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Summit County has two planning commissions, one for each side of the county. And the terms of three members of both volunteer boards expired at the end of February.
The county council filled some of the vacancies March 4.
In the Snyderville Basin, Eric Sagerman and Spencer Young reapplied and were reappointed to full, three-year terms. Makena Hawley’s term had also expired, but she didn’t reapply.
She’ll be replaced by Delta pilot and Park City-area resident of almost three decades Peter Van Stee.
He said one of the biggest “macro” challenges facing the Basin is the influx of development applications and state legislation affecting those projects.
“And then on the micro level, I guess it would just be, how do you incorporate — there certainly is a need for housing and affordable housing — so how do you incorporate that into the community?” he said.
Van Stee also said during his interview he’s volunteered in a number of different capacities before.
He applied for the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission years ago, but after a conversation with then-county manager Tom Fisher ended up on the Public Art Advisory Board for two terms. Now he’s a member of the Summit County Economic Development Advisory Board.
Also March 4, councilmembers interviewed and reappointed David Darcey to a second term on the Eastern Summit County Planning Commission.
Kamas Valley native Paul Weller, of Weller Recreation, was also appointed to the commission. He fills one of two vacancies left by commissioners Bill Wilde and Marion Wheaton who were term-limited this year and could not reapply.
Weller also has a history of volunteerism, serving on various powersports industry boards and the Wasatch Back Hospitals Community Board.
“One voice on a committee is just one voice. The ability to find middle ground is the challenge,” he told the council March 4. “With the various committees that I've served on and actually operating and running businesses and having employees, there's always middle ground to be found.”
With just Darcey and Weller joining the seven-member panel, there’s still one vacancy.
“I'm intrigued that we've only had a couple of people, myself and Paul Weller, apply for this planning commission,” Darcey said. “And I'm wondering if it's just because it is a little bit of work. It is, and it will take some time to really dig in.”
Both the Snyderville Basin and eastern Summit County commissions make recommendations to the council regarding land use decisions.
This year, commissioners in the Basin voted on a new Utah Olympic Park development agreement and the Junction Commons redevelopment.
The big project facing their eastside colleagues is new zoning proposed in Browns Canyon by developer Ivory Homes.
All the new and returning appointees’ terms expire Feb. 28, 2029. Applications for all of Summit County’s volunteer boards and positions can be found online.
