Summit County is no longer considering a controversial affordable housing project near the intersection of U.S. 40 and Interstate 80 after the development company allowed its application with the county to expire earlier this year.
ColBreen PC LLC first proposed the Highland Flats project more than three years ago. The 41-acre development was intended to address the county’s need for more senior housing and transitional living spaces, but the Summit County Council and members of the public quickly voiced concerns about the location and scope of the project.
The County Council’s argument against the development centered on infrastructure issues and the developer’s desire to rezone the land to fulfill the company’s vision. Councilors were apprehensive about an increase in density and traffic in an area largely dedicated to open space.
The original site plan included a 27-building, 410-unit affordable housing complex on two parcels across from the Highland Estates subdivision on Highland Drive. ColBreen PC LLC owns approximately 16 acres of the land, while the Catholic Diocese owns the remaining 25 acres.
The amended plan, which ColBreen PC LLC discussed with the County Courthouse in October 2022, changed the development from a general affordable housing project to one focused on senior care, including independent and assisted living, memory care, transitional housing for people 55 and older and workforce housing.
After receiving pushback from the County Council on the first pitch, developers pivoted to a gradual construction schedule, saying they would start by building around 100 units on 5 to 8 acres of the property. However, Nate Bullen, a development partner, estimated a demand for 180 units in total.
The company at the time said the senior housing plan was still being drafted, and staff couldn’t provide any further details about future phases of the project. Conversations then stalled for nine months until Bullen and his partners returned to the County Council for a workshop in July 2023.
However, ColBreen PC LLC didn’t have many additional details in July, with Bullen telling councilors the company didn’t want to invest in a market study without a solid indication that the County Council preferred the senior housing project to the original affordable housing complex.
Councilors in 2023 explicitly told developers it would be an “uphill battle” to earn their approval, though.
Specifically, County Councilor Canice Harte said he viewed the project as in direct conflict with the Snyderville Basin General Plan because the proposed location is intended for low-density development and the promotion of open space. Tonja Hanson, who now serves as chair of the Summit County Council, similarly raised concerns about increased density and traffic in the area.
County Councilor Chris Robinson also said he wasn’t convinced phasing the project in over multiple years was a solution to the County Council’s concerns, pointing out the density at the end would still be much higher than the land is currently zoned to handle.
ColBreen PC LLC listed its 16-acre portion of the parcel for sale a few months later with a $4.9 million price tag, though representatives told The Park Record they still planned to move forward with the housing project application. The County Assessor’s Office currently values the land, which has now seemingly been taken off the market without a buyer, at $829,889.
The Summit County Planning Department did not indicate whether staff expect a new application to be filed in the future, but county officials confirmed the application expired in May of this year “due to inactivity.”