In 2017 Park City announced it was purchasing a 5-acre property at the intersection of Bonanza Drive and Kearns Boulevard for $19.5 million. The plan was to establish an “arts and culture district,” with new homes for the Kimball Art Center and Sundance Institute.
As the price tag grew, the city council eventually abandoned the plan.
Park City has since hit the reset button, and a new plan for the site is in the final stages.
Community surveys found most residents want a mixed use development with dining, retail, affordable housing, transit access and a permanent home for the arts community. Parkites also expressed the importance of its walkability.
Jan. 11 the Park City Council said it’d like to re-engage with both the Kimball Art Center and Sundance about plans for the space. Councilmember Jeremy Rubell said they shouldn’t focus on the agreements formed in 2017.
“There’s probably some stuff our partners want to change,” Rubell said. “There’s probably some stuff that the city would like to change. I mean, the world has changed in 7 years.”
The next step will involve proposed designs for the property, envisioning density, parking, transportation, and what specifically will make up the space.
Kimball Art Center Executive Director Aldy Milliken shared his ideas during public comment.
“We do exhibitions, we do education programs, we obviously produce the arts fest,” Milliken said. “We do a lot of outreach in the schools. So we’d like to have a space that allows us to perform our mission. That includes what a 21st century museum or art space looks like, cafe or restaurant, have a space for events, birthday parties.”
Park City Artists Association President Mitch Bedke said he stands behind the art center’s goal.
“But we also need a part for the local artists, and I think those are the people that have been left out of this discussion,” Bedke said.
Milliken later said the Kimball Art Center wants to include space for the local arts community.
The council is expected to revisit the project in March.
