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Park City readies to build dozens of Old Town townhouses, condos

City Hall is building a phase of Woodside Park housing in Old Town, part of the municipal government’s aggressive program designed to provide opportunities to those otherwise priced out of Park City’s resort-driven real estate market.
Jay Hamburger/Park Record

Park City later in 2019 intends to begin construction on what is designed to be one of the municipal government’s most ambitious workforce or otherwise affordable housing projects, a development that is envisioned as nearly 60 units on the northern edge of Old Town.

The second phase of City Hall’s plans for Woodside Park are more aggressive than a first phase that is currently under construction. Construction is scheduled to start on the second phase of Woodside Park in late summer, depending on the discussions with the Park City Planning Commission.

The project is slated to stretch between the 1300 blocks of Woodside Avenue and Empire Avenue. City Hall wants to build 58 units of housing, a mix of townhouses and condominiums. The location in Old Town is notable since there have been few developments of that size in the tightly packed neighborhood in the past 20-plus years.



Jason Glidden, the housing development manager for City Hall, said the project will bring full-time residents to Old Town after years of the housing stock in the neighborhood tilting toward vacation properties. City Hall is “reseeding a neighborhood” with the project, Glidden said.

“It’s nice to get families back into the neighborhood,” he said.



The project is also close to transit routes and in a pedestrian-friendly location, Glidden said, explaining it will advance City Hall goals in those issues. He said officials plan to develop a so-called net-zero project by attempting to produce the required electricity in an environmentally friendly fashion on the grounds.

The second phase of Woodside Park is expected to be a highlight of a City Hall-hosted open house on Tuesday designed to introduce Parkites to a range of municipal projects and programs. The open house is held annually toward the start of the construction season as an opportunity for residents to learn about the various projects and programs at one time. The events usually attract a crowd from diverse neighborhoods with questions about projects that are planned close to where they live or those that will have broad community impacts.

City Hall staffers and consultants, usually with visual aids, are available at stations to explain projects and answer questions. A majority of the Park City Council is expected to attend as well, but the elected officials are not scheduled to make decisions about the projects or programs during the event.

Glidden said the station dedicated to housing will also provide information about the timeline for future projects as well as preliminary information about the buyer qualifications for the second phase of Woodside Park. City Hall will limit sales to people who qualify through a formula that is pegged to the area median income in addition to other criteria that are not yet finalized.

Park City is pursuing an aggressive housing plan with the goal of adding 800 units to the affordable stock by 2026. Officials want to add 220 of the overall total by the end of 2020.

Leaders see workforce or otherwise affordable housing as an important step toward ensuring socioeconomic diversity in Park City and reducing commuter traffic. The long-running housing efforts are meant to assist people who struggle in Park City’s resort-driven real estate market, the most expensive in the state.

Glidden said information will also be presented about the first phase of Woodside Park, which is under construction between Park Avenue and Woodside Avenue on the 1300 blocks of the streets. The first phase involves four houses and four townhouses. Each of the townhouses has an attached rental unit.

Some of the other topics that will be covered at the open house include transit, waterworks projects and the municipal government’s social equity efforts. Transit has long been a critical issue for the community as officials attempt to reduce traffic through the expansion of bus routes while the social equity efforts are designed to ensure Park City welcomes people of various income levels, ages, races and ability levels. The Park City School District, meanwhile, will be represented to outline its long-range building plans.

The open house is scheduled on Tuesday from 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Park City Library. City Hall encourages people to consider taking a bus or carpooling to the event. More information is available on the City Hall website. Additional information is also available by calling 615-5189.

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