More than 1,000 Snyderville Basin residents have signed a petition opposing a potential 200-unit housing development on the Park City School District's 55-acre Trailside property, prompting the district to issue a public statement Thursday, Aug. 20, insisting no development decision has been made.

The district said a June 16 presentation by the YMCA of Northern Utah and nonprofit developer Mercy Housing was "informational only," according to TownLift. The board did not vote on the concept, direct staff to pursue it or make any decision regarding the property. The presentation itself was marked "draft only" and contained no site plan.

No site plan exists.

The statement puts the district on defense against Trailside Together, a coalition that launched in late July and has rapidly organized opposition around the parcel, which borders the Round Valley open space preserve.

What was proposed

At the June 16 board meeting, Mercy Housing and the YMCA pitched 100 to 200 apartment units and townhomes on the district-owned land, with a co-located YMCA regional hub, according to the Park Record. The units would serve district teachers and staff.

"What we're asking for is the school district's land, but we're not asking for the school district to help pay for the capital or the operations of this," Rich West, CEO of the YMCA of Northern Utah, told the board at the June 16 meeting, as reported by the Park Record.

Board President Meredith Reed expressed interest in ownership opportunities for educators at that meeting, though the board made no official decision and agreed only to further discussions.

Why the coalition says this site won't work

Trailside Together organizers say their opposition is about location, not housing. They point to several factors:

  • The parcel is zoned Rural Residential, allowing just two units under current rules. Reaching 200 would require both a rezone and a Master Planned Development with public hearings.
  • The 2015 Snyderville Basin General Plan designated the land as Preserved Open Space on its future land use map.
  • Summit County's own Land Prioritization Map scores the parcel 1 out of 10 for developability, according to the coalition's website.
  • The parcel sits within mapped wildlife habitat that the coalition describes as an active migration corridor for deer, elk and moose.
  • Highland Drive provides the only access point, raising evacuation and emergency-services concerns if 200 households were added.

The coalition has urged residents to contact school board members, the Summit County Council and the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, circulating pre-written letters asking commissioners to oppose any rezone.

Background on the land

The district purchased the 55-acre parcel in May 2021 for $6 million, according to the coalition's website. The recorded contract allows use for a school or other education-related purposes. The district described the property as one of several parcels acquired to maintain flexibility for long-term educational needs as enrollment shifts.

A nearby 410-unit affordable housing proposal on Highland Drive expired in May 2025 after Summit County Council opposition citing density, traffic and the General Plan's open-space mandate, according to the coalition.

What's next

The district said any future proposal for district-owned property would go through public meetings with community input. No board meeting date for further discussion of the Trailside parcel has been announced.