A 410-unit development on 41 acres near Highland Estates could be an assisted living and memory care facility for seniors.
The developer, ColBreen, held a work session with the Summit County Council Wednesday to see if councilmembers like the new idea.
ColBreen originally pitched Highland Flats as affordable housing, with 80% of the units set aside for low- or moderate-income earners. It received a negative recommendation from the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission before it came before the county council in 2021.
Commissioners and councilmembers had concerns about the number of units, and the density, 10 units-per-acre, next to the single-family residential Highland Estates.
“In the general plan, [the Highland Estates] area in particular is meant to be low density. We even talked about, possibly, open space for it," said Councilmember Canice Harte, one of the original authors of the Snyderville Basin General Plan.
The council said another roadblock is traffic. Located at the corner of Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 40, Highland Flats would only be accessible via the two-lane Highland Drive.
A legal quirk about the development process is that the council can’t actually give ColBreen a firm yes or no, without going through a lengthy—and for the developer, costly—public hearing process.
But councilmembers can send signals, and it didn’t seem they thought the benefits of senior housing offset the underlying issues of density and traffic.
“My general sense is anything around the fringes of what we've talked about is going to be a very uphill battle,” Councilmember Chris Robinson said.
The disappointing feedback didn’t seem to dissuade home builder Adam Breen, who harkened back to a dartboard metaphor he used in a previous work session.
“I've said year after year after year, as we've sat here, that I don't really want to continue to throw a dartboard at a target, and try to hit, and keep missing,” he said. “But I am happy to do that.”
Breen said he wants to take the time to find the right use for their land and wants to see it improve the local economy and community.
Delaying a project can sometimes jeopardize its funding and kill it entirely, but Council Chair Roger Armstrong didn’t think ColBreen is running that risk.
“I understand they got a pretty good deal on that property because of where it's located,” Council Chair Roger Armstrong told KPCW. “I think they can go back and probably start moving pieces around and it would not surprise me if they came back with something that's different.”
The council didn’t take a vote, and it likely won’t take a vote until the project changes again.
