Council Approves New Bonanza Park Neighborhood Plan

Post Date:07/15/2024 3:30 PM

News Release – For Immediate Release 

Clayton Scrivner, Communications Manager
801-597-8108
July 15, 2024 

Park City Council Approves New Plan for Bonanza Park Neighborhood 

Park City, UT — At Thursday's regular meeting, the Park City Council approved the Bonanza Park Small Area Plan, unanimously agreeing with the Planning Commission that the proposed plan for the centrally located 200-acre neighborhood was the right vision for future growth and investment.  

Essentially the geographic center of town, Bonanza Park, bordered by Park Avenue, Kearns Boulevard, Deer Valley Drive, and portions of Snow Creek, now has a guiding plan that calls for a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood with gathering spaces for locals, more affordable housing opportunities, and increased bike and pedestrian connections.  

The Council’s final approval comes after robust community input and hours of public deliberation by residents, a Community Advisory Group, and Planning Commissioners. 

“Thank you to the volunteer Advisory Group and the many others that brought their interest, engagement, and vision to help us create an environment to move Bonanza Park forward,” said Park City Planning Director Rebecca Ward. “There will be more opportunities to engage as we pivot to the specific Land Management Code amendments necessary to meet the goals of this exciting new plan.” 

Key elements of the Small Area Plan also include preserving Frontage Protection Zones along entry corridors, maintaining a consistent underlying zone height of 35 feet with an additional story in exchange for community benefits, and allowing qualified residential projects by right rather than requiring Conditional Use Permits. The Plan aims to guide future growth and development by complementing Park City’s surrounding business districts and residential areas. The area’s evolution is an important component of this future land use framework, as many locals visit the district today for food, entertainment, and more.  

“One of the reasons I believe there was unanimous Commission and City Council support is the tremendous public engagement we obtained from the community to create a common set of rules to promote a more vibrant and user-friendly community,” said Planning Commission Chair Sarah Hall, who also encouraged residents to stay engaged “as the process moves to the implementation phase.” 

The full plan is available online here. 

 


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Converting our electricity to 100% renewable is a major part of our transition to become a carbon neutral community. Renewable electricity is created using technologies that don't burn any fossil fuels to create energy, such as water, wind or the sun. There are no associated greenhouse gas emissions with creating energy from renewables. We're confident that the future will be powered with renewables.

Approximately one-third of our community-wide carbon footprint comes from the electricity we use. Decarbonization means removing the carbon emitted from our energy sources. Transitioning to renewables is how we will decarbonize the energy that Park City uses.

In 2016, Park City made the decision to work with the local utility, Rocky Mountain Power, to work together to bring 100% renewable electricity to Park City. Salt Lake City, Summit County and Moab have joined the effort and in total we will convert eighteen percent of Utah’s electric grid to renewables. While Park City is a small community of only around 8,000 people, we believe we have the power to influence to create a pathway for other communities to transition to 100% renewables.

Not only does renewable energy emit drastically fewer carbon emissions as it produces electricity, it will transform Utah’s economy, produce jobs and provide stable electricity. It will also clean the air as we transition our homes, buildings, and transportation to fully electric. Renewables are becoming cheaper than fossil fuels. Renewable energy has plunged is price, and now is competitive, and often cheaper, when compared to traditional coal and natural gas generation. Renewable electricity often has zero cost fuel. The sun and wind don’t ever send a bill. Compare this to traditional coal and natural gas generation, where the fuel price can fluctuate. PacifiCorp, Rocky Mountain Power’s parent company, recently stated that thirteen of its twenty-two coal plants are uneconomic.

In addition, renewable energy keeps the dollars spent on energy close to home. Park City alone spends over $245 million per year on energy, much of which ends up in unstable or even corrupt regions of the world. Imagine if that money was spent on local jobs, benefiting our local economy?

energy spend infographic (1)