At the Wasatch County Council’s strategic retreat Tuesday, March 25, leaders described growth in East Village and around the Jordanelle Reservoir as the elephant in the room.
“From transportation, and from the branding side, and from housing,” Councilmember Mark Nelson said, “are they our enemy? Are they our partner? Are they our brother?”
He said change is happening fast at the northern end of the county, and he wants Wasatch County and the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce to have a plan to handle the growth.
“They’re part of Park City, from a branding point of view,” he said. “And from an economic development point of view, they will – if we believe the forecast – eclipse everything else that we’re going to do down here in the valley. It’ll be the monster.”
He pointed to the new hotels being constructed in East Village, which have the 84060 Park City zip code and advertise as Park City destinations.
The growth in East Village is largely connected to the Military Installation Development Authority, or MIDA.
MIDA is a state agency governed by appointed, not elected, officials. It was originally founded to benefit military service members. In Wasatch County, MIDA is overseeing the development of thousands of new homes and hotel rooms. That includes the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, a 400-room hotel with 100 rooms set aside for qualifying veterans and military members.
MIDA keeps the bulk of new property tax revenue for 40 years to reinvest into its developments in the county, while Wasatch County taxing entities get 25%.
County manager Dustin Grabau said development is only accelerating in East Village. He sits on the Development Review Committee (DRC), the board that approves plans for MIDA construction in Wasatch County.
“This last week, we approved the fourth hotel that will begin construction this year, as the MIDA DRC,” he said. “It’s going to be a big change for us here, and while it’s been planned for a long time, it’s actually coming to fruition.”
This winter was the first during which skiers could access Deer Valley’s expanded terrain, and the Grand Hyatt opened in November 2024.
By the time the resort expansion is complete, Deer Valley will have more than doubled its skiable terrain.
Nelson said he’s not necessarily opposed to MIDA developments using Park City branding.
“Perhaps from a strategic point of view, the Jordanelle Basin is our cash cow,” he said. “And we’re happy to say it’s Park City – as long as the check’s coming to Wasatch County, hallelujah.”
But Councilmember Erik Rowland said he wants to ensure the county isn’t overshadowed by developments in East Village and the rest of the Jordanelle area.
“Unless we as a community come together and try and really define what Wasatch is, we will become nothing more than a grocery store and support staff for that hotel,” he said.
And Councilmember Luke Searle said the council shouldn’t forget there are year-round residents in the Jordanelle Basin, too.
He said leaders could also do more to educate locals about what’s going on at the northern end of the county.
“Something that we could do this year is creating a tab on our website for the MIDA area that has Richard’s information, has development there, because there’s confusion,” he said. “People have no clue what’s going on up there, and MIDA doesn’t seem super interested or excited about telling it.”
He's referring to Richard Breitenbeker, a county employee who liaises between MIDA and Wasatch County.
Councilmembers said they also want to consider revamping signature events in the Heber Valley to ensure the county’s brand stays true to the community’s rural roots.
“The biggest, baddest, best, newest five-star resort in the whole country is in Wasatch County,” Nelson said. “And we also have the Demolition Derby and the Wasatch County Fair and Swiss Days, which are the coolest things in the whole world. And man, talk about the two ends of the spectrum.”
The council’s conversation comes amid larger plans to revise Wasatch County’s general plan, the guiding document for future growth and economic development.
