The Eastern Summit County Planning Commission is open to working with Ivory Development to build up to 3,000 homes in the Browns Canyon area, but only if the development team sticks to the local process instead of pursuing other avenues.
Ivory Development previously applied for a preliminary municipality in the same area, which the company is referring to as Lost Creek. However, the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office rejected the application because of statutory limitations on the number of preliminary municipalities that can be proposed within one calendar year.
But Ivory Development President Chris Gamvroulas repeatedly said the company preferred to work with local officials and that the application was only a safeguard in case proceedings with the county weren’t moving along at a “timely and predictable” pace.
The real estate company debuted its Lost Creek project at the local level last week, appearing before the Planning Commission to discuss a proposed addition to the Summit County Code — the Lost Creek Community Zone.
The Lost Creek Community Zone would be a new zone for the county, specifically designed to accommodate Ivory Development’s project in Browns Canyon. Codifying the zone would be the first step in making Lost Creek a reality, followed by a second round of negotiations with the Planning Commission and Summit County Council to approve a master planned development agreement.
Developers last week told planning commissioners that the Lost Creek community is intended to serve workforce housing and primary residents, not families looking to purchase a second home to take advantage of the Wasatch Back’s ski resorts. They compared Lost Creek to Park City Heights, another Ivory Development project in Summit County, and said residential buildings will be “clustered” together to avoid sprawl and preserve nearby open space.
Ivory Development representatives said the area is a good option for development because of its proximity to Park City and the need for affordable housing on the East Side. They said the natural topography of the property, which covers approximately 407 acres, will make it easier to “nestle” the community into the valley to limit visual impacts while still having the neighborhood accessible because of its proximity to Browns Canyon Road.
In addition to residential homes, developers proposed commercial areas within Lost Creek and the establishment of “civic spaces” that could be used as town halls, parks, schools or other necessary facilities in the future.
Gamvroulas said the company hopes to build Lost Creek so that residents can have their needs met without driving to Park City, which is why commercial spaces and grocery stores are included as potential uses within the proposed zone.
If the County Council were to approve the Lost Creek Community Zone, other developers could potentially use it for their properties. However, the zone is geographically tied to Lost Creek, which means a developer couldn’t implement it in another area of the county.
Planning Commissioner David Darcey asked Gamvroulas about Ivory Development’s plans for short-term rentals within the Lost Creek development, pointing out that the preliminary municipality application filed with the state specifically mentioned planned short-term rental units on one side of Browns Canyon.
But Gamvroulas said the short-term rental proposal was only included in the preliminary municipality application to meet the state’s revenue requirements to be considered a viable township. He said Ivory Development is no longer focused on short-term rentals in the Lost Creek community and is instead opting to gear it entirely toward primary residents because there are no financial requirements associated with the county’s development process.
Planning commissioners said they weren’t opposed to working with Ivory Development on the project, but they repeatedly emphasized the importance of community engagement. Multiple commissioners said they were only in favor of exploring the proposal if Ivory Development continued to discuss it “in good faith” with community members and local officials.
Commissioners also mentioned the state Legislature a handful of times, telling Ivory Development that they would prefer the team follow Summit County’s process instead of approaching state lawmakers.
The Planning Commission directed county staff to continue working with Ivory Development on its application with the county, asking planners to focus on phasing so commissioners can have an idea of how many homes would be built and at what pace.
The Lost Creek Community Zone will go before the Planning Commission at least one more time for a public hearing before being forwarded to the County Council. The public hearing had not been scheduled as of Tuesday morning.