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PCMR project resembles monolith, critics say

The Provo firm planning to develop the Park City Mountain Resort parking lots is modifying some of the designs, including placing townhouses along Empire Avenue, shown. PEG Companies says the townhouses blend better with the surrounding neighborhood. The Park City Planning Commission on Wednesday is scheduled to continue the talks about the project.
Courtesy of PEG Companies

Critics of plans to develop the parking lots at Park City Mountain Resort are worried about the architectural details, influencing at least two correspondences to officials in recent weeks that described the designs as resembling a monolith.

And not the kind of frenzy-causing monolith like the one that was found in remote Southern Utah.

As the Park City Planning Commission prepares to continue its discussions about the development proposal, the Planning Department released additional correspondences regarding the project. The critics continue to press issues like the design. There is long-running concern the buildings will overpower the surroundings, leading two of the people who provided written input to use the word “monolithic.”



In a Nov. 17 letter to the Planning Commission, attorney Nicole Deforge, who represents a group opposed to the proposal, addresses the topic of the impact on views from nearby buildings, including those on Empire Avenue.

“The street view from Empire Avenue in the new renderings provides an apt visual of just how massive and monolithic the building is …” the correspondence says, describing that the design is “in marked contrast to the broken-up cluster of residential buildings required” by an earlier agreement regarding the project.



In another correspondence, dated Nov. 18, project critic Deborah Hickey requests nearby residents and property owners “be protected from the massive monolithic structures proposed …” The height of the project would “dwarf the entire neighborhood,” she also says.

The developer, Provo-based PEG Companies, noted on Monday the firm presented changes to the architecture at a Planning Commission meeting that was held on Nov. 18, including adding townhouses along Empire Avenue that are scaled to the surrounding neighborhood. One story was taken off a building fronting Shadow Ridge Road, with the square footage shifted to a building at the corner of Lowell Avenue and Manor Way.

Robert Schmidt, the president of PEG Development, said in an interview there are variations in the horizontal and vertical architecture. He said the PEG Companies side on Wednesday expects to present alterations to the project layout and architecture in a location in the upper lot off the intersection of Empire Avenue and 14th Street. The alterations are designed to improve pedestrian routes and provide a better view corridor, he said, adding the changes are an effort to show sensitivity to neighborhood concerns.

PEG Companies negotiated a deal with PCMR owner Vail Resorts to acquire the parking lots for the development. The acquisition would not be finalized until later. An earlier owner of PCMR in the 1990s secured a broad development approval. The development rights went to Vail Resorts when it acquired the resort. Another approval is needed before a project could commence.

Schmidt said the mass of the proposal at a key location, known as Parcel B, is reduced from what was approved in the 1990s.

The Planning Commission on Wednesday is scheduled to continue its discussions about the proposal at PCMR. The meeting is slated to start at 5:30 p.m. and will be held electronically. More information about the meeting is available on the City Hall website.


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