I’m a Park City resident and I participated in the many surveys and listening sessions that the city held over the years about the five-acre Bonanza property that the city owns. The withdrawal of Sundance and now Kimball Arts Center has fundamentally changed the way I would answer those survey questions if they were asked today.
Because there is no longer a community partner that needs buildings in the 5-acre parcel, we should pause to reconsider how this land can best serve the Park City community now.
The 5-acre parcel is the entry to Park City for people coming in on S.R. 248. Rather than greet them with a built environment, let’s welcome them with a sweeping vista of open space that draws the eye up to the surrounding mountains. The five acres could become a beautiful park, with rain gardens, native plants, a sledding hill, shade and benches to create gathering places.
The surrounding, privately held buildings are already considering renovations. The city does not need to spend taxpayer money to compete with these private enterprises. More importantly, the city should not spend money creating a built environment that will compete with Main Street.
I live in Park Meadows, and I work in Prospector. I walk the inner plaza area, Barrett Lane, of Prospector almost daily. I’m usually the only person there. Contrast this with Library Field, where the green space invites residents at all times of day: neighbors gather to chat; kids run around and go sledding.
Let’s learn from the experiences of failed plazas as well as paying attention to what our residents do use. There is enough pavement and enough building happening within city limits, and certainly more than enough happening beyond our boundaries. Let’s use this opportunity to reaffirm Park City’s commitment to preserving the natural environment by reclaiming and restoring this land to a more natural state. Let’s use this opportunity to highlight the views of the hillsides we’ve spent millions to protect.
Park City residents and our leadership have a history of bold, unconventional thinking, especially when it comes to saving the open spaces that we cherish. These open lands now define Park City. Our 248-entry corridor should echo and reinforce our ongoing commitment to putting the natural landscape forward.
Hiring a landscape architect to design the space and creating a park will cost far less than buildings, and the park can easily be completed in time to welcome people to the Olympics. It might also be possible to relocate the current, historic senior center building as a local art center.
I understand that the community has asked for some resolution for the 5-acre parcel. But with the withdrawal of the Kimball Art Center just last month, the conditions that we were asked to consider have changed fundamentally. We need an opportunity to truly reconsider what should happen on those five acres, and not rush into something that will add pavement, block views, and create more congestion at an already difficult pinch point.
Many communities across the country are reclaiming blighted urban areas for public parks. They’ve found that these green spaces create more neighborhood pride, healthier residents, and vibrant surrounding businesses.
Let’s keep the park in Park City.
Cheryl Fox
Park City