With Snyderville Basin Planning Commissioner Bruce Taylor planning his retirement from the board, the Summit County Commission is accepting applications from those interested in filling the post.
“He will serve until replaced,” Community Development Director Nora Shepard said adding that she expects the position to be filled in March.
The deadline to apply is Feb. 28. Interested people can contact Commissioner Administrator Anita Lewis at 615-3220 for information about qualifications and how to apply.
Housing dearth
The Park City housing crisis has a Highland Estates developer pushing the Summit County Commission to support construction of a commercial dormitory to house seasonal workers.
“We want to make sure it’s in the right location and the neighbors all are all right with that,” Community Development Director Nora Shepard cautioned the commission.
To avoid building a “ghetto” in western Summit County, Shepard insists any affordable housing project must comply with the Basin General Plan and Development Code. “You have the possibility of creating a neighborhood that is not mixed,” she warned.
“You’ll probably get people on both sides of the issue, some will think it’s a good thing and some will think it’s a bad thing,” County Commissioner Bob Richer told builder Steve Weinstein. “They’re worried about creating some sort of ghetto environment.”
The Catholic Church owns property that is for sale near Interstate 80 in Silver Creek that is a good location for “dormitories,” Weinstein replied.
“We’re trying to understand the process,” he said. “It’s not a secret that this type of project is in big demand and the number of suitable locations for it are nonexistent.”
But the land must likely be rezoned before such a project could be built, Shepard said.
“It would be a tough sell,” she said.
But Summit County Commissioner Sally Elliott insists solving the area’s housing problems will require building “stand-alone properties” like what Weinstein proposed.
“We know that,” she said.