Park City on Monday showcased the concept for development on municipal acreage in Bonanza Park, highlighting a vision for what was labeled a Mountain Town Village as well as a village green.
City Hall owns approximately 5 acres of land stretching inward from the southwest corner of the intersection of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive. The municipal government acquired the land with the idea of developing it into an arts and culture district. The concept over time has largely moved toward a housing development with the arts as an element of a project rather than a key.
Officials held two open houses at the Park City Library as they continue to gather input about the possibilities for the land.
Some of the materials on display at the open houses described the ideas for the Mountain Town Village. A village green would be central to the design of the Mountain Town Village and would cover approximately 1.4 acres off Munchkin Road. The village green would include a gathering space, respite areas for pedestrians, a splash pad, an amphitheater, among other design features. There would be art of some sort in the village green.
The broader Mountain Town Village concept was described in the materials on display as including neighborhood uses needed on a day-to-day basis and a mobility hub. It was described as having a mix of uses and with a low amount of density. It would be a “Great place to live, work and play,” the materials said.
Another board on display outlined that there would be maker spaces, live-work studios for artists, public art and space for various art forms.
People in attendance at the second open house studied the materials and spoke to members of the project team.
The events were held days before Park City’s elected officials are scheduled to return to the talks about the land. Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council have spent extensive time recently in talks about the concept. A project would eventually be put through the municipal planning process.
The City Council is slated to hold additional talks about its preferences for the design of a project. The elected officials are also scheduled to take public input about the possibilities. The meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Marsac Building. It will also be broadcast on the municipal website, parkcity.org.
City Hall acquired the land intending to create an arts and culture district with the Kimball Art Center and the Sundance Institute as the anchors. Neither of the organizations remains involved, as the art center prepares to move to a location close to Kimball Junction and Sundance readies for a move to Boulder, Colorado.
The municipal government is partnering with Evanston, Illinois-based Brinshore Development on the project. The concept would advance City Hall’s aggressive efforts to develop workforce or otherwise income-restricted housing in a bid to offer options for those otherwise priced out of Park City’s resort-driven real estate and rental markets.