Construction and final approval of the Park City School District’s multi-million dollar athletic complex is now delayed because of its reported failure to comply with a City Hall ordinance requiring a 100-foot buffer along Lucky John Drive, despite the Park City Planning Commission’s decision to issue a conditional-use permit to the district last month.
JD Simmons, a senior project manager with MOCA, told the school board on Tuesday that while working with Park City to meet conditions outlined in the approved conditional-use permit, city officials asked if he was aware of an ordinance requiring a 100-foot buffer along Lucky John Drive.
The ordinance was not previously mentioned by the city, outlined in any preliminary staff reports or visible on any zoning maps, Simmons said.
Moreover, a group of homeowners in nearby residential areas frustrated with the school district’s communication and decision-making process throughout the design phase for the athletic complex appealed the Planning Commission’s issuance of a conditional-use permit. Simmons said the appeal has nothing to do with the district, however, as it stems from claims that Park City did not properly notice its own meetings.
The demolition of Treasure Mountain Junior High and the subsequent installation of soccer fields and tennis courts is unaffected by the delay. Simmons said he expects construction to begin in mid-June, and Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman estimated Treasure Mountain’s demolition will take place in late September or early October.
The reworking of Dozier Field needed to be separated from the Treasure Mountain portion of the athletic complex during the bid process because of the 100-foot buffer requirement on Lucky John Drive. The formerly approved north-south alignment included a 13,200-square-foot facility on the north side of the football field, which violates the city ordinance.
Simmons said the school district could follow the appeal process and attempt to work through issues with Dozier Field’s proposed layout, but it would be easier to simply redesign the facilities in an east-west alignment. He pointed out that he first submitted a conditional-use permit request to the city seven months ago and expressed concerns about further delays if the district pursued an appeal, adding that there’s no guarantee the district would prevail at the end of the process.
MHTN Architects, the firm in charge of designing the athletic complex, is set to appear before the school board with an east-west proposal for Dozier Field next month so that Simmons can present the design to the Planning Commission on June 25.
The new designs have yet to be completed. They will be considered at the June 17 school board meeting.
The previous school board last year approved parts of the athletic facility’s master plan. Taxpayers are not shouldering the cost of the project. Instead, the athletic makeover is being funded by a $38 million revenue bond over the course of 20 years.