Planning Commission: PCMR base development agreement has “loose ends”

Park City Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday, September 15. Photo: Park City Municipal

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Planning Commission met for five hours on Wednesday night, mostly to discuss the development agreement “conditions of approval” with PEG Development about the base area at Park City Mountain Resort.

Some notable highlights from Wednesday’s meeting:

• Commissioner Laura Suesser said she wanted clarification on if the current agreement frees Vail Resorts of any ski operations obligations. Suesser said it’s “important for Vail to be held liable.”
• Commissioner John Kenworthy called into question Vail’s transparency. Most of the discussion centered around how parking would work under the new base area. Kenworthy requested to see in the next meeting full parking data from Vail.
• Vail’s plan is highlighted around a transit center that looks to discourage driving and encourage public transit. However, commissioners feel there is not enough balance. Commissioner Bill Johnson highlighted the need for parking on weekends for youth ski programs. Those under the age of 12 can’t ride a bus and youth programs require children to be walked in, which creates an inconvenience for proposed drop-off zones.
• Commissioners said the plan is forecasting a heavy amount of bus ridership — something that doesn’t currently match with reality. An added concern is the further spread of the delta variant discouraging public transit.
• Public feedback at the end of the hearing was a resounding denouncement of the current plan, especially in regards to planned building heights.
• The commissioners widely concluded at the end of the meeting that they expect to see an improvement in the proposed agreement. Suesser said the application had “loose ends.”