Park City has reached the end of a year that was notable across the community, from the two mountain resorts to land on the outskirts of the city. And from the Sundance Film Festival to Election Day. Decisions made in 2025 will have implications for decades to come. The Park Record’s Top 5 news items in Park City in 2025: 1. A Sundance set change Park City for more than 40 years was at the forefront of independent filmmaking. Filmmakers, studio executives and film lovers would trek to the city each January for the Sundance Film Festival, bringing Hollywood to the mountains. But festival organizers in the late spring opted for a set change that will reverberate through Park City for years. The agreement between City Hall and Sundance expires after the 2026 festival, and Sundance saw an opportunity to consider the long-term future of the festival. Sundance chose to consider proposals from across the country from places interested in becoming the host of the top marketplace of independent films in the U.S. and one of the elite festivals on the international circuit. Park City leaders, realizing the community may have become too limiting for such a large festival, teamed with Salt Lake City to craft a bid that envisioned a buzzing opening weekend in Park City followed by a move of much of the rest of the event to the capital city. The combined bid advanced to a final round before Sundance in March selected Boulder, Colorado, as the future host, starting with the 2027 festival. The decision will impact the tourism industry with Sundance being the most lucrative event on Park City’s calendar as well as the community’s loyal film fans, who long enjoyed being among the first to see the best independent work. “For over 40 years, we weren’t just the host of the Sundance Film Festival — Park City was part of the beating heart of the independent spirit that made it such a success. While I am deeply disappointed, I’m grateful for the legacy we built together,” Park City Mayor Nann Worel said after the Sundance announcement. Months afterward, in September, Sundance founder Robert Redford died, making the upcoming festival in January the first without him and the last in Park City. 2. Patroller picket line Park City Mountain ski patrollers picket close to the resort in early January. The patroller strike disrupted operations during a busy time at the resort. Credit: Klara Meyer/Park Record The skiing and snowboarding experience involves picking a line. Not, typically, a picket line. Long-running contract talks between Park City Mountain owner Vail Resorts and the union that represents the resort’s ski patrollers were unable to prevent a strike lasting 13 days that started in late 2024 and extended into the early days of 2025. The labor action disrupted operations during what is typically a busy stretch during the holidays. The resort struggled to open terrain with the crowds arriving and with the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association picketing at locations close to the slopes. Frustration mounted across the community. Many Park City skiers and snowboarders, and those visiting for the holidays, were livid with the situation at the resort. News and images were widely broadcast, leading to concern about damage to the wider brand of Park City as a top-tier mountain destination. City Hall was worried, too, with Park City leaders, behind the scenes, crafting a statement that Mayor Nann Worel would issue in the first week of January regarding the strike. The talks ultimately yielded a new contract for the union, ratified in early January, that included much of what had been sought by the ski patrollers. The points included a pay increase and a better benefit package. “The union is also thankful for the ongoing support from the community, both in Park City and nationwide, which has played an integral role in achieving this resolution and supporting our membership on the picket line over the past 13 days,” the leadership of the union said after the agreement was reached. 3. Every vote counts Jack Rubin, right, congratulates Park City Mayor-elect Ryan Dickey at the Marsac Building after the results confirming Dickey’s slim victory over Rubin were certified. Dickey takes office in early January. Credit: Park Record file photo by Michael Ritucci The Park City election season started long before any candidate could formalize a campaign. And it did not end until nearly three weeks after Election Day. The City Hall election in 2025 was tense from the start. Mayor Nann Worel in the spring announced she would not seek reelection, a political bombshell delivered during the State of the City address. There was then an early dust up even about the mechanics of the election, as the Park City Council agreed to a balloting method known as ranked-choice voting only to rescind the decision shortly afterward and return to the traditional voting. The mayoral campaign overshadowed the contest for two seats on the City Council. Ryan Dickey, a member of the City Council, and Marsac Building outsider Jack Rubin competed for Park City’s top political office. Dickey was seen as the establishment candidate and campaigned on a platform influenced by the current City Hall agenda. Rubin countered with questions about the work of the municipal government. The contest was not settled on Election Day. The results were razor thin between the two, with Dickey holding a lead of just a few votes when the ballots were tallied. The margin was close enough to allow a recount. The results of the recount favored Dickey by just seven votes. “I’m honored by the trust Park City has placed in me and am ready to get to work with our new council, bringing positive leadership to move Park City forward,” Dickey said after the results were finalized.  