Dozens of ideas floated through the air at the Kamas Valley Branch of the Summit County Library on Monday night as people chattered about the community’s problems — and how to solve them.
The second cohort of the county’s Community Planning Lab wrapped up last month after the class spent weeks learning about urban development and design, planning and zoning, public engagement, affordable housing, transportation, land use and more. The participants produced final projects based on improvements they want to see in Summit County, many of which were presented to the public this week.
The ideas included changing various zoning laws, addressing the history of residential segregation, updating waste diversion throughout the county, examining the impact of a second Winter Olympics, analyzing the planning efforts underway in Oakley City and preserving the Kamas Meadows.
Pinebrook resident Joan Meixner suggested Summit County devise a timeline for rezoning applications similar to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure enacted in New York City. The program created a standardized process for public review of land use matters and established a timeframe for applications to be evaluated.
Meixner referenced a development proposed in her neighborhood which sought to rezone a 1-acre lot from rural residential to community commercial so the developers could build affordable townhomes. It took the Summit County Council around three years to vote on the request, partially due to ongoing negotiations with the property owner and changes to the application.
Without a definitive deadline to decide on an application, Meixner said it’s common for “zombie projects” to pop up after community members thought the idea had been killed. Her proposal eliminates a capricious system while improving the public process through accountability and predictability.
“We have the ability to fix our own problems,” Meixner said. “I’m not pro-development… I just want a yes or no within a reasonable period.”
She thought the timeline should be 360 days from certified application to decision. However, other resident suggestions ranged between eight and 14 months, assuming good-faith negotiations.
Elaine Murray and Bridget Conway, the county’s deputy director of communication and public engagement, had a similar idea.
Their project strives to improve transparency and accessibility to application information in hopes of reducing conflict at public hearings before a vote is held. The pair wants to create a project pipeline dashboard on the county website with a map to show what’s pending as well as information about what’s being proposed.
Park City High School students enrolled in the Park City Center for Advanced Professional Studies (PCCAPS) program could also be tasked with creating visual posts or videos to engage the public and educate them about the specific details of the applications.
Murray and Conway said they believe access is the answer. Their goal is to improve buy-in at meetings and encourage community members to provide feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, that could be used in project planning or by officials.
Many of the other projects focused on tackling housing issues.
One idea involved creating pocket neighborhoods to protect the environmental quality in the Kamas Valley and a few residents proposed unifying the planning and development codes in the Snyderville Basin and on the East Side. Other groups explored the benefits of a regional housing authority and tackling the crisis through the “Yes In My Backyard” movement.
Old Ranch Road resident Shari Noteware presented the benefits of creating multiple pathways for waste diversion to redirect materials from the landfill She highlighted how expensive landfills can be and the negative impacts, such as methane production, that come from disposing of yard waste and other organic materials. The majority of waste at Three Mile Canyon Landfill could be recycled or composted, she said.
Noteware advocated for a zero-waste system, but she recognized the need to improve access and education. Many homeowners might not be aware of how much garbage they are generating, for example, or that composting programs like Spoil to Soil exist.
Jamie Kimball, the general manager of Utah Olympic Park, chose how a future Games could be a catalyst for change as his topic. He presented on the need for community outreach and collaborative planning, maximizing the lasting benefit in areas like transportation, affordable housing and sustainability as well as how to promote the legacy of the Park City area through the Winter Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee announced the Salt Lake City-Utah bid was selected for targeted dialogue, making it the likely host of the 2034 Games.
County Councilor Canice Harte spoke with the presenters throughout the evening. He appeared interested in several projects. It’s possible the County Courthouse may consider implementing the ideas.
The Community Planning Lab was launched in the spring of 2023 as a way to inspire county residents, community leaders, business owners and other stakeholders who are interested in learning about how local policy decisions are made to become involved in shaping the future of the community. The course requires at least three and a half hours of work each week. Alumni of the program have gone on to serve in positions on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission and the Eastern Summit County Planning Commission as well as run for elected office.
The next cohort is scheduled to start on March 4, 2024. The early admission deadline is Dec. 20. All other applications will be accepted through Jan. 17. Information is available at summitcounty.org/planninglab.