Deer Valley Resort aims to submit updated plans in the spring after securing City Hall’s support Thursday night for an important element of a concept for major development at Snow Park.
The Park City Council vote approving an ordinance that vacates parts of Deer Valley Drive West and Deer Valley Drive South triggers another phase in the process between Deer Valley and the municipal government.
Deer Valley will be required to return to the talks with the Park City Planning Commission about the development concept itself after spending months in discussions with the elected officials about the vacation of the roads.
In an interview after the vote, Todd Bennett, the Deer Valley president and chief operating officer, said the resort hopes to submit updated plans for the Snow Park base to City Hall late in the spring. Under that timeline, he said, Deer Valley would like to begin meetings with the Planning Commission early in the summer. He described a goal for a Planning Commission vote sometime in 2024.
He said it is too early to predict when a groundbreaking could occur on a development. Bennett also said it is not clear how long the construction will take.
A Planning Commission review of a development concept as large and complex as the one expected from Deer Valley typically can stretch for months with the possibility of the talks lasting for longer than a year.
The Planning Commission in the case of Snow Park will likely spend extensive time on issues like traffic, parking and the overall design. The topics are key in any significant development concept, but the Snow Park project will be notable with City Hall’s expected involvement in a public-private partnership at the location.
The panel seemed to make limited progress during an earlier round of talks about Snow Park, prior to Deer Valley and the elected officials negotiating the partnership.
The development concept involves residences, commercial spaces, a hotel and entertainment. Deer Valley plans to build large garages to account for the parking spots that would be lost as the vast Snow Park lots are developed.
Deer Valley is scheduled to host an open house about Snow Park on Jan. 10. Details about the event are expected to be publicized shortly. The Jan. 10 open house is designed to be the first in a series of events organized by Deer Valley that will center on the Snow Park concept.