There’s apparently a new chapter in the effort to develop Richardson Flat.
Two limited liability companies connected to Larry H. Miller Real Estate now own 950 acres in the area, according to Summit County property records. That’s almost the entire northern portion of the undeveloped land south of S.R. 248 and east of the U.S. 40 interchange.
The western half of the holdings include land Park City is seeking to annex into its boundaries, while the eastern portion includes land Hideout is seeking to annex into its boundaries. When land is annexed into a municipality’s boundaries, that city or town controls how and whether the land is developed.
It’s unclear what the LLCs intend to do with the land. Multiple messages left with multiple Larry H. Miller executives went unreturned.
One of the LLCs is called Hideout Community Advancement and Development, or HCAD. It lists Brad Holmes as its manager and shares an address with Larry H. Miller offices in Sandy, according to state records. Holmes is the president of Larry H. Miller Real Estate, according to the firm’s website.
HCAD owns six parcels that total 363 acres on the eastern part of Richardson Flat, according to Summit County property records, including the land Hideout is seeking to annex.
Developer Nate Brockbank was seeking to build a large-scale project on that land. Summit County records show Brockbank has been associated with HCAD.
Brockbank did not return multiple requests for comment. Hideout Mayor Phil Rubin did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.
HCAD protested Park City’s annexation of the western half of Richardson Flat at a hearing in February. The Summit County Boundary Commission denied that protest, and now HCAD has appealed that decision to district court.
The second LLC is called LHM DEV RIH. State records show its registered agent is another LLC called LHMRE — the initials of Larry H. Miller Real Estate. The manager of that LLC is LHM, Inc., which lists the Larry H. Miller Board of Directors as its directors.
LHM DEV RIH owns three parcels totaling 586 acres in western Richardson Flat, according to Summit County property records. That land includes the park-and-ride lot and contaminated soil repository. The land was formerly owned by United Park City Mines Company. A Wells Fargo Bank subsidiary purchased it at auction in January for $5 million and transferred it to the Larry H. Miller-related LLC in February.
The land the LLCs own in Richardson Flat is in unincorporated Summit County, meaning Summit County controls what can be built there.
Summit County Community Development Director Pat Putt said on Tuesday his office hasn’t been contacted by anyone associated with the Larry H. Miller Company about the firm's Richardson Flat holdings, nor has the county received applications from the group to develop the land.
The Larry H. Miller Company sold its car dealerships in September for a reported $3.2 billion. Earlier this month, it finalized its purchase of Destination Homes, which was the original homebuilder in the master-planned community Daybreak in South Jordan, according to a press release announcing the acquisition. Destination Homes was co-founded by Brad Wilson, the Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives.
