KPCW reported earlier this week that Park City underestimated job and housing growth over the last decade and was taking a look at updating the city’s Transportation Master Plan to address those shortcomings. City council is all-in for a fresh look at transportation in Park City.
Despite the obvious challenges of planning for the future amid a global pandemic, Park City forged ahead with their “Vision 2020” initiative earlier this year. The program is the city’s new 10-year vision for the community and highlights five key areas for city government to focus on.
Transportation innovation was at the top of the list.
Park City’s last transportation master plan was adopted in 2011 and did not adequately accommodate for the amount of job growth and housing challenges experienced over the past several years. An outdated master plan combined with a new 10-year vision for the city presented a perfect opportunity for a refresh.
City staff first began revisiting the transportation master plan in late 2018 but things were put on hold at the beginning of COVID-19. Staff was seeking permission to continue the process this week and Park City Councilmember Becca Gerber said at Thursday’s council meeting the city would be wise to continue the process.
“A lot has changed since 2011 and if there’s anything we know, it’s that things will continue to change rapidly as we move forward,” said Gerber. “The more we can keep this updated and keep in mind our budget constraints and what’s going on in the world right now, I think the better off we are.”
In addition to allowing for the city to more easily adapt to an uncertain future, Councilmember Nann Worel told KPCW a new master plan that incorporates the findings of Vision 2020 will help bring that project from concept to action.
“So those are great concepts, but how do you actually do that?” She said. “This plan, I think, is going to be a roadmap for how do we make these great visions into actionable items?”
The new master plan will include tentative 1-5 and 5-10 year project lists. With Utah expected to go all-in on another Olympic bid for 2030, a new master plan will be needed to accommodate for that possibility and allow for sufficient planning for the use of taxpayer money.
Councilmember Tim Henney added on Thursday that the sheer scope and cost of projects that would come along with another Olympics make a forward-looking transportation vision even more important.
“The amount of money that it takes to do any form of moving people in a community, irrespective of the mode, but the federal funding that is needed, the state funding that’s needed, and the local match that goes into it are all dependant on these sorts of studies so that’s really, really critical,” said Henney.
A new transportation master plan would also prioritize the needs of pedestrians first, then bikes, public transit, cars, and finally, parking.
Accommodating Park City’s youngest residents was another point council showed an interest in prioritizing. Councilmember Max Doilney said with young parents likely to work longer hours for the foreseeable future to bounce back from the pandemic, there’s a good chance more of Park City’s children will be utilizing the city’s transportation infrastructure. He said the city should not only look at ways of transporting children safely around the city, but also plan for safer and more extensive pathways between schools and neighborhoods for walking and biking.
“It’s just something with our social equity goals, I think that that needs to be a part of it because those families are going to be working longer hours the next few years and probably in perpetuity to afford to live here. I think I want to keep that on the forefront,” he said.
Council was unanimous with their recommendation to city staff to re-launch the new transportation master plan efforts on Thursday. The city planning department will return to the council later in the year with a revised proposal for council approval.
