Park City leaders on Thursday night, in front of a crowd of people who work in Utah’s film industry, cast two preliminary but nonetheless important votes that will allow City Hall and a landowner who wants to locate a movie studio at Quinn’s Junction to proceed with more detailed talks about the project.
The Park City Council’s votes were in favor of a firm known as Quinn’s Junction Partnership, which owns 29 acres of land at the southwest corner of the U.S. 40-S.R. 248 intersection, across the state highway from the Park City Ice Arena.
In the votes, the City Council accepted a petition to annex the land into the Park City limits and approved an annexation agreement as part of an overall settlement between Quinn’s Junction Partnership and the County Courthouse. The landowner and Summit County leaders had engaged in a long-running dispute about development on the acreage. If the annexation is not finalized, the landowner and the County Courthouse will enter into a development deal without bringing the project into the city limits.
The actions on Thursday launch what will be a lengthier process as Park City officials decide whether to annex the land. Under the terms of the agreement, Park City envisions a project of 374,000 gross square feet, including a 100-room hotel, an entertainment center and a digital-media center. Raleigh Studios, a Hollywood movie studio, would situate a facility in the project. The studio is seen as the key part of the plan, and it has attracted interest from the Statehouse and Utah’s film industry.
Some of the elected officials appeared conflicted in their thinking as they cast their votes in support, a result of the negotiations that led to the breakthrough calling for the annexation. There has been hesitation at City Hall and the County Courthouse based on the size of the project and its entryway location.
City Councilwoman Liza Simpson urged Raleigh Studios and the landowner to behave as if they were members of the community. That will lead to a successful project, she said. City Councilman Alex Butwinski acknowledged that the talks were difficult but said City Hall, through an annexation process, will be put in the position of influencing the project.
“Everybody gave up a little bit, too,” Butwinski said.
The Park City Planning Commission will consider the annexation request, with meetings likely starting shortly. The lower panel will make a recommendation to the City Council, which holds the authority to approve or reject an annexation.
Greg Ericksen, the principal figure in Quinn’s Junction Partnership, was not in attendance. Nobody from Raleigh Studios was believed to be at the meeting, either.
Two people spoke during a brief hearing, touching on topics like the overall square footage and support for restrictions put into the agreement to protect the Sundance Film Festival from competition. There were many more interested people at the meeting, though. Most of them appeared to members of the film industry in Utah.
Hraefn Wulfson, who owns a custom costume, wardrobe and design studio in Salt Lake City and once worked in Hollywood, said afterward Raleigh Studios “could be a catalyst for unifying the film industry here.” However, he said he is concerned Raleigh Studios might not tap the local industry.
“It’s a vast talent pool . . . Pretty much every skill set they need, we have here,” Wulfson said.
Sae Sae Norris, an executive with the not-for-profit group Utah Women In Film, said in an interview she anticipates the Raleigh Studios location in Park City will be successful. She is a film producer and the not-for-profit group’s mission is advancing women in the industry.
Norris said Raleigh Studios will provide an economic boost. She said movie studios at some points employ electricians, lumber workers, construction crews and drivers in addition to the people in the film industry itself.
“When films happen, it’s literally creating a community,” she said.