City Council Meeting Thursday Night

Greetings THINC.

I wanted to make sure everyone was aware there is a key City Council meeting this week on Thursday night. There are two topics pertaining to Treasure Hill on the agenda.

First, the Sweeneys are attempting to appeal the current code which requires all affordable housing units to be built on the development site. They are hoping to get an exception so they can build most of the required affordable housing units elsewhere. Putting the affordable/employee housing elsewhere would only increase the daily traffic to the proposed development and simply should not be allowed. The proposed development should include all the affordable housing requirement and it should be part of the existing density (no increase in density should be permitted). There will be a public hearing and I would encourage you to voice your support for the current code pertaining to affordable housing and AGAINST giving the Sweeneys any exception.

Second, the City Council is considering retaining outside special counsel to fully review the 1986 Master Planned Development and vesting rights related to the proposed Treasure Hill development. I would strongly encourage you to voice your support for retaining outside counsel.

Below are the meeting details:

CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday, February 26 @ 6:00 PM – Santy Auditorium (1255 Park Avenue)

If you cannot make the meeting please write directly to the city council members and voice your opinions. Their email addresses are below:

Candace Erickson -cerickson@parkcity.org
Jim Hier – jim@parkcity.org
Joe Kernan – jkernan@parkcity.org
Roger Harlan – rharlan@parkcity.org
Liza Simpson – liza@parkcity.org

You can also include Katie Cattan from the planning department at kcattan@parkcity.org.

Below is a link to the agenda and staff report for the meeting:

Click to access 0226packet.pdf

Unfortunately I am out of town so I will not be able to make the meeting.

CURRENT TREASURE HILL NEWS

I also wanted to forward a couple of interesting articles which appeared in the Saturday edition of the Park Record:

Probe of Treasure Hill considered
http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_11750725?source=most_viewed

Merchants delve Into Treasure
http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_11750726

There is also an article in the paper today which focuses on Treasure Hill supporters:

Sweeney: we have supporters, too
http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_11775669

It seems the Park Record is not being objective in their coverage of Treasure Hill. The paper seems to be making a significant effort to show support for the development and the Sweeneys rather than focus on the real issues that this development would have on Park City. Keep in mind how reluctant the paper was in posting a large rendering of this project until we took out a full page ad to show the truth. You can always voice your opinion to the paper at:

editor@parkrecord.com

Thanks.

Brian

Letter of Concern to the City Council

I am writing you to express the concerns of over 400 residents of Park City who are part of THINC. The group includes residents, business owners and home owners from all over Park City including Park Meadows, Pinebrook, Thaynes Canyon, Deer Valley, Promontory, Glenwild, Old Town and elsewhere.

THINC’s collective mission is to raise public awareness and to help initiate action in order to preserve and protect Park City’s Historic Old Town. Our first and main project has been to raise awareness and voice concerns about the compatibility of the development of Treasure Hill.

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the meeting on Thursday night but I wanted to share our opinions on the two Treasure Hill matters facing City Council on Thursday night.

First, there is no basis for compromising the affordable housing requirements for this large scale development proposed for Old Town. The Sweeneys have not provided a single good reason as to why they should be entitled to a waiver of 30% of the affordable housing requirements set forth in Resolution 17-99 and 20-07. The affordable housing requirements in the Code are well considered and reasonable and should not be compromised except in extraordinary circumstances which are not present here. Putting any affordable/employee housing elsewhere would only significantly increase the already complicated traffic problems and simply should not be even considered. The proposed development should include all the affordable housing requirement and it should be part of the existing density (no increase in density should be permitted). In addition, developers are required to provide a diversity of housing as part of fulfilling the affordable housing requirement for sound reasons. Why should the City Council allow dorm style lodging alone to fulfill this requirement? For an extra 20 beds? We have a diversified work force in Park City which requires diversified affordable housing. We encourage the City Council to abide by the affordable housing requirements as set forth in the Code.

THINC very much supports the current code pertaining to affordable housing and is AGAINST giving the Sweeneys any exception for the proposed Treasure Hill development. All affordable housing requirements, as contemplated in the Code, belong on site for Treasure Hill if the project is developed.

