Friends for Responsible Development for Greater Park City (FRD) is publicly endorsing Thomas Cooke in the Democratic Party’s primary for Seat C on County Council (ballots must be postmarked by June 24). Or vote in person June 25.
FRD formed in November 2021 in response to the Summit County Council’s seemingly imminent approval of a land use change for the Tech Center tract at Kimball Junction — a change that would have allowed Dakota Pacific to build its planned 1,100-unit residential development. Since then, FRD has voluntarily monitored the situation as the project has continued to evolve, rallied the community, and voiced its continued staunch opposition to the project’s high density and corresponding impact on our traffic, infrastructure and natural resources.
FRD’s outcry has evolved from “Stop Dakota Pacific” to “Fix Traffic First.” The County Council is currently negotiating with Dakota Pacific on a reduced density, public-private partnership, mixed-use development that would feature significant community benefits. Announcements on this partnership and public hearings are expected by year end.
Both candidates in the June 25 Democratic primary are nice people and longstanding members of our community who have been actively involved serving in a variety of capacities. While many people have spoken of Megan McKenna’s connection to the community, locals applaud candidate Thomas Cooke as a 31-year resident who has voluntarily served multiple non-profits, including Park City Soccer Club and Park City Ski and Snowboard. His wife, Teresa Eggertsen Cooke (a well known musician), is a Utah native. His daughter, now in college, grew up in Park City and attended school here.
We applaud Megan for her passion, her contributions to the community, and the campaign she has run. However, we strongly believe Thomas Cooke is the right person to replace Malena Stevens when she vacates Summit County Council Seat C at the end of this year.
Balancing the impacts of growth:
Growth in Summit County and the Wasatch Back is clearly here to stay. It’s the will of Utah legislators imposed on Summit County. And it presents a variety of challenges, which the County Council and planning staff must weigh when making decisions. These challenges include impacts on traffic, infrastructure, water and other natural resources, affordability, our schools, and quality of life. We cannot naively expect developers to solve such community-wide challenges. Developers, like all businesses, are focused on making money. They answer to their investors.
The county’s leadership must therefore tackle these challenges head-on — with a clearly articulated plan for responsible growth that balances all these competing factors so Summit County remains an attractive place to live, work and visit. From this foundation, the county can ensure community buy-in and effectively work with private-sector developers.
Summit County residents deserve to feel confident that their elected officials are working in the best interests of their constituents. To rally 1,000 citizens for a public hearing at the 11th hour to stop the approval of a terrible project (e.g., Dakota Pacific’s proposed land-use change for Kimball Junction) is an enormous undertaking.
Friends for Responsible Development for Greater Park City’s endorsement goes to the candidate who provides the clearest vision in 2024 and beyond. Despite Megan’s “future forward” intention, FRD believes without question that Thomas Cooke is the right choice and deserves your vote. With nearly eight years of hard-earned experience evaluating plans for new development and redevelopment in the Snyderville Basin, we trust his judgment in leading all areas of Summit County into the future.
For more detail about our position, please visit https://frd-pc.org/.
Eric Moxham, Vincent Novack, Bonnie Park, Jeff Revoy, Mitch Soloman, Fred Vallejo
Friends for Responsible Development