The residents of Park City and Summit County have every right to be furious with our so-called leaders. Their epic failure to attract tech companies to the area has resulted in a series of events that might saddle Kimball Junction with the Dakota Pacific project, an ill-advised development we don’t need.
The Park City Tech Center was approved by Summit County in 2008. It was celebrated as a major contributor to Summit County’s economic growth as it would create high paying tech jobs that were not dependent on the service-based tourism industry.
So, what happened? The only structures completed in the in the intervening 12-plus years are the Visitor Center, Skullcandy, and the required affordable housing at Liberty Peak apartments. This stagnation occurred during a period of unprecedented growth in Utah’s tech sector. According to Cyberstates 2020, from 2010-2019 employment in Utah’s tech industry grew 46.6% adding 47,275 jobs. Why did virtually none of this growth benefit Summit County, specifically the Park City Tech Center?
It’s certainly not too late for the Tech Center to succeed. Better lobbying efforts should certainly be able to attract technology companies to such a desirable location. Unfortunately, it appears the Summit County Council is on the verge of simply giving up. Dakota Pacific (DPRE) bought the Tech Center site in 2018 with no intention of adhering to the existing zoning restrictions. The County Council should reject any proposed development, including DPRE’s proposal, that does not align with the zoning restrictions associated with the Tech Center.
The County Council is still entertaining a version of DPRE’s proposal which requires extensive zoning changes. Their initial proposal was rejected by the Snyderville Planning Commission on a 5-2 vote and was met with overwhelming dissent by nearly one thousand Summit County residents at a December 2021 County Council meeting.
Yet here we stand. Why is the County Council even considering DPRE’s latest proposal? It still calls for 1.3 million square feet of total development with 727 residential units housing over 2,000 residents. Their proposal also includes 266,000 square feet of new commercial space which will accommodate 1,500-1,800 workers. The added traffic and demand on our already overloaded commercial enterprises in Kimball Junction would be intolerable.
The citizens of Summit County need to stand united against this ruinous proposal. Urge the County Council to reject this proposal and any future plan that does not adhere to the existing zoning restrictions. DPRE needs to build what they bought.
DPRE’s audacity and complete indifference to overwhelming opposition by Summit County residents should not be rewarded.