Dozens of people, including many Hideout staff members and town leaders, gathered at Black Rock Resort Tuesday afternoon for the inaugural “State of the Town” address.
Mayor Ralph Severini told the room he’s “honored” to lead the growing town, which sits at the northern edge of Wasatch County.
“Hideout may be small, but we’re large in character and capacity,” he said.
Hideout has a mix of about 1,500 full-time and part-time residents, including a little over 600 registered voters.
Commercial development is among the mayor’s top priorities. The town has no shopping or restaurants, but Severini said that will change in 2026.
“I am absolutely energized by many of the new amenities we will be adding to the town,” he said. “For example, we recently voted in favor of our first restaurant in town, under the project name Wildhorse.”
He said the plans will add an upscale dining option at the northern end of town, near the Klaim neighborhood along state Route 248.
Plans for Hideout’s recently annexed Richardson Flat land are also progressing. The Silver Meadows plans include a grocery store and other shopping on 350 acres of Summit County land.
“Our biggest endeavor going forward is our work with the Larry H. Miller Real Estate Group to build a world-class development of homes, a commercial space anchored by a grocery store, where we don’t have to drive to Prospector and Kimball to buy eggs, milk and some basic groceries,” Severini said.
He said he’s meeting regularly with nearby Summit County towns, including Park City, Kamas and Francis.
He is also focused on safety, especially on Hideout’s roads. Severini said the Utah Department of Transportation will add new acceleration lanes at busy intersections, plus a traffic light at the entrance to Tuhaye. The town is also working with the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office to implement more regular traffic enforcement.
Severini said he’s focused on “customer service” as mayor.
“We will overcome past challenges with transparency and resolve, and we will build a real sense of community, identity and pride in Hideout,” he said. “2026 is a year of progress, a year of defining who we are.”
Meanwhile, work to revise the town’s general plan is ongoing. Residents mingled with town leaders after the speech to discuss how they would like to see Hideout evolve in the years ahead.
