Bonanza Park has long been Park City’s stalled district — 200 acres in the heart of town, stretching from the Yarrow to Prospector Square, sitting underused while the rest of our community evolves. As a longtime Park City resident, I believe it’s past time we stop circling the same arguments and start shaping a future for this critical part of our town.
Take a walk with me. At Park Avenue and Kearns, the Yarrow — a 1970s motor lodge — still sits. Just down the street is Holiday Village, where the movie theater is dark and the former sporting goods store is idle. At Bonanza and Kearns sits the infamous 5-acre parcel. Down the road next to Wells Fargo, the old U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team headquarters still stands, dated and dysfunctional.
This is prime real estate, yet it remains patched together and stuck in the past. Redevelopment could bring tree-lined sidewalks, trails, and patios with mountain views and coffee shops — amenities locals would actually use.
Yet too often, I hear immediate pushback — criticizing the developer, worrying about traffic, dismissing any new housing, or fixating on the building height or design — before the conversation even starts.
The truth is, developers willing to take on Bonanza Park aren’t the enemy — they’re the ones enduring years in Park City’s planning gantlet, risking their own capital, and offering us vital opportunities we keep pushing away.
I remember when Mark J. Fisher shared his vision for Bonanza Park in the early 2000s. He understood the math: Rising land values require density to make redevelopment possible. He proposed three- and four-story buildings. Town balked.
Two decades later, the city is considering three and four stories into its plans for the five acres. Meanwhile, the EngineHouse project is four stories, and the Yarrow’s owner has offered 100-foot tree-lined setbacks, paved trails and land for a pedestrian tunnel connection — yet can’t get a plan approved because four stories is considered “too much.”
Let’s be honest, if we’d moved forward years ago, Bonanza Park would already be thriving. Instead, we’re stuck with dirt lots, vacant cinemas, and a motor lodge.
I urge my neighbors and our city planners — let’s stop saying “no” by default and start shaping a “yes” for Bonanza Park. Let’s stay open-minded about what thoughtful redevelopment could mean for Park City. The price of inaction is incalculable, and it is what we’re living with today — and only we can change that.
Tracy Harden
Park City