Park City needs 863 more affordable units by 2032, and Summit County wants 1,500 new ones by 2036. The two councils sat down together Friday, Oct. 9, to compare notes.

The joint session at the Sheldon Richins Building featured presentations from Maddy McDonough, executive director of the Summit County Housing Authority, and Chris Eggleton, Park City's economic development director. No votes were taken. The meeting was a check-in on each government's housing strategy and a first joint look at updated plans for a new Senior Center.

Housing: two targets, one workforce

Park City's benchmark is 1,864 total affordable units by 2032, enough to house 15% of a projected workforce of 12,425. According to the meeting packet, the city has 829 units operating and 172 under construction. That leaves 863 to go.

The biggest project in the pipeline is Studio Crossing, with 156 units expected by December 2027. Smaller projects at 516 Marsac Ave., Park City Heights and Founders Place account for another 16 units.

Summit County set its own goal in March 2025: 1,500 new affordable units by 2036. As of the Oct. 9 meeting, 244 units had been entitled toward that target. Most existing deed-restricted units sit in the Snyderville Basin, and staff presented a land-prioritization map identifying sites near employment centers and transit.

Only 35% of Summit County employees live within the county. Staff told the councils the county is weighing whether to hold that share or try to raise it.

Three days before the joint session, the Summit County Council held a full-day housing summit on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The council tackled five policy questions: who the housing is for, where it should go, how the county coordinates with cities, what the timeline should be, and what to pursue first.

Housing Authority Vice Chair Rich Sonntag warned in a July 23 newsletter column that continued resort expansion would produce gridlock as residents, guests and commuting workers all hit the roads at once. He called the scenario an "approaching carmageddon."

Policy tools under discussion include an affordable-housing overlay zone with density bonuses, a new small-lot residential zone, pre-approved accessory dwelling unit (ADU) construction drawings and expanded ADU size limits for generational housing. No policies have been adopted. The Summit County Council is scheduled to affirm policy directions at its Thursday, Nov. 12 meeting.

Senior Center: $15.3 million, opening by winter 2029

Eggleton and Deputy County Manager Janna Young presented updated plans for a 15,000-square-foot Senior Center on the Mawhinney parking lot across from the Park City Library. The two-story building, designed by Sparano+Mooney Architecture, carries a probable cost of $15.3 million.

Park City budgeted $15 million for the project in its fiscal year 2027 budget, adopted in June. Summit County plans to contribute funds as well, though the county's share has not been specified.

The first floor would include a 105-seat dining hall with a stage, a commercial kitchen and a billiards room. The second floor would hold an exercise room, a multipurpose room, an art classroom and a 1,500-square-foot roof deck.

The site plan calls for 52 parking spaces and a pedestrian link to the library. A transit stop was added at the site in summer 2026. According to KPCW, Councilmember Ed Parigian said at the July 9 Park City Council meeting that he could accept the 52-space plan only "if there's a promise that if it doesn't work out after this thing's built … I'd love us to have a plan."

Estimated milestones: council approval of the schematic design in late 2026, construction start in summer or fall 2027, and completion by winter 2029.

Park City is also planning a 2027 Housing Needs Assessment that will expand on a 2021 study to cover attainable housing, regional workforce trends and commute patterns across Summit and Wasatch counties.