Dakota Pacific’s hotly contested development proposal has never made it to a vote, but now it’s on the Wednesday, Dec. 11, county council agenda.
Per the latest round of negotiations, the county and the developer are separated by 50 units of residential density.
The Salt Lake City-based developer wants to build 250 affordable and 500 market rate homes west of Skullcandy’s headquarters. The county asked for 700 last Wednesday, which Dakota Pacific CEO Marc Stanworth said didn’t feel “tenable.”
“The economics for us have not been changed,” he said. “We've tried to say, ‘Here's what we need, baseline, to move this thing forward.’”
Separately, they’re discussing redesigning the Kimball Junction Transit Center and creating a mixed-use plaza and civic area along state Route 224.
The affordable housing, transportation and civic construction isn’t as profitable for the developer as market rate and commercial ventures, which is part of why Dakota Pacific has maintained a baseline of 500 market rate units.
County Councilmember Chris Robinson told Stanworth he understands the developer’s position, but asked the company to honor the county’s request.
“I just think you need to think about it,” Robinson said Dec. 3. “We'd like you to give it due consideration.”
Depending on Dakota Pacific Real Estate’s response Dec. 11, the council could finally vote.
“If we're not in alignment at that point, [the council would] reserve that option for [Dec. 18] for continued discussion and possible decision,” Council Chair Malena Stevens said.
The last time the proposal came close to a vote was when the county asked for a public-private partnership on the transit center and surrounding area. It’s been 10 months since the vote was delayed.
And it’s been five years since Dakota Pacific Real Estate filed its application to develop housing on its roughly 50 acres.
The land is formerly known as the Summit Tech Park and is currently reserved for tech offices similar to Skullcandy’s — like 24 more Skullcandies, as Council Vice Chair Tonja Hanson noted earlier in the year.
Some residents have raised concerns about traffic new residents would bring to an already clogged interchange.
That’s why Robinson said the neighborhood development negotiations have focused on the county’s parallel discussions with the Utah Department of Transportation.
“Coupling this proposal with what UDOT will do to [state Route] 224, in the short and long run is really important,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Dec. 5. “So one of the important priorities is the phasing of the development and tying it to UDOT approvals, including an early approval of some work that UDOT has had planned — and could do quickly — which is a $3 or $4 million project to put some turn lanes at Ute Boulevard right now, some additional left hand turn lanes.”
Some residents who have spoken out against development have asked why the county would continue to entertain the development proposal.
State law requires municipalities to process and vote on development applications from property owners such as Dakota Pacific.
In theory, the council could have voted “no” at any time, but state laws passed in 2022 and 2023 sought to push the Kimball Junction development through. Summit County has so far successfully fought the 2023 law in court.
County leaders paused litigation at legislators’ request to reach an agreement with Dakota Pacific.
