The terms of three members of the Park City Planning Commission have been extended by five months, a highly unusual move by leaders meant to keep the three on the influential panel as work continues on several important growth documents.

The Park City Council did not spend extensive time discussing the move in recent weeks. The terms of Charlie Wintzer, Brooke Hontz and Jack Thomas were scheduled to expire this month. They will remain on the seven-person panel until at least Dec. 31 under the extension. They would be required to reapply for appointment if they want to continue serving past Dec. 31. Typical Planning Commission terms are four years.

The Planning Commission holds a critical role in the discussions about the documents, including City Hall’s General Plan and a broad plan for the Bonanza Park district. The General Plan is an overarching document that guides growth within the Park City limits while the Bonanza Park efforts are focused on the ideas for the redevelopment of the district, centered along Bonanza Drive and Kearns Boulevard.

The Planning Commission is also involved in long-range discussions about the future of the corridor along lower Park Avenue and a zoning theory known as form based code.

Tom Eddington, the planning director, briefed the Planning Commission about the possibility of term extensions at a recent meeting. The panelists did not discuss the matter in any depth at the recent meeting. Eddington said at the meeting an extension until the end of the year was under consideration.

Eddington this week issued a memo to the elected officials and City Manager Diane Foster outlining the extensions.

“These Commissioners are very familiar with these projects and a delay in appointing Commissioners in July would allow them to see these projects through to the end,” Eddington said in the memo.

The Planning Commission is seen as ranking second in influence of City Hall’s panels, trailing only the City Council. The Planning Commission has a wide-ranging role in growth and development matters. It holds the authority to approve or reject numerous categories of development applications.

The memo indicates a recruitment will start late in 2013 to fill the three positions that were extended. The incumbents could reapply.