I am writing to express my deep opposition to the proposed housing plans for the 5-Acre Site at Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza.
I am a 20-plus year resident of Park City, a former planning commissioner and a Main Street business owner. I want you to know that my neighbors and I do not support what is being proposed. We want what we all came together and stated for on the record over eight years ago: Arts and culture with transit and parking.
The ridiculous statement “excessive parking drives traffic” that has been thrown about by staff and council “with regards to these 5 acres” simply has not been supported by any actual math or respect for our citizens’ voices. How could it be excessive when nobody in our city knows what the actual density and land uses above grade are going to be? Nor has the shared parking and transit needs of the community ever been considered by this council on this site.
Until the actual specific use, density and potential shared parking and transit solutions are analyzed on this 5-acre parcel, how can someone be a hard no on two floors of parking and transit opportunities? This reveals a great deal about individual ideology and limiting abilities to serve on behalf of their community.
This is the same nonsensical thinking of promoting a 6-story hotel in Old Town with zero parking or transit solutions above the most deadly intersection/roundabout in our city. Where is Dana and his beer?
An actual community gathering space on these 5 acres, providing opportunities for music/art, connectivity, with underground parking and a transit hub, and maybe even a food and beverage venue or two is exactly what the voice of the people have long wanted here. And they still do. The failure of city leaders to secure Sundance and Kimball is shameful, but we must move on with transit and parking as this site’s No. 1 goal.
We must not continue to build soviet bloc density and architecture (like the disaster on Homestake, the EngineHouse). These are prime entry corridor acres perfect for future transit solutions! We are solving our affordable housing needs with plenty of other options already approved.
Without any major transit solutions, the Kearns and Bonanza intersection will not be able to withstand the impact of the currently being proposed housing development on this 5-acre site.
We made promises to Deer Valley’s Snow Park yo protect the loop residents as well as those on Empire Pass that we would fix downstream arteries, not clog them more. Health, safety and welfare demands that any new project addresses traffic solutions previous to the housing development being considered.
How dare you take away one of our original desired goals — transit and parking solutions — on this key 5-acre parcel. First the arts get chased away and now Parkites get ignored. Eight and half years later, I believe this is being pushed through without even an analysis on our current affordable housing needs so that a lame duck mayor can say she actually did something during her four years.
Please change direction on this project and make it first and foremost a transit/parking solution space for the entire community, as well as a community gathering space above ground. Who is doing the comprehensive planning in our city?
It’s beyond time for tough love here. Losing 800,000 to 1,000,000 annual visitors on Main Street over the past four-plus years is just the beginning.
Do the people’s work.
John Kenworthy
Old Town