The owners of the DoubleTree hotel at the corner of Kearns and Park, formerly called The Yarrow, want to redevelop the site by moving all parking underground and building housing and commercial space across five new buildings.
At a meeting Wednesday, members of the Park City Planning Commission praised the project for its design, open space, and potential for trail connectivity. But a majority remains concerned about the proposed building heights, which range as high as 57 feet.
Commissioner Christine Van Dine said that’s simply too high for an area that’s zoned for a maximum of 35 feet.
“I still don’t think the height is appropriate,” Van Dine said. “I appreciate the effort you guys have made… but I kind of feel like you guys came in with these excessive heights, 65 feet, and are now trying to feel good about the fact, ‘Oh look we’ve come down 10 feet, oh, and another three to four feet.’ We’re still in excess of over 20 feet on a majority of these buildings.”
Commissioner Rick Shand said he was in favor of the project, calling it a visual improvement compared to the DoubleTree hotel today.
Commissioner John Frontero said he liked the design too, but still feels it’s oversized.
“I need you to come down on the height for me to get on board with this,” Frontero said. “That’s the short of it.”
Commissioner Laura Suesser said the project needs to have larger setbacks, the minimum distance a building can be from a street. Others said they’d like to see more retail space in the proposal.
No action was taken on the project Wednesday. So far, a date has not been set for when it will return to the commission.
