Since its first look at the project, the commission has been concerned about building height. Six of the seven structures planned are above the zoned 35-foot maximum and the 40-foot exception for gables.
Residents, leaders and developers attended the Park City Planning Commission’s third meeting and second public hearing on the 5-acre Bonanza Park site Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Steven Swisher with GTS Development said the extra height allowed about two acres of the site — or 62% — to be open space.
“Providing that additional 30% of open space, we could do that because we were stacking the building up,” he said.
The developer shared more options to lower building heights. With the current design, six of the structures include gables with 12-by-12-foot pitches. The design is a nod to Park City’s mining history.
Swisher said they could shrink the gables to 4-by-12-foot pitches or make the roofs flat. With flat roofs, the project would lose about 12 bedrooms but retain its 106 residential units.
Chair Christine Van Dine said the original design looks the best. But the commission was still hesitant to grant a height exception, which is allowed if the proposal meets certain code criteria.
“It's a difficult thing to weigh because I would say a lot of the commissioners probably agree that the 12-by-12 pitches look better, but when we're starting to look at 55+ feet of height when the land management code says 35 feet for that zone, that's a stretch,” she said.
Commissioner John Frontero suggested reducing the residential floor height from nine to eight feet, and the commercial floors from 12 to 10 feet.
Commissioner Matthew Day said he would allow additional height within reason.
“I don't mind a little bit more height to get something that fits within the historic district,” he said. “The drafting clearly indicates that this is an area where you can get a bit more height. Now, should it be this much height? That's a different thing.”
The commission also reviewed the project's traffic mitigation plan.
It is expected to generate more than 1,200 weekday trips, including over 100 during the peak morning and evening hours. To limit traffic, the mixed-use development will connect to the city’s existing trail network and incorporate bike and bus lanes.
The underground garage is slated to have 280 stalls. Three ramps lead to two entrances and only right turns would be allowed out of the garage to prevent backup.
The proposal also recommends prohibiting left turns at the Private Drive and Kearns Boulevard intersection.
Frontero said more traffic measures are needed.
“I find the mitigation strategies being put forward at this point are lacking for me,” he said.
However, the commission supported 280 parking stalls for the garage; code requires a minimum of 208.
Dozens of locals shared their thoughts at the meeting, many from a resident group called Place PC. They wore “More Park, Less City” shirts and advocated for the 5 acres to be all open space instead.
Park City Municipal is a financial supporter of KPCW.