The two City Council seats on the ballot went to incumbent Tana Toly, who earned a record number of votes for her position, and nonprofit executive Diego Zegarra. Voters declined to send incumbent City Councilor Jeremy Rubell back to the Marsac Building for a second term. The three winners will be sworn into office in early January for four-year terms ending in early 2030. 4. Ranch land A development concept on 10 acres of the 344-acre Clark Ranch, off the S.R. 248 entryway, drew opposition from people in the nearby Park City Heights neighborhood. A resolution was not reached in 2025. Credit: Park Record file photo by David Jackson Ranch land could someday become a housing project involving City Hall. At least some of it. A development dispute unfolded through 2025 that pitted the municipal government against critics of a concept to develop 10 to 15 acres of Clark Ranch, a 344-acre tract mostly earmarked for open space that straddles U.S. 40 just south of the S.R. 248 entryway. It became even more intriguing with City Hall itself, along with a development partner, pursuing an affordable housing development as leaders attempt to create options for those otherwise priced out of Park City’s resort-driven real estate and rental markets. The designs have involved 200 units of housing, including large bloc of rental apartments for those who qualify via their incomes. Critics, particularly those living in the nearby Park City Heights neighborhood, rallied against the concept as they expressed concerns about topics like the cost of construction, traffic increases and the impact on open space even with most of the Clark Ranch land not included in any development concept. A group called Keep Clark Ranch Wild formed during the fall election season to press the issues. The Park City Planning Commission in October addressed the Clark Ranch concept, signaling unease as panelists touched on whether a project would be compatible with the surroundings and the amount of development that is contemplated. The concept eventually became a notable issue in the City Hall election. Park City leaders late in the year approved the permanent protection of most of the Clark Ranch acreage as open space. About 10 acres, though, remain a possible development site, and Clark Ranch talks could continue in 2026. “The project would add an estimated 2,000 daily car trips to S.R. 248 and Richardson Flat, both of which already back up during non-peak days and times,” Keep Clark Ranch Wild has argued. 5. Snow Park step Significant development is anticipated at the Snow Park base at Deer Valley Resort, shown in early 2025. The resort in 2025 won a key vote from the Park City Planning Commission in support of the first phase of the work. Credit: Park Record file photo by David Jackson There are development rights attached to the land underlying the Snow Park parking lots at Deer Valley Resort dating to the 1970s. Deer Valley, decades later, is pursuing those rights and took important steps through the course of 2025 in the direction of a major development that would reshape the Snow Park base. Although the details of a project remain to be decided, the resort won a key approval in February from the Park City Planning Commission. The Planning Commission unanimously supported the first phase of the work — essentially the infrastructure that the overall project will require. The approval included a large garage, an underground transit center and various improvements to roads and utilities. The garage will eventually provide the parking for Snow Park as the existing lots are developed. The elements covered in the approval will lay the groundwork for residential and commercial development that will be considered later. It was nonetheless among the most notable votes cast by the Planning Commission in recent years. “I think it’s part of the original vision of what Deer Valley wanted to be, which was to have the world-class base area at Snow Park. And so this is something that was contemplated back in 1979 when the resort was formed. … We’re making progress to start to realize that vision,” Todd Bennett, the president and chief operating officer at Deer Valley, said after the vote. In November, the Park City Council approved a public-private partnership between the municipal government and Deer Valley detailing the desire to cooperate on transportation infrastructure. The post Top 5 stories in 2025 in Park City: Sundance departure, patroller picket line and close election appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less