The town hall might one day consider building a residential complex on municipal land in the old town.
An idea has surfaced calling for authorities to consider building a housing project on the site where the Sandridge parking lots are located. The parking lots are located on Marsac Avenue, south of the China Bridge garage and the Marsac Building. They are typically used by a variety of drivers, including people heading to nearby Main Street or the municipal offices in the Marsac Building, as well as people who live nearby. The parking lots are mostly surrounded by residential streets in the southern part of Old Town.
A committee is considering the future of Main Street, and concepts were presented to Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council this week. One of the notable concepts calls for housing on the Sandridge properties. The documents described an interest in market-rate housing and workforce housing at the site. Details were not provided.
It appears that the committee focusing on Main Street considered the Sandridge properties with an eye toward attracting full-time residents near the shopping, dining and entertainment strip. With more people living in Old Town, the thinking went, Main Street businesses would benefit year-round.
“The committee has consistently stressed the importance of remaining open and vibrant during the off-season. To this end, the advisory team has proposed creating additional housing in the district to provide the district with a more current and stable demand base,” the documents state.
The documents also state: “The Sandridge lots provide a linear and contiguous space where housing could be created on a similar scale to the existing homes in the area. These homes could be provided as a mix of market rate housing and workforce housing, depending on the financial parameters the City could establish for partner developers.”
People who live or own property near the site would likely be concerned about increased traffic in the densely populated Old Town. They might also raise questions about the number of housing units that could be accommodated on the site.
Main Street stakeholders may express concern about the loss of public parking in the Old Town core if development ultimately results in the removal of the Sandridge stalls.
However, housing advocates could also envision a project near Main Street and the bus lines that converge at the Old Town transit center.
“One of the many options the Main Street Area Plan Committee is considering at this early stage in the process is whether the city’s Old Town properties can be best used to meet the community’s diverse needs – and there are many, including transportation, housing and economic vitality,” city officials said in a statement.
Park City leaders have insisted for decades that housing was a priority for the community, arguing that housing was limited for workers or other reasons, increased socioeconomic diversity, and reduced commuter traffic.
