The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued the stormwater discharge permit the developer needs to begin construction on the $25 million resort at the foot of the Blue Mountain.

The members-only resort on 350 acres south of Upper Smith Gap Road will allow auto enthusiasts to drive their high-performance cars up to 120 mph and use garages, a car wash, a gas station, a clubhouse, a swimming pool, athletic fields and a helipad for emergencies.

The developer, Richard Muller, told the Pocono Record work will begin this summer.

A state Environmental Hearing Board judge revoked the permit in September 2006 after the Blue Mountain Preservation Association Inc. appealed it. The group cited concerns that stormwater discharge during construction and a spray irrigation wastewater treatment system would harm nearby wetlands and the Aquashicola Creek. The DEP started a second review of the permit in February 2007.

Muller said in August 2007 construction would take between nine and 15 months once it begins.

The Eldred Township Board of Supervisors approved final plans for the resort, with conditions, in October 2004. But Muller has not started building it pending the resolution of numerous appeals and issuance of required permits.