Find a location for a movie studio or be sued for millions of dollars.
That is the decision facing the Summit County Council as a major landowner at Quinn’s Junction, Greg Ericksen, plans to move forward with lawsuits against the county on Nov. 1 unless a settlement is reached.
Ericksen, who has entered into a partnership with Raleigh Studios, wants the studio to be built on his parcel of land at Quinn’s Junction. The county has not moved forward on a request to rezone the parcel to allow the 400,000-square-foot project the studio is looking for.
“We have been in talks with the county for years and are looking at all the options with the hopes of settling this amicably” said Ericksen in a phone interview with The Park Record. He currently has a state and federal lawsuit pending against Summit County. “Experts estimate that between the two lawsuits against the county, they could possibly have to pay damages in the millions of dollars. If we prevail in federal court, the county could also have to pay attorney fees, which would be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars.”
The County Council met in a closed-door session Wednesday night to discuss the possible options. County Council chair Chris Robinson said the county has a few choices, including allowing Utah lawmakers to pass legislation forcing the county to rezone an area for the studio.
“It is a moving target, either the Legislature, litigation, or a middle-ground resolution will resolve this,” Robinson said.
Other options include allowing the studio to be built at Quinn’s Junction or building the studio on The Boyer Company’s land in Kimball Junction.
“We have been part of the general discussions and are interested in placing the movie studio in the Boyer Research Park and turning the parcel at Quinn’s Junction into open space,” said The Boyer Company’s project manager, Dave Allen, who added that The Boyer Company is in preliminary talks with the county and Park City.
According to Park City Mayor Dana Williams, the contested parcel at Quinn’s Junction is county land, but [City Hall] does have “some say” in the final decision.
“We have concerns about the zoning and potential density of a movie studio at Quinn’s because the city owns the land all around it,” Williams said.
When asked about the option of placing the studio in the Boyer Research Park, Williams said he would like to see it placed somewhere appropriately zoned for that type of project. He declined to comment further due to the ongoing lawsuits and negotiations.
County Council members and Summit County Manager Bob Jasper would not disclose what was discussed during Wednesday’s meeting, but Robinson said, “There has been no decision yet and anything could be the final outcome.”