The Kimball Junction Master Plan is focused, for the most part, on big properties or major companies.
However, one little undeveloped parcel has a complicated history and serious planning challenges.
Looking at the unbuilt commercial property at Kimball Junction, the vast majority is what’s been known as the Boyer Tech Park.
But one little sliver, posted with a For Sale sign, exists at the edge of the Junction—bounded on one side by the off-ramp from Interstate 80, and the other side by a car wash.
County development director Pat Putt explained the background of the parcel.
“That small piece of ground was part of an old specially planned area, SPA, that dates back to pre-Olympics," Putt explained. "It was approved as a two-lot subdivision on one lot was going to be a convenient store like a Texaco gas station, I think the SPA was actually called the Texaco specially planned area. What ended up happening is there were two uses. One was the gas station/convenience store the other piece of it was going to be the carwash. The carwash got built. The convenience store gas station didn't and the SPA and its development agreement expired.”
He said that life went on, including changes in the Snyderville Code. What is left is a parcel of a little over an acre.
“It’s the offspring of an expired development agreement," Putt continued. "Which in Summit County means that whatever uses were vested including potentially a convenience store still exists. They just don't have any development rights associated with it. In order to attempt to exercise those development rights a property owner, the current or someone that they would sell it to, would need to apply for a new specially planned area with Town Center zoning.”
Putt said they had inquires about the property several months back. But there hasn’t been movement on the parcel. The outlook for the property is pretty complicated.
“Simply because of the fact that some of the—just fundamental development requirements in terms of meeting the setbacks that currently exist in the code from 224," Putt said. "How they would be getting access. How UDOT would view access directly from the highway. 224 to that parcel I think would be maybe not impossible but a real challenge. The other access point is through adjacent properties. So, you know that future developer is looking at having to negotiate a solution like that for that as well. Again, that adjacent property is the car wash that has its own sort of existing circulation needs and limitations.”
