While many parts of the local economy have been sluggish, Summit County’s Development Director, Pat Putt, says it’s not slow in his office.
Putt said in recent days, the county has seen about 30 applicants walk in the door, representing a myriad of small to medium-sized projects.
For instance, the Smith’s grocery store at Kimball Junction has applied for a low impact permit to add a 3,000 square-foot expansion to the back of the store.
Apparently, they are so busy, given the period of time that we see ourselves in, they’re having a hard time keeping store supplies, groceries and food in the store,” Putt said. “They’re running out of space.”
Over at Silver Creek Village, Mountainlands Housing Trust is planning a condo plat with 64 units in a two-lot subdivision.
The Village’s master developer, Matt Lowe, is presenting a sketch plat for Elk Springs with 125 single-family units.
Mountain Trails Foundation is proposing a new home for itself on the former Belcher Family property along U.S. 40—once home to the menagerie that included a zebra and buffalo.
The Belcher home is now slated to host the Children’s Justice Center. Putt said Mountain Trails wants to locate in the nearby barn.
Bill White Farms, along S.R. 224, is proposing a new driveway configuration and parking.
And there’s a proposal in lower Silver Creek to change a parcel from Rural Residential to Community Commercial. He said details on that will follow.
He said his counterpart in Wasatch County, Doug Smith, is also reporting activity is the busiest he’s ever seen there, or near it.
Putt said he will leave the economic experts to explain what’s going on. But he had a few suggestions.
“People are fleeing the more highly populated areas, with the hopes and aspirations that they’re going to have a little more space in mountain communities like Summit County and Park City,” he said. “Could also be that money at reasonable rates is available to put into projects. I think it’s a whole host of those. But if there was a sense out in the community that COVID has killed the planning and zoning world, quite the opposite.”
