Summit County staff met with the developer of Latitudes at Silver Creek this week to go over feedback from the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission and staff themselves.
The Summit County-based architecture firm Bridgwater Consulting Group introduced the development to the commission May 27. Numerous discussions are expected before it comes up for a vote.
That’s because Bridgwater needs a rezone from the county council for the proposal: two residential buildings with commercial offerings in the middle.
The project is located just east of U.S. Highway 40 at Silver Summit, between Burt Brothers and developer Clive Bridgwater’s own office.
“I think it's now a building that addresses two needs in the community,” Bridgwater said May 27, referring to senior housing and affordable housing: the draft plans include 46 market rate and 30 lower-income units. Bridgwater wants to reserve the market rate units for people 55 or older.
He included a laundry list of amenities that, like the overall unit counts, are subject to change this early in the planning process.
Commissioners asked a lot of questions about the location; Heather Peteroy, for example, worried about creating a residential “island,” and Commissioner Eric Sagerman worried about the lack of grocery stores.
“This is in the middle of a business park, lot of industrial-type businesses, an auto shop is going to be right next door, lot of traffic in and out of there,” Commissioner Tim Jeffrey pointed out. “What is your confidence level that 55-and-over are going to be receptive of this development?”
“So far, everyone we've shared it with has said, ‘We want a unit.’ So, so far, it's been about 100%,” Bridgwater said. “I do agree — it seems at first a little incongruous to put it there — but I think this is the first building of the next generation of development in that area.”
He thinks surrounding buildings will be redeveloped in coming years.
And two other developers, Tony Tyler and Henry Sigg, have proposed grocery stores and mixed-use developments in the vicinity of Bridgwater’s.
Tyler’s Crossroads at Silver Creek is proposed across Interstate 80. Sigg’s Marketplace at Silver Creek is just across the roundabout.
Bridgwater’s Latitudes at Silver Creek isn’t 100% new. He said it was proposed and unanimously approved by the planning commission and county council eight years ago.
But, because of zoning height and density restrictions at that time, Bridgwater said it wasn’t financially feasible to include affordable housing, so he scrapped plans.
Summit County has since drafted the neighborhood mixed-use zone, or NMU-1, in large part for Sigg’s nearby “marketplace” proposal. If the council rezones his land to NMU-1, Bridgwater thinks the project can pencil.
Planning commissioners also expressed worries about the level of public transit service in the area. Transportation has already been a key topic in staff-developer meetings since the May work session.
“As I look at these parking numbers, I'm just like, more parking stalls, more cars. But you know, considering the reality of this neighborhood, I at least do appreciate the parking being underground,” Commissioner Matt Nagie said during the May discussion.
A perceived lack of transit options, except cars, was a similar issue for Basin Recreation, which proposed a new fieldhouse just north of where Latitudes would be. Basin Rec has since pivoted to Jeremy Ranch, where the county council is looking to develop county-owned land.
The planning commission hasn’t scheduled another discussion with Bridgwater yet.
