The Summit County Council shelved a proposed overhaul of how developers seek rezones in the Snyderville Basin after residents spoke against the change at a Wednesday, Aug. 19 public hearing, arguing it would hand too much power to developers, according to the Park Record.

Ordinance 1016 would have replaced the current requirement that developers submit construction-level drawings, down to mailbox placement, before requesting a rezone. Instead, applicants would file a "concept development plan" covering density, land use, open space and traffic. Public hearings would follow, and an approved rezone would trigger a binding development agreement between the county and the developer.

No vote was taken.

The council plans to revisit the ordinance in early September after Council Chair Canice Harte said he wants additional protections written in. "We're trying to mitigate these potential negatives, not prevent a rezone," Harte said at the Aug. 19 meeting. "We have to be careful about the vehicles we create that the state can weaponize."

Residents warned of lost oversight

Former Snyderville Basin planning commissioner Thomas Cooke told the council the proposal would not help the county direct or control growth. Resident Sophie Karp called it a "significant reduction in Council control" and urged a no vote. Kathy Mears said the ordinance "minimizes public input from the start" and that the public needs to review more than a concept.

The Trailside Together coalition, formed in July by residents Karen Riley and Phoebe Byers to oppose a proposed 100-to-200-unit affordable housing project on a 55-acre school district parcel, also mobilized members against the ordinance. A petition the group organized had gathered more than 1,000 signatures, with nearly 96% from Summit County residents, according to KPCW.

Affordable housing backers say current rules are a barrier

Mountainlands Community Housing Trust Executive Director Jason Glidden countered that the current process forces nonprofits to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars with no guarantee of approval, making it financially impossible for resource-limited organizations to pursue rezones.

Tony Tyler, a partner with Columbus Pacific Development and a longtime Summit County resident, noted the only rezone the council has recently approved was the Lincoln Station neighborhood on Bitner Road. All other ongoing developments were entitled in the 1990s or early 2000s.

Community Development Director Peter Barnes told the council the level of detail currently required can cost companies millions of dollars.

Council split on path forward

Council Vice Chair Roger Armstrong opposed the ordinance outright, suggesting a "preproposal process" with a public hearing instead of rewriting the rezone rules. Councilor Megan McKenna firmly supported it, arguing the current process favors large developers with the biggest profit margins. Councilors Chris Robinson and Tonja Hanson expressed support for the concept, with Robinson warning the disconnect between the Snyderville Basin General Plan and the county's rezone approach likely invites state intervention.

The Snyderville Basin Planning Commission recommended the ordinance 4-1-2 on June 23, and the Summit County Housing Authority endorsed it Aug. 18.

No specific September meeting date has been announced. Residents can check summitcounty.gov for the updated council calendar.