An unassuming 25-acre parcel near the intersection of U.S. 40 and Interstate 80 is Summit County’s latest open space acquisition, providing a buffer between the busy roads and surrounding neighborhoods in an effort to stave off controversial development proposals.

County Lands and Natural Resources Director Jess Kirby said it was a fast acquisition, with the county paying $3.5 million from its 2021 voter-approved $50 million general obligation bond for open space to close the deal for the Highland Flat property in 30 days.

“It’s a parcel that was identified in the General Plan for open space and recreation rather than high density housing, so when the opportunity came up, we decided to go for it,” Kirby said. “We worked with the Catholic Church, which owned the property, and they were very excited to allow it to stay the way that it is and be able to honor its use as a horse pasture.”

Kirby acknowledged the property may not seem like an ideal location for open space because of its proximity to major highways. But she said its placement within the county provides separation between the high-speed roads and developed areas, like neighborhoods.

“It’s really important to see that rural landscape as you’re entering and exiting our different communities,” she said. “It’s one of the reasons why we’re focused on the Highway 40 corridor, and this fits into that as well. We’re making sure that when you come to Park City, it’s not completely built out. You can see some relics of the open lands that used to be there, but we’re also putting development where it makes sense.”

Developers could be less interested in areas near parcels the county has preserved for open space and instead focus proposals on properties near existing neighborhoods or commercial centers, like Kimball Junction, Kirby said.

“We’re not just doing this (near) Park City,” she added. “We’re focusing on Kamas, Oakley, Francis and Peoa, trying to find those parcels to make sure that when you drive from one community to the next, it’s not a total bleed of homes or developed space.”

County officials are still working to determine what amenities, if any, will be installed on the property. Kirby said there have been proposals for a dog park, a trail connecting Silver Creek to Silver Creek Village and a “community benefit space.” 

However, she said the Highland Flat parcel is not a current priority, as the county is already working through other acquisitions and designing a recreation plan for the 910 Cattle Ranch, an 8,500-acre open space property in Jeremy Ranch.

“There could be small amounts of development on this property, and if that were to happen, we would find other funding to pay back the (open space) bond funds that were used for this,” Kirby said. “But it wouldn’t be high density in any way, and we would definitely limit it. We’ve been asked for a really long time to help put in an equestrian center for that part of our county, so all of these ideas are floating around, but nothing is concrete yet.”

Kirby said the county has spent $50 million on open space acquisitions from the general obligation bond since then, but officials have paired bond dollars with grants and other opportunities to help make the money stretch. She estimated there is $16 million remaining for future purchases.

“We’ve got a lot of properties in the hopper, but we’re still wanting the community to reach out to us if they have interest in putting their land in conservation, especially along the Weber River corridor and near the Kamas Meadow property,” Kirby said. “We’re still very interested in linking preserved properties together … but we’re continually trying to put as much open space as we can and agricultural land that we can under preservation right now.”

ColBreen PC LLC proposed an affordable housing development on the Highland Flat property four years ago, hoping to address the county’s need for senior housing and transitional living spaces. However, 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 also apprehensive about an increase in density and traffic in an area largely dedicated to open space.

The application for a housing project on the Highland Flat parcel expired last year “due to inactivity,” according to the Summit County Planning Department. There were no new proposals for the property submitted after the application’s expiration.

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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.”

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