County hopes to vote on Dakota Pacific project by year’s end

A rendering from the Dakota Pacific Master Plan showing the housing and mixed use development. Photo: Dakota Pacific Real Estate

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah – Both the Summit County Council and Dakota Pacific Real Estate said they remain committed to finalizing the proposed development agreement amendment for the Dakota Pacific project by the end of 2024.

Currently, DPRE says building fewer that 750 total units it not economically feasible and developers are also pedaling backward on their role in financing the project’s community benefits.

In a meeting held on November 20, key topics included water allocation, affordable housing commitments, cost-sharing for public amenities, and the overall project phasing. Dakota Pacific emphasized its constrained ability to meet additional financial demands, citing prior reductions in unit counts and the rising costs of delays.

During a previous council meeting the county pushed back on density asking DPRE to reduce their number of market rate units from 500 to 400. At Wednesday’s meeting DPRE CEO Mark Stanworth again addressed how that kind of reduction would be economically unfeasible and he added that DPR would not be able to provide the county with as many “community benefits.”

“In so doing, that currency, whereby we could create this laundry list of additional community benefits, becomes much more limited,” Stanworth said.

Affordable Housing and Market Rate Units

DPRE reaffirmed its commitment to including 250 affordable units but maintained that it cannot reduce the proposed 500 market-rate units. To address council concerns, Dakota Pacific proposed introducing deed restrictions on 100 market-rate units for 20 years, offering 50 units at 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and another 50 at 100% AMI.

“We know that there’s a big subset of people who will not qualify affordable for affordable housing, who are still in need of housing solution. They cannot buy a two or $3 million home. And so for that segment, one thought was, is there a way to provide some AMI perhaps on a piece of the market rate housing?” Stanworth suggested.

When pressed by Council member Tonja Hanson about DPRE’s claim that they would have no wiggle room to reduce the total number of housing units below 750, Stanworth said perhaps some concessions could be made on the margins of the affordable housing component.

“It just feels very wrong relative to what we’re trying to accomplish,” Stanworth said.

Water and Open Space Contributions

Water allocation for multi-family and public-use areas, such as parks and amphitheaters, was also discussed. Dakota Pacific clarified its rights to purchase water shares but stated that it does not currently own water resources. The developer expressed willingness to assign purchasing rights to the project as needed.

On public amenities, the developer offered $3.5 million toward open space and infrastructure improvements, including betterments for bridges and other community-use areas. Dakota Pacific held firm against requests for larger contributions, citing financial limitations.

Cost Sharing for Affordable Housing Development

Dakota Pacific proposed a 30% share for its role as development manager, with the remaining 70% going to the county, subject to a minimum fee floor of $1.5 million.

Council’s Response

While some council members appreciated Dakota Pacific’s willingness to negotiate, others expressed concerns about the sufficiency of contributions toward public benefits and the implications for the broader community.

The meeting concluded with a call for further discussions to resolve remaining issues. Both sides expressed optimism about reaching a mutually acceptable agreement before the year’s end.