The seven referendum sponsors said Feb. 12 they’ve crossed the halfway mark.
They’re trying to put the Summit County Council’s controversial approval of a 725-unit neighborhood and public-private partnership with Dakota Pacific Real Estate in western Kimball Junction to a countywide vote this November.
Heading into their final stretch, the sponsors have dubbed Saturday, Feb. 15, the “day of a thousand signatures.”
The sponsors said volunteers have permission from Summit County to use the Kamas, Coalville and Kimball Junction library parking lots to speak to potential signatories.
In a press release Feb. 12, petition sponsors also allege “sabotage and interference” on the part of the developer and the county.
“Sabotage” refers partly to Wasatch Back Future, a political issues committee advocating residents not sign or remove their signatures from the referendum.
The group’s website now discloses it was created by Dakota Pacific, and company CEO Marc Stanworth said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” it’s about combating misinformation.
“Our focus remains clearly on trying to educate the public about the benefits of the approved development agreement and continue down that path,” he said Feb. 12.
Referendum sponsors have made a few inaccurate statements about the development agreement, including about the ratio of affordable housing to market rate housing.
They also claim taxpayers, not Dakota Pacific, will pay to build 240 units reserved for people earning 80% of Summit County’s median income, or less. Stanworth told KPCW that’s incorrect and the company’s paying for all the units it will own.
Finally, the sponsors say Dakota Pacific is allowed to change the income restrictions on its units as it sees fit. According to the development agreement, the company can only reduce them, which would make housing more affordable.
Referendum sponsors didn’t respond to KPCW’s request for comment to clarify those positions Feb. 12. They did amend the "mission" and "FAQ" pages on their website, Protect Summit County, some time after this story's publication removing some of the incorrect information.
The development agreement does allow the developer flexibility on the ratio of “unit types” in its project, such as townhomes, condominiums or apartments.
The sponsors accurately point out there’s a limit to Dakota Pacific’s contributions in the public-private partnership.
The county and developer would split the cost of a 1,000-spot parking garage and mixed-use plaza on top, as well as a replacement for the Kimball Junction library.
But Dakota Pacific’s contributions are capped at about $3.75 million; Summit County would cover costs beyond that.
“I think that they're wrongly tied to, ‘It's supposed to be the end-all-be-all to deliver every benefit.’ It's a fund,” Stanworth said. “It's a pool of money to be used alongside the county.”
Dakota Pacific isn’t disclosing the estimated cost of the entire project. The underground parking, a park-and-ride by day and residential lot by night, has previously been ballparked at $20 million.
High Valley Transit is slated to pay for the expanded transit center, and the Utah Department of Transportation is expected to pay for the pedestrian bridge. The county and developer would split additional bridge costs, subject to Dakota Pacific’s $3.75 million limit.
The sponsors say there’s a better deal to be had. The developer and some county councilmembers who’ve publicly advocated for the amended agreement disagree, hence the charge of "interference."
Roger Armstrong, the only councilmember to vote against the new development, said he’s neutral, but his colleagues are well within their rights to speak up.
“As individual human beings on the council, we do not forgo our First Amendment right to speak about our positions as it relates to those kinds of issues,” he told KPCW. “So for them to come out and say, ‘Please don't do this,’ or ‘I advocate for this,’ it's not illegal.”
The sponsors believe Dakota Pacific’s effort to incorporate as a town is “sabotage,” too.
They believe the law passed in 2024 allowing that violates the state constitution. KPCW is unaware of any lawsuit challenging it as of Feb. 12.
Under the law, the developer’s town could decide its own zoning, circumventing the development agreement with Summit County.
Dakota Pacific is waiting on Utah's Office of the Lieutenant Governor to determine whether it can proceed with incorporation.
Referendum sponsors have until March 3 to gather signatures to put the new development agreement on the November 2025 ballot.
