The application comes from Columbus Pacific, the developer of the Kimball special event space in Park City’s Old Town as well as high-end developments at Canyons Village like the Apex, Pendry Residences and the Slopeside workforce housing development.
Tony Tyler, a partner of Columbus Pacific, presented his newest project to the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission late last month and asked for feedback on the overall proposal.
“I have no preconceived notions here,” Tyler said. “We're presenting you what we think is the best solution for the property itself. But we're very open to having constructive criticism and dialogue over what you think, you know, potential uses, and, you know, densities and heights and parking and transit and all of the other things that that can and should go through a process like this for this particular parcel.”
The site is across from the Sinclair gas station at the I-80 and U.S. 40 interchange.
The property was platted in 1965, well before the county had a zoning code, but Tyler believes it was set up to be a commercial core. In 1977 both parcels were converted to the rural residential zone. He told the commission that the project is very personal to him as it backs up to his home.
He said he wants to make sure it’s a development he can be proud of.
“I'm going to drive by this thing every day,” Tyler said. “I want to make sure that, you know, as many people as possible, are happy with the outcome as I will be. And so, very welcome of, you know, commentary, good, bad and indifferent.”
He’d like to see the commercial development be for those things he currently has to drive to get to: a small grocery store and deli, a liquor store, a bank and restaurant as well as some type of childcare center and professional offices. He also believes it’s a good location for an electric car charging station with as many as 17 stalls and possibly a transit hub with a small neighborhood park and ride.
Tyler also proposed putting dense employee housing on the second and third levels of the commercial development.
At this point, the residential portion of the project is undefined. Tyler said it’s possible it could include townhomes at market rate and workforce housing with rents at 50% to 100% of the annual median income, or AMI. There could be many as 55 small single family homes that would mimic the nearby Black Hawk Station. Half of them could be deed-restricted. There could also be four or five estate lots on four-acre lots.
Tyler also says he would also be willing to provide a parcel and donate it to the Early Childhood Alliance for a childcare facility that could take up to 100 children.
Summit County Community Development Director Pat Putt said it was a good presentation. Now the planning commission needs to determine whether the property should be rezoned to NMU, or Neighborhood Mixed Use.
“One of the initial hurdles with this application is the neighborhood mixed-use zone, as approved, does not allow detached single-family homes," Putt said. "So being able to establish a use and a density under the existing language is a hurdle. Could that be amended? Could the applicant propose an amendment? Potentially. I just don't have enough information right now.”
Putt expects this application will be back to the planning commission by the end of April or early May.
Meanwhile, he said another 30 or so applications have come through the planning department in the last month. Many of them are for home remodels but there’s also a conditional use permit application for a dog kennel in Hoytsville and a horse boarding application in Silver Creek.
