All,
First of all thanks again for signing the petition to Summit County Council to vote NO on the rezoning and development of 1,100 new homes at Kimball Junction. At this point more than 3,300 Park City and Summit County residents have signed the petition. For reference, 8,685 people cast a vote on the recent Park City School district bond proposal, so the fact that more than 3,300 Park City and Summit County residents have signed this petition against the Dakota Pacific project speaks loudly to how unpopular this project is in the local community. In fact, besides the developer and 4 out of the 5 Summit County Councilors, it is difficult to find ANYONE in our community who actively supports this project (without being paid to do so). As a big believer in the power of representative democracy, it may therefore be time to replace our elected officials if they don’t come around on this topic in a hurry.
Since I last reached out there has been a number of developments related to the project itself and our ability to voice our opinion about it:
SMALL (BUT IMMATERIAL) PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE PROJECT AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
Likely as a response to the public outcry against this project, the Developer and Council has come up with some (in the grand scheme of things) immaterial changes to the project in terms of energy efficiency and other secondary concerns. Unfortunately these do not address the fundamental flaws of the project as it relates to density and traffic, so while it is nice to see that our collective actions are having an impact, the improvements are way too small to make the project a win for the community at large.
MANY CHANGES TO THE PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS
There have been numerous changes to the public hearing process related to the project, but to cut it short, there are now two Summit County meetings scheduled on the topic:
WEDNESDAY 11/17 (TOMORROW) 3:00 PM - DAKOTA PACIFIC WORK SESSION - In this work session County officials will be meeting to discuss the project. Although there will be no public comment, It would be helpful to get a big turnout to show that we (the public) is paying attention. If you have time, please mark your calendars and plan to attend tomorrow, ideally in person, but online or by phone if necessary:
- To Attend in Person: Richins Building 1885 W. Ute Blvd., Park City, UT 84098
- To Attend Via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/772302472
- To listen in by phone only: Dial 1-301-715-8592, Webinar ID: 772 302 472
To add this “Work session” to your Google calendar simply click here
WEDNESDAY 12/1 at 6PM - COUNCIL HEARING WITH PUBLIC COMMENT - The time and location is still TBD but please mark your calendars now and plan to attend. A massive turnout and lots of public comments is going to be very important to persuading the council to vote against this disastrous project. In addition to attending and speaking at the meeting, please consider joining the family friendly rally that is being planned for 5PM outside the meeting venue. I will post additional information about both the meeting location and the 5PM rally when I know more.
To add the family friendly rally to your Google calendar simply click here
To add the Council Hearing to your Google calendar simply click here
In addition to showing up (and speaking out) at/before these meetings, please:
- Email the council directly to share your thoughts & opinions on the project
- Email an official public comment on the project to Kirsten Whetstone at Summit County Department of Community Development
- Write Letters to The Park Record - Now is the time to let your voice be heard, even if it is only a few lines!
- Learn more about the project and get involved with the newly formed organization called Friends of Summit County for Responsible Development which among other initiatives put up the Stop Dakota Pacific website
- Spread the word about this petition to and community effort to stop the rezoning and development of 1,100 new residences at Kimball Junction
Sorry for the long update and thanks in advance for your commitment and help to fight this ill-advised project!