After nearly a year of debate, and almost a decade since Summit County purchased the land, a new neighborhood — currently dubbed The Settlement at Jeremy Ranch — is one step closer to being developed on the nearly 30-acre Cline Dahle parcel.
Columbus Pacific Development, the firm behind the Slopeside Village employee housing project at Canyons Village, was selected by the Summit County Council for an exclusive negotiation agreement, chosen from a pool of six developers competing to build the project. The agreement includes a financial feasibility assessment, a 180-day term with a $15,000 good-faith deposit and the opportunity to extend the agreement.
The parties have 90 days from Wednesday to enter into the agreement, or the exclusive right to negotiate will be terminated. The agreement doesn’t automatically approve the project, but it allows Columbus Pacific and Summit County to enter a “dating phase” to ensure a long-term partnership is viable.
“We are choosing Columbus Pacific as our partner, pro tem, meaning for the time being, subject to seeing if we can come to a meeting of the minds on all facets, both the design and economic, and political, or other things, of this development,” County Councilor Chris Robinson said.
Last month, Columbus Pacific pitched an entirely deed-restricted project made up of 172 affordable units on 97 lots. The developers would collaborate with Mountainlands Community Housing Trust to build 100 apartments with a mix of units between 0% to 150% of the area median income — more than half would serve people making less than 80% AMI, which is $94,400 for an individual or $134,880 for a family of four — and 72 for-sale, single-family homes with two or four bedrooms. There would be about 390 parking stalls, with garages possible in some locations.
After the negotiation process starts, a private subcommittee made up of the development firm, County Council members Robinson and Canice Harte, as well as other partners, will work together as part of a public-private partnership to refine the design of the development plan. A final agreement would be negotiated when everyone involved approves of the design.
The county’s economic development and housing director, Jeff Jones, said the project would then go through the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission process just like any other project in that area. A zoning change would also be required on the Cline Dahle parcel since the property has a base density of one unit per 20 acres and commercial development isn’t allowed.
Columbus Pacific Principal Tony Tyler said the development firm also plans to host open house events, site visits and tours to receive feedback and address potential concerns about the project. He added that he encourages community members to reach out to him as well or stop by his office in Kimball Junction if they want to learn more, and affirmed that public input is taken seriously.
“I won’t stand up here and tell you that we’re going to make everybody happy. That’s an impossible task when you’re a realistic developer, and particularly in our town,” Tyler said. “But I will tell you that my goal is to create an understanding on both sides of whatever issue that’s there, and then try to address whatever concerns come up as we go through that process.”
Another aspect of the project includes partnering with the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District to manage a 15-acre portion of the parcel that will be used for open space or recreation. It would serve as a “signature, central community feature” and have a 1.5-acre park or sports field as well as trail expansions and new connections, recreational creekside opportunities and open space management.
It would also provide Basin Recreation with land for a 57,000-square-foot facility similar to The Fieldhouse in Kimball Junction. The schematic design includes an aquatic center, climbing wall, bouldering space, multiple fitness gyms, camp or party rooms, childcare and an indoor play area.
Development firms proposing to build on Cline Dahle were also required to create a plan for a new Park City Fire District station. Columbus Pacific proposed building Fire Station No. 39 next to Jeremy Ranch Elementary on 1.5 acres.
Under the draft proposal, Summit County would contribute the land to Columbus Pacific Development, which would develop a portion of it for housing, and then transfer the remaining acreage to the Park City Fire District or Basin Recreation for maintenance and operations.
Summit County closed on the Cline Dahle property in January 2017. It was purchased for $3.7 million with workforce and affordable housing, transportation and other community uses in mind.
“I’m really excited and looking forward to working with our partner. I just want to reiterate to the quality of all of the applicants. We were really impressed. … It was a really tough decision and we’re really looking forward to moving forward with Columbus Pacific,” County Councilor Megan McKenna said.