Ivory Homes says three or four wells could supply water to up to 3,000 homes in Browns Canyon, putting concrete numbers behind a development proposal that has made water the central flashpoint ahead of Thursday's public hearing.
The developer has commissioned a well-siting study and drilled a test well to assess groundwater beneath the 400-acre site, KPCW reported Tuesday. For scale, three wells in the Park Meadows area already account for roughly half of Park City's total water supply.
The proposed Lost Creek development would place 2,300 to 3,000 homes on land currently zoned for one home per 80 acres. Under existing rules, the entire parcel could legally hold about five houses.
Ivory Development President Chris Gamvroulas told the Eastern Summit County Planning Commission at its June 18 work session that the company's financial incentive aligns with conservation. "Water is super expensive to drill for and store and buy the rights for, so our intent is to drive down use — per door, on the average, on the overall — to about 0.3 acre-feet per home, which is a very low water use," Gamvroulas said.
Beyond the wells, Ivory representatives have said they would mandate drip irrigation instead of sprinklers and explicitly ban golf courses in the development. Gamvroulas pointed to the company's Park City Heights project, where the development agreement already requires less water-intensive landscaping, as a precedent.
What's actually being decided Thursday
The Eastern Summit County Planning Commission's Aug. 6 hearing, which begins at 6 p.m., is not a vote on the development itself. Commissioners are considering whether to create a new "Lost Creek Community Zone" that would make the project legally possible. Even if the zone is approved, Ivory would still need to apply separately and could be denied.
Summit County Community Development Director Peter Barnes framed the question narrowly on KPCW's "Local News Hour" on Tuesday: "Should Summit County change its code to make more housing possible?" But he also raised the tension at the heart of the debate, asking whether the county should approve a zone "on the promise that: well, we have paper water rights, but we haven't drilled any wells yet."
Commissioner David Darcey called water the "elephant in the room" at the June 18 session, acknowledging that residents care more about traffic and water than the procedural zoning question before the commission.
Background
Ivory Homes is developing the project on behalf of Garff Rogers Ranch LLC, the landholding entity for members of the Garff and Rogers families. The company filed its rezoning application in January 2026, envisioning up to 3,000 units built over several decades with at least 10% designated as affordable housing, according to the Park Record.
If the planning commission recommends the zone Thursday, the proposal would advance to the Summit County Council for a final vote. No Council hearing date has been announced.
The Aug. 6 meeting starts at 6 p.m., with the Lost Creek item last on the agenda.
Public comment will be accepted.
