Acquisition

On August 16, 2018, City Council approved a resolution to place a $8M general obligation bond on the ballot for the purposes of funding the Treasure Hill and Snow Ranch Pastures Open Spaces.

On November 6, 2018, Park City residents voted (77% for and 23% against) to pass the $48M Treasure Hill and Armstrong/Snow Ranch Pasture open space bond. The land is to remain permanently preserved and protected from development.

Park City Municipal Corporation acquired title to the Treasure Hill property on March 20, 2019. Link to deed document here.

Planning

On May 2, 2019 the Trails & Open Space team presented a work session report to City Council outlining capital planning/project aspects contemplated for the property.

Access and Recreation

• On August 22, 2020, Council awarded the contract for 6^th Street stairs, which provide directed access to the property from Main Street.
• On September 17, 2020, the City Council approved a contract to construct the Treasure Trailhead which was constructed in 2021.
• On November 19, 2020, the City Council accepted a donation from the Mountain Trails Foundation, generously funded by several Old Town residents, for the Mother Urban Trail. Constructed in 2021-2022, the trail provides a directional uphill biking route from the Treasure Trailhead to the mid-mountain trail. Hiking is multi-directional
• On August 19, 2021, City Council accepted a donation for the Clark Martinez Statue to be erected at the proposed Treasure Trailhead.
• On June 16, 2022, the City Council approved a contract to construct the 9^th Street stairs, which further compliments access to the property from Park Avenue.

Future Recreation and Access plans include utilizing existing trails to create connections to the Kings Crown Development and the establishment of a Mining History Trail.

Forest Health Plan

Managing wildfire risk in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is critical to maintaining a safe community and vibrant forests within Park City. The primary objective of this project is designed to improve forest health on the Treasure Hill Open Space and mitigate hazardous fuels by selective thinning, removing ladder fuels. On March 18, 2021 Park City Municipal contracted with Alpine Forestry to create a Forest Health Plan, which assess, plans and implements mitigation measures on the Treasure Hill Open Space. 

• Phase I- Defensible Space and Mitigation Plan 2021 Alpine Forestry provided a treatment/management plan for the phases of defensible space work.
• Phase II- Wildfire Mitigation Spring/Fall 2022 This phase included additional defensible space work where applicable.
• Phase III- Wildfire Mitigation Spring/Fall 2023

Conservation Easement

On November 18, 2021 City Council selected Summit Land Conservancy (SLC) to establish the properties baseline condition report, draft a conservation easement and provide future monitoring services. The Treasure Hill Open Space is not your typical conservation property. There are numerous conditions and existing encumbrances which need to be collectively vetted through the preservation planning efforts to successfully draft baseline documents, a conservation easement, stewardship parameters, and a management plan. These conditions include but are not limited to:

• Existing rights associated with previous planning and platting approvals
• Existing rights associated with the operation of the ski resort
• Existing rights of ways
• Possible encroachments

Since 2021, Summit Land Conservancy achieved significant milestones in preparation for the final draft conservation easement, including numerous field visits and data collection efforts to draft the property's baseline document. A baseline document, supported by a complete title review, is a snapshot of the property’s condition, to which all future monitoring and compliance decisions are evaluated. It is an important milestone for the property’s future stewardship. The SLC has included the ALTA survey in their current conservation easement draft form and legal description and is working toward providing the City with a final draft easement.

Recently, the Trails & Open Space team, the SLC, and representatives from the Sweeney family (original property owners) extensively reviewed the survey and walked the property to consider detailed survey information and proactively assess any identified or potential private property encroachments given the abutting residential neighborhood.

On December 5, 2023, the Trails & Open Space team provided City Council with an update on the Treasure Hill Conservation Easement.

• Survey – Due to the complex nature of surveying in the Old Town area, the City contracted with Alliance Engineering to conduct an ALTA survey of the property. This survey, which goes beyond a typical boundary survey, included critical information such as recorded easements, existing conditions, possible private and public property encroachments, and other pertinent information from title reviews. A boundary survey completed in 2022, and an ALTA survey was presented to the City’s Trails and Open Space Team in September 2023. On December 15, 2023, a final ALTA survey was completed by Alliance Engineering. Link to survey document available here.

Timeline and Next Steps

• Notice of Encroachments and Corrective Action to abutting private property owners (December 2023 - February 2024)
  • Coordination of potential corrective actions, with possible challenges from affected landowners.
  • Review acceptance/corrective action responses from adjacent landowners.
• Review a draft of final conservation easement (February 2024)
  • Conservation Values
  • Reserved Rights
  • Permitted and Prohibited Uses
• Presentation to City Council (March/April 2024)
  • Review and approve the Conservation Easement.
• Grant of Easement and recordation
  • Implementation and Monitoring (Spring 2024).
  • Coordinate the notice/signage of the easement by SLC along the Woodside residential boundary.
  • Confirmation of encroachments removed by the summer of 2024.
  • Ongoing stewardship and maintenance responsibilities ongoing.