Second, City Council is considering retaining outside special counsel to fully review the 1986 Master Planned Development and vesting rights related to the proposed Treasure Hill development. THINC strongly encourages the City Council to support retaining outside counsel to review this proposal, the MPD that was granted over 20 years ago, vesting rights, and the rights of all citizens of Park City. It is important for the City to take all reasonable steps in its consideration of this massive project on behalf of all of the citizens of Park City. The public, prior City Council members and now Planning Commissioners have all raised questions regarding the legality of the MPD given the lapse in time and the various questionable administrative procedures which took place. With all due respect to the City Attorney, land use is a complicated area of the law and it is absolutely appropriate for the City to have a lawyer with the requisite expertise to assess the current merits of the MPD approval. Indeed, if City Council declines to approve the hiring of outside counsel to do a thorough review of this matter (particularly if Council declines due to budget concerns while in the midst of potentially approving million $ renovations to the Racquet Club and 125th Parties throughout the year), the City Council will raise some serious public confusion or potential resentment.

We trust the Council recognizes its critical role in ensuring the responsible growth and compatible development of projects within this City – new projects should not severely compromise the quality of life of our citizens.

On behalf of our 400+ members, we thank you for your consideration.

Brian

Traffic and Safety issues on Old Town streets.

With the Planning Commission meeting just days away we are compiling photos pertaining to safety and traffic issues, espically on Empire and Lowell Avenues.  This new storm system should help us document some of the traffic problems we see with new snow on the streets.  We will be collecting photos to be given to the Planning Commission before the meeting on Wednesday.  You can send them to thincpc@gmail.com.

Here are some great photos taken on Empire Avenue.

Saturday’s Park Record Editorial

February 7 Editorial in the Park Record
Treasure: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should

The Park Record in recent months has received a barrage of telephone calls and emails imploring the newspaper to make citizens aware of the enormity of the proposed Treasure development planned for the hillside west of Old Town. The Park City Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a work session at 5 p.m. and a public hearing at 7 p.m. about the project this Wednesday, Feb. 11, at The Yarrow hotel at 7 p.m.

The rendering itself, on the front page of this edition, should serve as an urgent call to action.

Based on current economic and environmental concerns, and the city’s growing battle with traffic congestion, we believe most residents would oppose putting 200 hotel rooms and 100 condominiums, along with commercial and meeting space, on the slopes above the steep, narrow streets of Old Town.

Property owners, especially those who own or manage local businesses, are keenly aware of the impact all of the new hotels, condos and commercial establishments already have had on the limited labor pool. While it is unlikely the developers of Treasure will build all of the project at once, each increment will put more stress on the city’s already inadequate employee-housing inventory.

Another immediate concern about the project is its inevitable traffic impact. Old Town and Deer Valley already comprise a sizeable bubble at the end of a narrow bottleneck. Adding another bulge to an already strangled commercial intersection could constitute a fatal blow to Main Street’s ambiance.

But the most glaring criticism of the project is its resemblance to the financial excesses that are now taking their toll on the national economy. The scope of Treasure may be financially feasible in some future superheated economy, but is far beyond what is appropriate for the community.

But, the difficult decision facing the Planning Commission is not whether Park City can sustain another vast project, it is how to mitigate a behemoth approval that is now more than 20 years old.

While the city and planning commission may be legally obligated to honor the previous approval density, the Sweeneys do not have to demand it. For the same reason that Wall Street executives are now being vilified for taking advantage of a self-destructive system, the Sweeney legacy could be the monstrosity they insist on building. Or they could voluntarily release the city and its residents from what should be an obsolete approval.

On one hand, the Sweeneys have a lot to gain financially by holding Park City to its legally binding agreement. They could sell off each parcel with its bloated density to the highest bidder and then hightail it out of town. On the other hand, we can only hope that they would find greater value in protecting the intrinsic worth of the land by proposing a significantly smaller development.

