The concept of City Hall enacting some sort of development moratorium was briefly raised during Park City Council discussions this week, but it was unclear whether the municipal government will ultimately pursue such an action.
Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council spoke about the topic during an annual retreat. The elected officials were not scheduled to make decisions during the retreat, but the mention of a moratorium was noteworthy nonetheless.
Park City Councilor Jeremy Rubell said a moratorium was worth considering, but the discussion seemed only preliminary in nature. The mayor added that a moratorium was not imminent. The planning director at City Hall, Gretchen Milliken, expressed a concern of a sharp increase in development-related applications once a moratorium expires, if one is enacted.
There are numerous issues leaders would need to consider prior to enacting a moratorium. The City Council, crucially, would need to decide what categories of development applications would be covered in a moratorium and craft a reasoning outlining the need for a stoppage. They would also need to decide the length of a moratorium and detail what City Hall intends to accomplish during the shutdown. Leaders, as an example, could see a moratorium as an opportunity to revisit the municipal documents that guide growth in the community.
A move like enacting a moratorium could become highly controversial. There would likely be support from many Parkites who are wary of growth, but landowners and the development community could be leery of delays in processing applications during a moratorium, especially if one is enacted during a hot economy.
There would also likely be concerns from developers and landowners about the prospects of diminished land values if stricter growth rules are adopted during a moratorium. There could be wider economic concerns in Park City, meanwhile, since a range of business sectors like construction, architectural and home furnishings are tied at some level to the development industry.
But those critical of the way Park City continues to develop may argue that a moratorium would allow the community time to reconsider the vision for growth. The mayor and three members of the City Council are new to their posts, and a pause could provide the elected officials an opportunity to closely examine the issue.
The City Council would be expected to hold detailed public discussions if a moratorium is pursued. There would also likely be extensive testimony from the various sides of a debate about a moratorium.
The talk of the possibility of a moratorium comes amid broad concerns in the community about the related issues of growth and traffic. They have been the overriding issues in Park City for decades, but the community after the early months of the novel coronavirus pandemic has appeared to become especially worried. The Park City-area business community rebounded quickly from the coronavirus-forced closures of the spring of 2020, leading to strong economic numbers but also leaving some worried about traffic and the rising cost of living.