Dakota Pacific public hearing moved to December 1

An aerial view of the proposed Dakota Pacific project site that was put on pause in late 2021. Photo: Dakota Pacific Real Estate

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Summit County announced on Friday that the Dakota Pacific public hearing will now be held on Wednesday, December 1. The location of the meeting has not been determined yet.

The hearing was initially going to be held on Wednesday, November 17 at the Ecker Hill Middle School Auditorium.

You can participate in the meeting virtually via Zoom using this link. Public input will be taken in-person and via Zoom. You can also call in: Dial 1-301-715-8592, Webinar ID: 772 302 472.

Proposed is a mixed-use development of over 1.7 million square feet, west of SR 224 and the Kimball Transit Center near the Skullcandy building. The project would bring roughly 1,100 new residential units, an 85,000 square foot medical office building, along additional commercial and office space.

In 2008, Summit County acquired the space and designated the area as a research park, solely for high-paying tech jobs. Dakota Pacific, the Salt Lake City real estate firm behind the project, is requesting the county change the land uses allowed under the current development agreement to allow for the full project (the medical office building would fit under the current agreement).

There has been a lot of public criticism of the proposed project, specifically regarding the increased traffic congestion the development would bring.

A coalition of concerned residents recently launched stopdakotapacific.com, in an effort to organize opponents of the project.

Summit County Council Chair Glenn Wright has expressed that the project is crucial to the improvement of SR 224, in that the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) would prioritize a local rehabilitation project faster — given Dakota Pacific’s political clout and the added density the development would bring.

The opposition website says Wright’s argument is a logical fallacy, due to his overwhelming focus on SR 224.

At the last Summit County Council meeting where the project was fully discussed, only member Roger Armstrong appeared to be against the development.