THINC Site Updates

We would like to start off by thanking everyone who has visited this site and showed their support in the last couple of days.  We have had over 600 visitors in the last 48 hours!  Our member list is growing and we are getting some great comments and letters of support on the VOICE page.  We are making changes to the site every day so keep checking back for updated information and site improvements.  We are looking into an online petition and some other features that will help our letter writing campaign so check back for those updates.

There has been a venue change to the upcoming Planning Commission meeting in anticipation of a big public turn out:

The meeting will be held at the Yarrow Hotel in the Ivers Room on the second floor.  The Yarrow Hotel is located at 1800 Park Avenue.  The Planning Commission Work Session will begin at 5 pm on Wednesday, February 11, 2009.

PHOTOS  NEEDED

We have only received photos from a couple people so far.  Past and current photos will really help tell the story on Old Town streets.  Katie Cattan from the PC planning department has requested that we collect any and all photos to be submitted for the 2/11 meeting on traffic and safety.  She will put them on a disk and will make them available on a projector for presentation and discussion.  Send photos to thincpc@gmail.com.

LEGAL ASSISTANCE

We have begun meeting with potential legal council to assist in the efforts to help mitigate the impact of Treasure Hill.  There would be a cost associated with this and would require fundraising.  Let us know if there is interest in doing this?  You can comment on the VOICE page or write us directly.

THINC T-SHIRTS & STICKERS

We have had some people ask about t-shirts and stickers.  We love the idea and would like to see what you think.  Would you purchase a THINC t-shirt or bumper sticker?

We hope to see everyone at the meeting on Wednesday,

THINC

Planning Commission Meeting Change

The location of the Wednesday, February 11, 2009 Planning Commission meeting has been changed.  The meeting will be held at the Yarrow Hotel in the Ivers Room on the second floor.  The Yarrow Hotel is located at 1800 Park Avenue.  The Planning Commission Work Session will begin at 5 pm.

Traffic and Safety Photos Needed

The next Treasure Hill meeting on 2/11/09 will focus on traffic and safety issues.  I’m sure most of us have experienced a multitude of existing traffic and safety issues with Old Town streets (even without the additional traffic that Treasure Hill will bring) including:

• crowded/narrow streets (especially during Sundance and the busy Holiday tourist season)

• heavy snow falls that narrow the width of the roads to one lane or less

• cars attempting to pass pedestrians with pets and children (see photo attached that I took yesterday)

• groups of skiers walking down the middle of the street to enjoy a day of skiing at PCMR

• emergency vehicles having difficulty maneuvering past cars and people

• large delivery trucks (FedEx, UPS, Coke, Pepsi, etc) congesting the road

• construction vehicles blocking all traffic

• parked cars on the side of the streets

• speeding taxis

• accidents

• huge snow plow trucks

• no place to put all the snow – remember last year!

• long delays getting out of the PCMR area

• etc.

I would encourage all of us to start to remember and compile them for this meeting.  I would also like to suggest we get out and take photos or find past photos of any of the above examples.

You can send photos to us at thincpc@gmail.com and we will compile them for the meeting. Or bring them to the meeting on 2/11 to help substantiate your concerns.  I will also see if we can have access to a projector screen.

These are instructions from the city on photos for the meeting:

Pictures are great and I believe the Planning Commission would want to see them; however you should submit the actual printed pictures and a disk (or jump drive) to us prior to the meeting.  We will include the printed pictures in the packet (or distribute at the meeting) as an item submitted by the public for Planning Commission review regarding the Treasure Hill project.  At the meeting, when you get up and make public comment, you could ask the Planning Commission to allow you to show them your pictures on the projector; you need their permission.  We will have the computer ready to go with your pictures loaded assuming they approve your request.

Thanks.

Brian

Letter from Planner Katie Cattan

Hi All,

The Park City Planning Department has a new web page dedicated to Treasure Hill Conditional Use Permit.  http://www.parkcity.org/citydepartments/planning/treasurehill.html

This page contains:  all previous Planning Commission staff reports, all meeting minutes, the original master plan staff report and meeting minutes, and the current staff reports as they are published.

