A litigious chapter of the Dakota Pacific Real Estate saga ended last month, when two 3rd District Court cases tied to the controversial Kimball Junction development were dismissed.
One lawsuit dated back to 2023, when Summit County sued the developer for “legislative cronyism.” Residents filed another legal challenge this year, trying to put the county’s eventual agreement with Dakota Pacific on the ballot.
Both cases were dismissed Oct. 23 at the behest of the parties involved.
Now Dakota Pacific is proceeding with regular administrative approvals from county planners.
The developer and AO architects appeared before Snyderville Basin Planning Commission to talk about the aesthetic components of the project Oct. 28.
“The things that are going into this project are already delineated by law,” Community Development Director Peter Barnes said at the meeting. “But what's missing is the vision, the color, the character, what we expect to see in this project.”
The architecture was up for discussion Oct. 28, but not a vote. The project will be back on the commission's agenda Nov. 25.
Meanwhile, Dakota Pacific could still incorporate its own town.
The developer started the process to create a preliminary municipality with the Utah lieutenant governor's office after residents challenged its project with a referendum.
Per an incorporation application, the project’s name is “Park City Tech.” Dakota Pacific Director of Commercial Development Steve Borup says it’s a placeholder.
“The name ‘Park City Tech’ was used in the application to be consistent with the identity of the area since 2008,” he told KPCW in September. “As we progress forward with a mixed-use development, a new name and identity will be selected.”
Since Dakota Pacific has not withdrawn its application to form a town, the state is required by state law to hold a public hearing. That’s set for Nov. 13 from 6–8 p.m. at Ecker Hill Middle School.
