Park City’s tight rules regulating development are well known in various circles of the community.
They may lead to a dispute on a street or two in Old Town, or they could spur a community-wide outcry.
But as Park City leaders continue to press an aggressive effort to create more workforce or otherwise restricted housing opportunities, there appears to be the possibility of the municipal government eventually considering whether it should loosen some development rules. That, a consultant report outlines, could be a strategy in City Hall’s housing push.
In an intriguing report, a team of consultants retained by the municipal government lists what are described as barriers to housing. Some of the topics identified by the consultants as barriers have been core issues in Park City planning and zoning discussions for decades, and it seems that any significant proposals to modify the way they are managed could become controversial.
Some of the issues identified in the report as barriers:
- Housing of medium density or higher density is “either prohibited or discouraged by discretionary review.” A potential recommendation addressing the issue outlined in the report involves allowing projects like duplexes, triplexes and four-unit buildings in certain zones when the places are nearby bus routes.
- Maximum “density in several zones strongly discourages missing middle housing and favors larger, more expensive units.” A potential recommendation to counter the issue identified in the report calls for adjusting the maximum density allowed in certain zones when the land is nearby bus routes.
- Requiring lots of open space in developments. A potential recommendation to counter the issue involves reducing the amount of open space required for housing developments that are nearby bus lines. Another potential recommendation involves creating “thresholds for additional open space reduction based on amount/affordability of housing provided.”
- Maximum “building heights are too low to support housing/transit goals.” A potential recommendation outlined in the report involves increasing the height of multiunit developments by one story in certain zones when the land is nearby bus lines and “consistent with objective design standards.”
- Bonuses involving building heights in larger projects “are discretionary and/or too low to support housing/transit goals.” A potential recommendation to address the issue involves creating “thresholds for additional height based on amount/affordability of housing provided.”
- Parking numbers “are higher than needed for certain uses and could be reduced to support affordability and transit while still preventing congestion and spillover parking in residential neighborhoods.” A potential recommendation calls for allowing “additional parking reductions or consider parking maximums when close to transit or other designated zones.”
The issues and potential recommendations outlined by the consultants address some of the detailed rules that govern development in Park City. It is likely any of the possibilities raised by the consultants would be closely watched by the development community and Parkites should Park City leaders move toward adopting them since they could have wide-ranging impacts in certain neighborhoods.
The Park City Planning Commission on Wednesday is scheduled to hold a discussion about the consultant report at a meeting starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Marsac Building. Two hours are set aside for the discussion. No votes are scheduled, and it is not clear how much time the panel will spend on any of the individual topics. More information about the meeting is available on the municipal website, www.parkcity.org. The direct link to the meeting information https://parkcityut.portal.civicclerk.com/event/58/overview.