The applicant’s submittal documents are available at the applicants website: http://www.treasureparkcity.com.  Hard copies of the submittal documents are available at the Planning Department.  They must be viewed onsite.

TONIGHT!  Also, Park City is sponsoring a free workshop to help citizens understand, navigate and participate in the public hearing process on Tuesday, February 3rd at 6:00 p.m.  The workshop will be held in Room 205 of the Library and Education Center at 1255 Park Avenue.  It is free and open to all members of the community.

Regards,

Katie Cattan

Traffic and Safety Meeting 2/11/09

Greetings THINC member.

I wanted to provide a quick update and some additional information that should be helpful in preparing for the next meeting on 2/11/09 (which will address traffic and safety issues).

I am working (with a few others) on getting the Park Record to do a much needed article with renderings of the planned Treasure Hill development.  I feel this is imperative and an obligation that our local newspaper has to the citizens of Park City.  If you feel the same way please write or call Nan Chalat-Noaker the editor of the Park Record.  Ask her to show these renderings as soon as possible on the front page in the lead article.  Her contact information is below:

editor@parkrecord.com
649-9014

We are also placing our own full page ad in the Park Record with a large photo showing the true scale and scope of the project.

Finally, to help provide some more background that may assist you in writing letters, etc., attached is the latest staff report on Treasure Hill and excerpts from the 1984 Land Management Code (used when Treasure Hill was originally approved).

Of particular note regarding traffic issues: the purpose of the LMC is to promote safety (15-1-2 (A); The City shall not issue a CUP (conditional use permit) unless the use is compatible in circulation (15-1-10 (D) (2); the City shall not issue a CUP unless “traffic considerations including capacity of the existing Streets in the Area” (15-1-10 (E)(2).

Also of note: a project can be terminated if it is inactive (15-1-14 (A). The Land Management Code in effect at the time of the original approval stated “Length of Approval. The Large Scale Master Planned Development approval granted by the Planning Commission shall be effective so long as construction is proceeding in accordance with the approved phasing plan. Approval will lapse after two years of inaction,…”

I hope this helps all of us to prepare our remarks for the important meeting on 2/11/2009.

Brian

EXCERPTS FROM PARK CITY’S LAND MANAGEMENT CODE

15-1-2 Statement of Purpose
…
(A) To promote the general health, safety and welfare of the present and future inhabitants, Businesses, and visitors to the city.
…
(G) To prevent Development that adds to…other conditions that create potential dangers to life and safety in the community…
…
15-1-10 Conditional Use Review Process
…
If the reasonable detrimental effects of a proposed Conditional Use cannot be substantially mitigated by the proposal or imposition of reasonable conditions to achieve compliance with applicable standards, the Conditional Use may be denied.
…
(D) Standards for Review.  The City shall not issue a conditional use permit unless the Planning Commission concludes that:
…
(2) the Use will be Compatible with surrounding Structures in Use, scale, mass, and circulation;
…
(E) Review.  The Planning Department and/or Planning Commission must review each of the following items when considering whether or not the proposed Conditional Use mitigates impacts of and addresses the following items:
…
(2) traffic considerations including capacity of the existing Streets in the Area;
…
() Building mass, bulk, and orientation, and the location of Buildings on the Site; including orientation to Buildings on adjoining Lots;
…
(11) physical design and Compatibility with surrounding Structures in mass, scale, style,…
…
15-1-14. TERMINATION OF PROJECTS FOR INACTION.
…
(A)              TERMINATION OF APPLICATIONS.  When the Planning Director finds an Application to be inactive, the Planning Director may deny the Application and close the files with respect to that project….
…
15-1-17.  VESTING.
(A)(1)  An applicant is entitled to approval of a Land Use Application if the Application conforms to the requirements of an applicable land Use ordinance in effect with a complete Application is submitted and all fees have been paid, unless:
(a) the land Use authority, on the record, finds that a compelling, countervailing public interest would be jeopardized by approving the Application

THINC ad to appear in Park Record Newspaper