,104	36
Montage Deer Valley	7	$6,315,000	$2,707	11
Shooting Star	5	$4,200,000	$2,108	16
Grand Lodge	3	$5,675,000	$1,809	126
Silver Strike Lodge	3	$4,250,000	$2,097	87
One Empire Pass	2	$10,387,500	$3,180	38

Source: Park City MLS, closed residential sales January 2024 through September 2026.

Two things stand out. The right unit does not sit: Flagstaff's median closing took four days and Montage's eleven. And pricing rose through the period, from a $4.25 million median at $2,075 a foot in 2024 to $5.73 million at $2,558 in 2025, with 2026 closings at $4.58 million and $2,369. Buildings whose medians look low, like Grand Lodge at $1,809 a foot, also show the longest marketing times, which is a condition and floor-plan story rather than an address story.

What does it cost to own at Empire Pass?

Owners here typically receive three bills: the building association, the Empire Pass master association and, if they belong, Talisker Club.

Current MLS dues, annualized, run from about $19,000 a year at Shooting Star to about $49,900 at Montage Deer Valley.

Building	Annual HOA dues
Shooting Star	About $19,000
Arrowleaf	About $23,800
Grand Lodge	About $34,800
Flagstaff	About $36,200
One Empire Pass	About $38,700
Empire Residences	About $39,600
Montage Deer Valley	About $49,900

Those figures are the building association alone. Add the Empire Pass master association and, for members, Talisker Club dues. Property taxes are substantial too: the median tax figure on Empire Pass listings runs near $26,800 a year, because a second home is assessed on 100 percent of value.

The point is to read the dues schedule before the floor plan. At Montage, dues cover a level of service that a less expensive building does not provide, so the comparison is not apples to apples.

Talisker Club membership is available to Empire Pass owners and is not required by the buildings themselves. Published terms put the initiation deposit at $200,000 with annual dues in the mid-$20,000s, plus a re-issuance fee when a membership transfers. Whether an existing membership conveys with a resale is deal-specific and worth settling in the contract.

What is Deer Valley East Village?

East Village is Deer Valley's eastern base in Wasatch County, on the land formerly called Mayflower, governed by the Military Installation Development Authority rather than by county zoning. It has its own US-40 entrance, so owners reach the snow without driving through Park City.

For 2026–27 it adds the Hail Peak Express, 200 acres and seven runs, bringing Deer Valley to about 4,500 acres, 209 runs and 32 lifts, with a December 5 target opening. The East Village Lodge and Park Peak Lodge are scheduled for the 2027–28 season, so this winter's base services remain temporary.

The residential mix runs from Pioche Village, where current listings have a median of $538,000, through the Grand Hyatt Residences and Cormont in the $2.75 to $3.25 million range, to Marcella estates listed above $20 million. Four Seasons is projected for 2027 or 2028 and the Waldorf Astoria for 2028.

Project	Median current listing	Median price per sq ft	Annual HOA dues
Pioche Village	$538,000	$1,063	About $4,610
Grand Hyatt Residences	$2,750,000	$2,223	About $22,400
Cormont	$3,250,000	$2,168	About $17,300
Four Seasons Private Residences	$3,995,000	$2,735	Confirm with project
Marcella Landing	$11,600,000	$2,107	About $19,100
Marcella	$22,500,000	$2,558	About $4,500

Source: Park City MLS, active listings as of October 2026.

The Grand Hyatt Residences are the clearest read on resale here, with 52 closings since January 2024 at a median of $2,110,290 and $1,479 a foot. Current asking prices sit well above that, which is what a new-construction market looks like when deliveries are still arriving.

Which one allows nightly rentals?

Both allow them in some buildings and not others, which is the single most common mistake buyers make at either address.

At Empire Pass, the MLS shows a one-night minimum on effectively every listing in the dataset, so nightly rental is broadly available across the neighborhood. That is the zoning and association position, not a guarantee for a given unit, and some associations restrict rental programs or require registration.

At East Village, MIDA rules and each project's CC&Rs govern. Cormont is marketed with full rental optionality and no mandatory hotel management. Marcella carries a 30-day minimum, so no nightly rental, while Marcella Landing townhomes do allow it.

Confirm rental rights for the specific unit in the HOA documents during due diligence. A building's reputation is not a rental license.

How do property taxes compare?

For most buyers at either address the answer is the same: a second home or nightly rental is taxed on 100 percent of market value, because Utah's 45 percent primary residential exemption applies only to a primary residence. The county difference is secondary to that.

Directionally, Wasatch County's effective rates run higher than Summit County's, so East Village likely carries a somewhat higher tax burden at equal value, plus MIDA-area assessments. Because published rate estimates vary widely, use the actual tax notice for the specific parcel rather than a county average.

Which address fits which buyer?

• Choose Empire Pass if you want a finished neighborhood, five lifts in service now, a known cost structure and optional Talisker Club access. Expect to compete for the good units and to underwrite dues carefully.
• Choose East Village if you want new construction, hotel services, an easier airport run and rental flexibility in the projects that allow it. Expect construction, phased amenities and a large pipeline of competing inventory.

One correction to a common assumption. East Village is still the lower price per square foot, about $2,220 against $2,970 on current Empire Pass listings, but it is not cheap, and its closing-side fees run higher than the 1 percent at Empire Pass. You are paying less per foot for a view of a construction site, and more per foot for a finished neighborhood.

Frequently asked questions

Is Empire Pass or Deer Valley East Village a better investment?

They carry different risks. Empire Pass has twenty years of comparable sales, a median closing of $4.9 million since January 2024 and a 24-day median marketing time for well-priced units. East Village is new construction with a large pipeline still to be delivered, at a lower price per square foot. The better choice depends on your holding period and whether you need rental income.

What is the transfer fee at Empire Pass?

The Empire Pass master association publishes a 1 percent reinvestment fee, and individual projects within Empire Pass can differ, so confirm the figure for the specific building. Transfer fees here are customarily paid by the buyer, though the purchase contract decides.

Do you have to join Talisker Club to buy at Empire Pass?

No Empire Pass building requires membership. It is available to owners who want it, and whether an existing membership transfers with a resale is negotiated in the purchase contract.

Can you rent a Deer Valley East Village condo nightly?

Only where the project allows it. Cormont is marketed with full rental optionality, Marcella carries a 30-day minimum, and every owner needs a Wasatch County short-term rental license under MIDA's rules.

When will Deer Valley East Village be finished?

The base lodges are scheduled for the 2027-28 season, the Four Seasons for 2027 or 2028 and the Waldorf Astoria for 2028. Full build-out of about 1,700 residences and 800 hotel rooms continues beyond that.

Related: East Village Nightly Rentals · Jordanelle Communities Compared

Michael Diamond is an Associate Broker and Team Lead with Park City Brokers | Coldwell Banker Global Luxury, Utah license 9492175-AB00. Figures are from the sources cited as of September 2026 and should be confirmed for any specific property.