A highly visible duplex just off the Old Town roundabout will be remade into a bed & breakfast under an idea approved by a City Hall panel recently.
The Park City Planning Commission unanimously approved an application to reconfigure the duplex, 255 Deer Valley Drive. The building, painted red with white trim, is the first building along the entryway to Deer Valley as someone is traveling southbound on Deer Valley Drive. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘gingerbread house.’
Summit Engineering Group President Mike Johnston, who appeared on behalf of the bed & breakfast, said in an interview afterward the duplex will be redone as a six-room bed & breakfast. There will also be living quarters for the owner, he said.
Johnston said a Massachusetts woman has the duplex under contract. The deal depended on the approval of a bed & breakfast, he said. The owner plans to start construction this summer. The work will include the remodel of the inside and a redone exterior. Johnston said the bed & breakfast, which will be known as the Torchlight Inn, is scheduled to open by Thanksgiving.
“It’s a little different than just coming to a condo,” Johnston said, adding, “It’s not just going to be a ski condo. It’s going to be an upscale bed & breakfast for downtown Park City.”
He said the Torchlight Inn could be attractive to people on their honeymoon or couples celebrating anniversaries. The Massachusetts woman with the duplex under contract, Christine Munro, sees the location close to Main Street and bus lines as being advantageous, Johnston said.
Nobody testified during a hearing prior to the Planning Commission vote. Planning Commissioners spoke about topics like parking at the site. There was concern that the parking situation at 255 Deer Valley Drive is tight, but Adam Strachan, a member of the Planning Commission, said he had once lived in the duplex and parking then was not problematic.
The Planning Commission placed several restrictions on the permit allowing the bed & breakfast dealing with parking and other topics. Some of the restrictions included that no more than six rooms may be available for rent and that there cannot be more than six parking spots at the site. The Planning Commission also requested that advertising for the bed & breakfast include a statement that a vehicle is unnecessary for a stay in Park City.
The panel gave itself the right to review the permit later if there are more than three complaints about parking.
A City Hall report issued prior to the recent meeting indicated the duplex was built in 1979 and spreads through 5,384 square feet. A 448-square-foot addition to the third floor is planned as part of the renovation.
In a letter to City Hall, Munro described herself as a professional chef and said the duplex will “require much work and updating to bring it to what I consider Park City standards.”
“I believe that my business model and design will offer yet another unique option to those visiting the area who are looking for the personal guest experience that can only be offered through a Bed and Breakfast,” the letter said.