For months Park City Mayor Nann Worel and members of the city council have been in private negotiations with the resort to find a fair trade for the city vacating public right-of-way on Deer Valley Drive.
Residents have strongly opposed the road vacation, which state law requires must have “good cause” and a “tangible benefit” for the community.
Angela Moschetta is a consultant for Protect The Loop, an organized group of Deer Valley neighbors.
“[Deer Valley Resort] did a traffic study which we think is insufficient,” Moschetta said. “Protect The Loop, who I am working for, would like to see a new, independent traffic study. But the Fehr & Peers study as it is conservatively estimates that Deer Valley’s development plans will put an additional 3,600 cars on the road every single day, and will increase traffic along Bonanza Drive and up Deer Valley Drive by a magnitude of 34% every single day. I mean it’s massive.”
The group has put forth an alternative plan, which calls for undergrounding and preserving Deer Valley Drive below the base area. Moschetta said the group’s proposal still allows the resort to follow through on its plan to build a new plaza and ski beach.
“The resorts have never had to negotiate, they’ve just gotten their way," she said. "So when you consider now that Deer Valley is no longer owned by the Sterns that we all knew, they’re in the hands of private equity… and I think from their perspective, the plan is the plan. That’s what we hear from them. And they’re not really going to make any concessions until they have to.”
The Deer Valley Drive road vacation is on the Park City Council’s agenda Thursday, but no vote is expected.
Park City Manager Matt Dias said he isn’t sure if that vote will happen in 2023.
“That’s everyone’s desire, that there be some way to bring this to fruition and have some additional community conversations between now and the end of the year, but I don’t know if that’s possible quite frankly,” Dias said. “We’re continuing to schedule this on the agenda in the event that the mayor and council are ready to share some information.”
Thursday’s meeting agenda also includes a discussion about construction fees, and an update on Clark Ranch. The city sees the property, located next to the Park City Heights neighborhood near U.S. 40, as a potential spot for new affordable housing.
Thursday’s meeting starts at 4:15 p.m. The agenda and a link to attend virtually can be found here.
