Two years ago, the city and Deer Valley signed a nonbinding letter of intent. It paved the way for the resort to redevelop Snow Park as a ski-in, ski-out village, along with a $15 million commitment from Deer Valley to help pay for a new transportation facility along state Route 248.
The resort also agreed to build a gondola connecting Snow Park and East Village.
At the Park City Council meeting Tuesday, Nov. 18, leaders will consider whether to move forward with a project partnership agreement with Deer Valley to make the transportation facility a reality.
City attorney Margaret Plane said the agreement envisions a 50-50 split of the construction costs.
“That letter of intent outlined Deer Valley’s commitment to contribute up to $15 million if it’s also matched by the city for an offsite, regionally significant transportation facility,” she said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Nov. 17.
The agreement targets 900 new parking spaces. Affordable housing is also an option under the 2023 letter of intent as a secondary use, with 50 bedrooms if there’s a parking structure and 100 bedrooms if it’s surface lots.
If constructed, the housing isn’t required to be at the same location as the parking.
The transportation facility would likely be built along state Route 248, according to Plane.
“The project partnership agreement specifies that the parking needs to be within Park City boundaries,” she said. “Council has heard from the transportation teams and others several times over the last year, looking at Richardson Flat and Gordo, but the agreement doesn’t bind council to those options.”
The city will own the facility, and Deer Valley will be entitled to a share of the parking.
“Once a project is approved, the city and Deer Valley need to mutually agree on how the facility will be operated and managed,” Plane said.
The resort is required to finalize the project partnership agreement with the city before starting work on Snow Park.
The Park City Council meeting begins at 4:40 p.m. on Tuesday. For the agenda and a link to attend online, visit the city website.
Park City Municipal and Deer Valley Resort are financial supporters of KPCW.
