The 22-acre Gordo property is a patchwork of parcels owned by Park City along state Route 248 across from Richardson Flat Road near Quinn’s Junction.
The city has discussed a variety of options for the land, from building an 800 space surface parking lot to developing a new mixed use village with housing. Before that, Park City briefly considered using it for a soils management facility, but that was abandoned amid strong community concern.
According to a staff report, there are over 30,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil on the Gordo property that must be removed before any commercial, residential, or even parking lot development can take place. The contaminated soil isn’t natural, and was temporarily placed there years ago as part of nearby construction.
In November 2021 the Utah Department of Environmental Quality ordered Park City to remove the contaminants.
On Thursday the Park City Council approved contracts to remove the soil and transport it to the Three Mile Landfill this year.
Council member Ryan Dickey said the city is saving money by not having to haul the soil all the way to Tooele County.
“The good news is we’ve been budgeting over the last couple of years to do the project,” Dickey said. “We thought it would be about $4 million to $5 million, and our projection is now $2.6 million, because we’re going to be able to tip at the Three Mile Landfill locally here in Summit County.”
The city council has expressed a desire to use the Gordo property to improve traffic along the S.R. 248 corridor.
Park City is getting $15 million from Deer Valley to build a parking and transportation facility as part of a deal negotiated for the ski resort’s Snow Park development. That money is specifically earmarked for a project along S.R. 248 and the city council has discussed using the funds for the Gordo project.
Park City Environmental Regulatory Program Manager Ryan Blair, who is leading the removal project, said he plans for work to be finished before ski season.
