A little more than six years ago, in July 2017, representatives from the Sundance Institute joined City Hall officials and the leadership of the Kimball Art Center at the Marsac Building as it was announced the three entities would partner on the development of an arts and culture district.
The district, at the time slated for acreage off the intersection of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive, was envisioned as something that would boost Park City’s status as a destination for cultural tourism and help diversify the economy. It was also seen as a project that could provide a long-term location for the Kimball Art Center after it sold its property along Main Street, as well as solidify Sundance’s presence with a new Utah headquarters for the organization.
But as the end of 2023 approaches, there has been limited progress on an arts and culture district with City Hall amid a broad engagement process with the community about the possible future uses of the land. And, unexpectedly, Sundance in late September requested the municipal government extend an upcoming 2024 deadline regarding a renewal of an agreement with the city to hold the film festival locally after 2026. Sundance said an extension would allow the organization to craft a new vision.
The pending talks at City Hall about an arts and culture district could be ongoing, as Sundance is amid an important internal discussion while it plans for the organization’s future. It is not clear, though, whether the two exercises will intersect, leaving open the possibility of the municipal government moving ahead with the talks about an arts district even as Sundance is involved with charting a course for the film festival and the festival’s Los Angeles-based not-for-profit parent organization.
In a Sept. 25 letter to Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council requesting the deadline extension, Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente did not mention the arts district. The omission itself may not be notable in the context of the extension request centered on the festival, but it seems the internal discussions at Sundance about the future of the institute and the festival would almost certainly need to address any ultimate Sundance presence in an arts district. Sundance would need to consider the financial aspects of a Utah headquarters in a district, how such a location could broaden the organization’s efforts to advance independent filmmaking, and the role a district could play during the festival, which in the pre-pandemic era frequently was searching for new spaces that could temporarily be converted into screening rooms or other festival uses.
Over the time since the announcement of the concept for an arts district in summer 2017, there has only been limited progress on a project. There was initial excitement about the prospects of such a district, but questions arose about the cost projections as the estimated City Hall portion reached toward $90 million. The pandemic further delayed the efforts and led to broadened questions about the dollar figures. Even the role of Sundance in the project at certain points did not seem as assured as it once was.
It is not clear what sort of timeline City Hall wants to pursue regarding decisions about the land where the district is under consideration. The public-engagement process has been extensive, but it seems the discussions between the municipal government and the citizenry will continue. It also seems that the leadership of Park City would be willing to allot more time for Sundance’s internal talks prior to making the crucial decisions about the land, since Sundance has been seen as being so important to the onetime blueprints as one of the anchors of a district.
It does not appear that a delay would be overly detrimental to the efforts, although the Kimball Art Center likely desires a long-term resolution eight years after selling the property in Old Town where it was centered for decades and moving into temporary quarters along Kearns Boulevard as it awaits the development of a district.
Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council are scheduled to discuss the possibility of extending the Sundance renewal deadline on Thursday. A decision is not expected, but the elected officials could signal their intentions. The discussion is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. at the Marsac Building and 45 minutes are set aside for the agenda item. The meeting will also be broadcast online at www.parkcity.org.