Park City faces a genuine housing affordability challenge. I want to say plainly: That challenge is real and deserves serious solutions that make sense. The question isn’t whether we care about working families. The question is whether the “5 Acres,” a rare city owned, contiguous parcel a t the heart of town, probably one of the most valuable pieces of property, at $20 million of taxpayer money, is the right place to build a seven-building, three- and four-story housing complex? That land with its views of our mountains, holds a value that once surrendered can never be recovered. When this effort started many years ago, the taxpayers were led to believe we were acquiring this land for an arts district and a place for the community to gather. Things changed. Sundance left. Kimball left. But the concept still remains. A place for the community. Affordable housing matters. It can also be built on many other sites on city property or Summit County property. It can be built on smaller parcels, infill lots, mixed neighborhoods, none of which require the kind of rare, centrally located land that makes the 5 Acres so unique in Park City. Stacking 100-plus units there doesn’t solve our housing problem. It simply uses our most irreplaceable civic asset to take a partial run at it, while taking away from the community. Here is what I believe will happen if the city doesn’t act to preserve open space. The private market will. It always does. But private open space means expanded grounds for clubs, larger private lots, and gated communities with amenities for those who can pay. The market is very good at creating beautiful open space for those who can afford it. What the market cannot provide, and only the public sector can, is open space that belongs to everyone in the community, not just the real estate market. An arts park at the 5 Acres — green space, public gathering places, cultural programming accessible to all — is not a rejection of inclusivity. It is the one form of open space that doesn’t ask what you can afford before letting you and your children in. The Park City Council has a rare opportunity to show real leadership to choose the right path and bring this property back to it’s original intended use. A place for the community. Council, I hope you show the people of Park City what real leadership is. Make the right choice for the people and the community at large. Chuck Haggerty Park City The post Hold on, now appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less