The 30-acre site is owned by Summit County, which is in a public-private partnership with Columbus Pacific to develop the property. A one-hour discussion of the project is on the Summit County Council’s agenda Wednesday starting at 3:30 p.m.
Developers are proposing a 172-unit deed restricted project with a range of AMI [Area Median Income] percentages to serve different income groups. They are also asking the council to approve a new zoning designation - Neighborhood Mixed Use 2 or NMU-2 or – which differs from the existing NMU-1 zone.
County manager Shayne Scott says the developer is hesitant to invest in detailed planning and studies without some assurance the project aligns with what the council can ultimately approve.
“There is a requirement that one provide a detailed development plan must be created and reviewed. It's a significant amount of time and a financial risk for the developer to go through that process and then have a zone, not only not created, but then the reason not take place.”
Scott says the county supports the project but currently lacks a zone that can accommodate it.
“I think a developer is saying to us at this point, we had a lot of negotiations; this has probably been six months in the making with Columbus Pacific real estate,” he said. “And we're at the point where the sticking point is the developer is saying, ‘I don't want to go through millions of dollars in spending money on a detailed development plan, if the council is going to then say no at the end.’ So, I think they're kind of looking to, how do we do this ahead of time? How do we do this in the front to minimize that risk?”
Scott says there are other ways to reduce risk — such as paying for infrastructure or other development costs — but he believes a rezone is the better solution.
The project could also include a new fire station. Park City Fire District Chief Pete Emery says the district hopes to relocate the Pinebrook station to this site.
“That's probably the going to be at least a three-to-four-year process,” Chief Emery said. “And really, what it does, and I feel confident we're going to get this through, is it really helps our response times. It's right there at that entrance to the freeway. And so, when we run heat maps and all that, it really stretches that station's response better. It’s a really good move for the community across the board.”
The Summit County Council will begin its meeting with a tour of the remodeled sheriff’s and attorney’s offices at the Justice Center. Scott says the expansion is complete and staff has moved into the new space. Renovations of the older portion of the building will continue over the next several months.
