The Park City Planning Commission discussed the proposed new home on King Road in Old Town in a work session Wednesday night.
In summer 2020, Matthew and Tatiana Prince bought the lot. Matthew, who grew up in Park City, is the co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, a software company focused on cybersecurity. He’s considered the second-wealthiest person in Utah (worth $2.3 billion according to Forbes), behind Gail Miller.
The Prince’s house plans became news during the Utah Legislative Session at the beginning of 2023. Park City Municipal alleged the Princes were using state lawmakers to override the city’s authority on development rights. At the time, Mayor Nann Worel said the attempts to subvert local land use authority was “overt legislative overreach” and “special treatment.”
The bill that included language relating to the Princes’ home failed.
While the proposed new home is smaller in footprint than the two existing structures, the land is subject to complex decades-old development code and a strict historic design review. It’s also being constructed on a very steep slope.
Matthew Prince told KPCW Thursday someone in the city’s planning department advised him to go to the legislature about his home plans, due to the difficult nature of the application.
Former Park City Planning Director Gretchen Milliken, who left city hall in May, denied those allegations. She said no one on her staff would ever consider giving such direction.
The Princes announced they were buying The Park Record weeks after the legislative session ended.
Pat Sweeney, who owns land in Old Town and has worked with the city to craft the development code governing Treasure Hill, told the commission he fully endorsed the Princes’ plans. In a letter to the commission, he wrote “I would like to see the home built.”
Representatives for Prince at the meeting Wednesday said the house’s design takes inspiration from Park City’s historic mining structures. Park City Museum Executive Director Morgan Pierce also sent a letter to the commission, saying the home is an improvement to the city’s skyline.
Planning commissioners asked city staff to return to the next meeting about the project with details on how the Princes’ plans compare to other nearby homes.
A date for that meeting has not yet been announced.
