Park City is asking the Planning Commission to let its own Bonanza Park development exceed the zone's 35-foot height limit. Two residents say that amounts to a double standard.

The city-owned 5-acre parcel at Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive is slated for 106 residential units and 32,000 square feet of commercial space under a partnership with developer Brinshore, which the City Council approved in March. The Planning Commission held its first hearing on the proposed height exceptions Wednesday, July 8, and additional hearings are scheduled for August.

Miller argued that taller buildings would block mountain views, increase density and worsen traffic. He called on both the Council and Planning Commission to reject the exceptions and require full compliance with existing zoning.

In a separate letter published the same day, Lower Deer Valley resident Jennifer Beckham called the project "a missed opportunity," noting the city purchased the land in 2017 for $19.5 million to create an arts and culture district anchoring the Sundance Institute and Kimball Art Center. Both institutions have since relocated, leaving the original vision without its foundational partners.

"Let's protect our mountain character before it is gone forever," Beckham wrote.

Council pushback and dueling survey claims

Councilor Tana Toly pushed back on critics at the Thursday, May 21, City Council meeting, telling attendees there was "misinformation" about the project and describing it as a mixed-use development with two acres of open space, according to draft minutes included in the June 11 agenda packet.

Separately, Beckham's letter quoted Toly as saying the project hasn't "betrayed the original vision" but has simply "responded to it" through changing circumstances. That characterization appeared in Beckham's letter, not in official minutes.

The dispute over community sentiment runs deep. At the Thursday, June 4, meeting, Councilor Ed Parigian said only eight of 872 survey respondents wanted open space on the site. But resident Maddy Hobbs told the Council on Wednesday, June 11, that a survey conducted three years earlier showed 61% of respondents favored open space, and she asked the city to run the surveys again now that the original arts anchors have left.

Two-track process

Mayor Ryan Dickey outlined the project's path at the June 4 meeting: the Council approved the overall plan while the land use application went to the Planning Commission, and the Council would separately negotiate a development agreement with Brinshore, according to meeting minutes.

The Park Record reported July 9 that testimony at the July 8 hearing tilted against the proposal, though a split in the community was evident.

What's not yet known

The specific heights the project would reach above the 35-foot limit have not been disclosed in public documents reviewed for this story. The Planning Commission has not yet voted on the exceptions. Additional hearings are scheduled for August, though specific dates have not been confirmed. Residents can check the Planning Commission calendar at parkcity.org for hearing dates and public comment opportunities.