Summit County opened three new drop-off recycling stations in August and is researching restrictions on short-term rentals, officials told the County Council during a mid-year work plan update.

The recycling sites in Coalville, Kamas and the Snyderville Basin aim to divert waste from Three Mile Landfill, which the county wants to keep operating until 2063. Deputy County Manager Janna Young said the alternative would be costly.

"…You have to start shipping your waste outside of the county, which we will have to do if our landfill fills up," Young said at the Aug. 25 meeting reported by the Park Record.

A broader Solid Waste Master Plan with 13 proposed strategies is expected to go before the council for approval in September.

Short-term rental regulations taking shape

The County Council previously asked staff to draft an ordinance restricting short-term rentals in certain areas over public safety concerns, including accessibility and wayfinding problems. That ordinance has not been approved.

Staff is now researching wider questions: how short-term rentals affect housing availability, solid waste and whether code enforcement should be tightened. The Summit County Housing Authority discussed a memo on STR regulation at its Aug. 17 meeting, and the council held a 60-minute work session on enforcement data on June 3.

Young said she plans to meet with councilors individually or in pairs over the coming months to hear their concerns before staff moves forward with proposed ordinances.

The research comes as county staff estimates Summit County has a deficit of 1,621 deed-restricted affordable units and will need 3,745 new housing units by 2036, according to the county's housing plan reported by TownLift, adopted Aug. 5. About 63% of the county's workforce commutes from outside Summit County.

General plan meetings eyed for October

County Manager Shayne Scott said the council will likely host a series of public meetings in October on proposed updates to both the Snyderville Basin and East Side general plans. Planning commissions have spent two years revising the documents.

"We anticipate starting an extreme public process over the next couple of months to involve the public as much as we can," Scott said at the Aug. 25 meeting.

A final vote to adopt the plans would follow the public meetings. Specific October dates have not been announced.

Altus Park City design advances

Design work is progressing on Altus Park City, the Kimball Junction development formerly known as the Dakota Pacific project. Scott said the Snyderville Basin should expect "several years of construction" ahead.

The council approved the project 4-1 in December 2024. The developer, now called Six Ridge, recently saw Tech Center Drive renamed Nordic Drive via Ordinance 1018, approved unanimously on Aug. 19. The 60-acre Kimball Junction site is slated for more than 800 dwelling units, including 500 deed-restricted workforce housing units.

Budget requests ahead

Two work plan priorities will generate 2027 budget requests: senior services and land management. The county hired The Hill Group to draft a senior services strategic plan, expected by year's end. Land management requests will involve the 8,500-acre 910 Cattle Ranch and the 835-acre Ure Ranch in the Kamas Valley.

The County Council typically meets on the budget in November and December.