The Park City Council on Thursday night agreed to move forward with a significant development concept on municipal acreage in Bonanza Park.
It was an important step in the long-running talks about land off the intersection of Bonanza Drive and Kearns Boulevard. The decision allows the municipal government and its development partner to proceed toward the formal entitlement process, but it was not a project approval. The City Council vote was 4-1, with Tana Toly dissenting.
The decision followed an hour of testimony that highlighted a recent effort to persuade the elected officials to instead turn the land into a park. Speakers covered a wide range of topics like the meaning of arts to the community, the design of a project and support for green space.
The concept involves a large bloc of housing, with up to 106 units, an amphitheater and arts elements. The large majority of the housing will be income-restricted units as the municipal government continues an aggressive push to create options for the workforce and others priced out of Park City’s resort-driven real estate and rental markets.
Toly said in her comments that the concept is close to her vision for the land. She said, however, that the amount of housing is too great, and she was interested in more of an arts and culture component.
Other elected officials covered numerous topics in their comments. Mayor Ryan Dickey asked, based on the public comments, whether there is market demand for a project like the one contemplated.
The development team answered that a nearby income-restricted housing project, the EngineHouse Apartments, is renting well and commercial square footage is sought after.
City Councilor Molly Miller contended the community has reached the crisis point regarding affordable housing and a project could become an anchor for the year-round economy in addition to adding to the housing stock.
City Councilor Ed Parigian outlined that much of the potential restricted housing in the community is envisioned, but there is uncertainty regarding whether those projects will ultimately be developed.
The municipal government acquired the land nearly a decade ago in a $19 million agreement after years of talks with the previous owner about development concepts.
The municipal government at the time saw the land as the location for an arts and culture district with the Kimball Art Center and the Utah headquarters of the Sundance Institute as the anchors. That vision collapsed in the intervening years, with the Kimball Art Center opting for a location in the Snyderville Basin and the Sundance Film Festival leaving Park City.
The concept for the land instead moved toward the one under discussion. It involves certain arts and culture elements, like studios and opportunities for programming, but it does not reflect the original vision of a district with high-profile anchors.
A crowd packed the City Council chambers on Thursday evening to listen to the discussion and provide comments. Public interest seemed to climb in the days before the meeting, particularly with the idea of creating a park on the land having recently circulated.
The speakers told the mayor and City Council that there is an opportunity to develop a black-box theater, a community space is preferred, with progress on housing having already been made, and the original idea of an arts and culture district remains desirable.
Jill Orschel, an independent filmmaker, wanted the elected officials to keep the project there as an arts and culture location. The original concept was exciting, and arts and culture are important, she said.
Jenny Diersen, a Kamas resident who once worked for the municipal government, argued for arts elements in a project, saying she moved to the area for that reason.
Dana Williams, a former mayor of Park City, argued for a larger space if outdoor concerts are part of the programming. He also asked the elected officials to take the time to gather opinions from the public.
Cheryl Fox, a longtime conservation activist, spoke about a preservation possibility within a project.
“The view as you come into town of the mountains, of the ski hills, it lets people know where they are and it gives us a sense of place. … That’s unique to that intersection. That cannot be created at a different place further down. And, again, these three- and four-story buildings get in the way of that. I do think there is an opportunity here to create an open space area, a community gathering space, and a really vibrant and lovely arts community,” Fox said.
The current iteration of the project has scaled down the buildings to one higher than three stories.