It is a frustrating reality but reality nonetheless: There is nothing either City Hall or the County Courthouse can do to stop growth.
Period.
That’s important to keep in mind as both governments toy with the possibility of implementing development moratoriums. The idea has drawn vocal support from some Parkites, with many of the proponents seeming to think of it as a way to significantly reduce or eliminate the growth pressures facing the community.
A moratorium in Park City, however, wouldn’t have a bearing on whether the base area projects at Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort come to fruition. Nor would a pause in the Snyderville Basin prevent the developer that owns the Tech Center site from pursuing its vision to create a large mixed-use project in Kimball Junction.
Gretchen Milliken, the planning director at City Hall, laid out the facts in a report in advance of a City Council meeting Thursday during which the elected officials discussed the topic: “[E]nacting a moratorium does not necessarily stop development, nor the processing of complete land use development applications.”
It will be crucial for Parkites to understand that as the two governments continue discussions about the concept. A moratorium — either in the Basin or Park City — instead would be a much more limited tool. Crucially, Utah law limits a moratorium to six months, meaning the action would merely delay new development proposals from moving forward rather than preventing them altogether.
Does a moratorium have merit despite its limited power? Possibly.
The County Courthouse, for instance, has said a pause would allow officials time to rewrite the Snyderville Basin General Plan. Oakley, meanwhile, implemented a moratorium last year due to worries about the city’s water supply, and such a scenario is also conceivable on the West Side as we prepare for another summer of drought.
Complicating matters is the threat of a lawsuit from people or entities that would be negatively affected by a development pause. In Aspen, Colorado, the city government is embroiled in a legal battle with the town’s Board of Realtors over a moratorium. Leaders in Park City and Summit County would need to judge whether the benefits of a temporary stoppage outweigh the risk of a similar dispute occurring here.
Whatever the officials decide, growth is here and more is coming. And while it’s fair to expect city and county leaders to use every available tool to manage the impacts, they don’t have the power to turn back the clock.
A moratorium, unfortunately, won’t change that.