Milliken joined the city in January 2021, following the death of longtime city planning leader Bruce Erickson.
During her tenure, Milliken has overseen significant development applications for the base areas of both Park City Mountain and Deer Valley.
Those major projects have been met with strong emotion in the community, and have at times led to direct attacks toward planning staff, which have been decried by the city council and most recently Mayor Nann Worel, who used her state of the city speech last month to call for civility.
The planning commission also made national headlines when a citizen group successfully appealed Milliken’s decision to grant lift upgrades at Park City Mountain last year.
Park City became the first place in the country to regulate co-owned vacation homes under her leadership last year. However, those rules were overturned by the Utah Legislature.
“I have decided it is time to move on to explore new opportunities that provide a healthier live-work balance and a more creative outlet for my skills and experience,” Milliken wrote in an email to city staff.
“I am proud of the strong team we have built and the work we have accomplished. This has not been an easy decision, however, I feel confident in the team’s ability to navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
While at the city, she’s led numerous changes to the city’s land management code, including rules around waterwise landscaping, bike parking, and accessory apartments.
“Gretchen took a department that was in transition at the time of her hire and built a team we are all proud of,” deputy city manager Jen McGrath said. “Planning director is a demanding position and Gretchen consistently conducted herself with grace — even during the job’s most challenging moments.”
A city spokesperson said a search for a new planning director will begin immediately.
