Park City has more than 400 properties that are designated as significant or landmark historic sites. Most of them are concentrated in the Old Town neighborhood and some date back to the late 1800s, during the height of the town's mining industry.
At its meeting Thursday, the Park City Council will review a request to remove the lot at 37 Hillside Avenue from the historic list.
That structure was built around 1885 in the early mining era. The home avoided the damage wrought by the Great Fire of 1898, which destroyed most of Park City.
The new owner of the property contends that the original structure was altered decades ago and that recent renovation projects used materials that don’t meet the historic standard.
The city’s historic preservation board previously denied the request from the property owner, who has since appealed the decision to the city council.
Park City Manager Matt Dias said preserving historic sites remains a top priority for the city, but private property owners have the right to make their case.
“We have spent tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of thousands of hours preserving many of these assets,” Dias said. “But that’s not to say that private property owners don’t have their own opinions about their property and its future disposition and uses. And we have a public process for obviously redevelopment, renovation and how someone may or may not contest these historic findings or designations of their property. And that’s what’s occurring here up on Hillside Avenue.”
Park City Municipal spokesperson Clayton Scrivner said properties have been removed from the historic register through this process in the past. But Scrivner emphasized each property is subject to a unique set of conditions, standards and restrictions.
Also on Thursday, the city council will receive its annual update from the Park City Seniors Center and consider appointing seven members to serve on the city’s nonprofit services advisory committee. The new committee will be charged with making recommendations about how the city should allocate grants to local nonprofits.
Thursday’s meeting begins at 4:40 p.m. at City Hall following a closed session. The agenda and a link to attend virtually can be found here.
