The Park City Chamber/Bureau leadership has endorsed the disputed plans for development in Bonanza Park that involve the Park City municipal government, drafting a two-page correspondence that attempts to balance the desire for housing against the wishes for open space. The Aug. 5 correspondence is addressed to the Park City Planning Commission, which is reviewing the application. Jennifer Wesselhoff, the chamber’s president and CEO, signed the correspondence on behalf of the board of directors. It is a strong statement articulating what the Chamber/Bureau sees as the benefits of the 88 units of workforce or otherwise income-restricted housing included in the plans. Wesselhoff mentions the small percentage of the Park City workforce living inside the city. Some of the points, as drafted: “Businesses will suffer from a lack of workforce leading to fewer local businesses, increased costs for locals and potentially reduced hours, operations and services, ultimately impacting our overall quality of life.” “Without workforce housing, Park City will become less authentic, potentially losing our community character, losing the grit and tenacity that enabled us to evolve from a mining town to the vibrant recreational community we are now.” “Traffic and congestion will only get worse when workers don’t live close to where they work and play and are forced to drive into the area from surrounding areas.” The municipal government and partner Brinshore Development LLC, based in the Chicago area, are pursuing a project on approximately 5 acres stretching inward from the southwest corner of the intersection of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive. The land is under municipal ownership. The proposal includes: 88 units of income-restricted rentals. 18 rentals without income restrictions. More than 30,000 square feet for a variety of tenants, such as retailers, restaurants, cafes and art spaces for not-for-profit organizations. A childcare location. 2 acres of open space. There is organized opposition, with many of the critics of the proposal wanting leaders to instead create park space on the land. The opposition cites concerns about increased traffic at a location where there are already regular backups, the height of the proposal and what they consider a small amount of land that would be left undeveloped. Meanwhile, backers of the Bonanza Park proposal counter with arguments supporting an increase in the community’s income-restricted housing stock. The Chamber/Bureau leadership in the correspondence mentions the conflicting arguments regarding the proposal. It also acknowledges that the leadership “shares concerns about traffic and neighborhood character and the desire to preserve what makes Park City special.” “The board believes that this is an approach worth advocating for. In some cases, open space is clearly the right call. In others, housing should take priority. The answer doesn’t have to be the same every time, and it probably shouldn’t be. But a reflexive ‘no’ at every site, for every proposal, isn’t a community strategy, it’s just avoidance,” the correspondence said. It continued: “Park City can be a place with trails and neighbors. With protected ridgelines and restaurant workers that live here. With open meadows and a teacher who can afford to stay. We don’t have to choose between them. The 5-acre proposal is a test of whether we can say yes to both. It keeps the promise made to the businesses who funded this parcel. It puts housing where housing makes sense: on transit, near schools, walkable to everything.” The Chamber/Bureau endorsement is another piece of input in a growing record of split opinions delivered to the Planning Commission in hearings and written comments. The input has come from long-established figures such as a former mayor and Parkites not widely known to have been involved in the public discourse about growth before the talks about the municipal acreage. The Planning Commission is scheduled to revisit discussions at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday during a meeting at the Marsac Building. A public hearing is not scheduled on Wednesday. More information about the meeting is available on the municipal website, parkcity.gov. The direct link is: parkcity.gov/?event=102. The post Park City Chamber/Bureau endorses disputed Bonanza Park development plans appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less