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Show AA Thursday, February 11, 1982 The Newspaper hat can be done to ease the 1 W t. 3he finest tievts in Vark City vi stem; :: k sj '" -....r v. j . ,-syr .. ; $ K mm 2 wife aVaWfe onXossiHill. if'1 Construction to begin in spring (f '82. 'Each unit utitt include 3 bedrooms, 2 V2 baths, Wooden decks, 2-lay fireplace, outside hot tub, Mo car garage. Unit 71, 1796 square feet, $248,000 Unit ft, 2013 square Jeet, $278,000 Cole MAN Land & Investment Real Esta te Ser vices IS 556 Main St., Park City, 649-7171 550 Mountain Meadow Road, 649-7910 649-7171 Stephen Strand TIMBERHAUS' VALENTINE & PRESIDENTS ? SALE 'DAY W(SKIS BOOTS Mi ( Sty - 'S5 LADIES WINTER ( v ! ' CASUAL I M J SKI SHOPS 9 XUSo 628 PARK AVE.. P.C. SNOWBIRD RESORT, SNOWBIRD OPEN DAILY FEB. 12 THRU 15. 1982 employee housing problem? by Bettina Moench Tom is a typical newcomer to Park City. He's in his mid-205, mid-205, has a couple of hundred bucks in his wallet, and everything he owns in the back seat of his VW bug. He came here to ski, so he's going to score a job washing dishes at night for $5 an hour at a local restaurant. Eyeing all the new construction as he drives into town, he figures finding a place to live is going to be a snap. Tom is right and wrong. There are places to rent, but finding an affordable and confortable living situation requires luck and patience. It is possible, for instance, to find a one-bedroom apartment, apart-ment, but at an average of $400 a month, a typical worker like Tom would have to spend half his paycheck just to call a place home. To decrease his monthly rent payments, he must increase the number of people he bunks with, and in Park City five or six people to a house is not unusual. That's okay in a pinch, but once the college days are gone, dormitory living loses its charm . So where do all the Toms go for a little privacy and reasonable rents? Heber, Midway, Kamas, Salt Lake City... It's a maddening situation for the workers of Park City. They push chairlfits, pencils, shovels, real estate and the city itself all day long, then drive 20 miles home every night, passing the visitors they cater to, walking to their brand new condominiums. con-dominiums. It is evident that the housing crunch applies to more than just the seasonal worker trying to support his ski habit. It extends to professionals, too, with many of Park City's police officers and a majority of the planning staff commuting to their jobs every day. What would it take to entice en-tice those commuters to stay in Park City? That's a question the City Council has been working to answer for several months, and the task continues. At its work session last Thursday, the five-member board talked about ways the city might become involved to ease the housing shortage for the working class. According to City Manager Mana-ger Arlene Loble, if she could guarantee her employees em-ployees that housing would be available for 25 percent of their annual income, she would require that they live in Park City. But until land and development costs allow for the construction of lower-priced lower-priced housing, she can't make that guarantee or that requirement. Is there a way for the city to help bring those costs down? Councilwoman Helen Alvarez supports using city land for the development of employee housing units. The city could lease the land for, say, a $1 a year to a developer who would agree to build the units and let the city dictate the rents. "I'm for full-out zero land costs to the developer," said Alvarez. "The city could lease the land and control the rents." Councilwoman Tina Lewis, on the other hand, seems to support giving the land to the developer as an incentive to lower costs so that reasonable rents could be charged. She suggested that the developer, not the city, should oversee,the rental ren-tal fees. Another option suggested by Councilman Bob Wells is for the city to set up a trust fund to develop low-cost housing. Currently, the city is requiring new developments develop-ments to use a certain percentage per-centage of their projects as employee housing. Instead, suggested Wells, these units should be sold along with the rest of the project, and the money put into a kitty. Later, a whole project of low-cost housing could be built, rather than a few units here and there. Another way to reduce costs and entice developers of employee housing would be for the city to waive fees, such as impact fees, or allow higher densities in certain areas. But before the council can realistically discuss incentives incen-tives for developers, it has to do some research to find out if it's possible to compete with areas like Heber and Midway. A survey of employees em-ployees and employers of Park City would help pinpoint pin-point what rents would be considered reasonable by commuters to move into the city. If $400 a month proves to be the magic number, can developers build projects that will allow units to rent for that amount? Councilman Bob Wells said that he was skeptical that a developer could design a project where units could rent for $400 a month, "and when it gets up to $500 and $600 a month, we don't need them." The council has many questions to wrestle with yet: How much low-cost housing should be built to fill the void? Should city land be used to entice the develop-ment'of develop-ment'of housing? Are there other incentives the city can offer to builders? Should the city offer any incentives, or should the housing market take care of itself? To begin to answer those questions, Councilman Bill Coleman suggested that an analysis of the rental trends be made of Park City and surrounding areas such as Heber and Salt Lake. "That way we could get a good idea of how far we can push the rents," he said. The council is expected to continue its discussion of low-income housing at this Thursday's work session, and likely for many other meetings to come. Cimd;nMii(B(i ffiraPEM Fire from 1 that was earmarked for the new stations probably going now to the full-time salaries. Equipment lease will cost some $40,000. That amount covers all the vehicles purchased by the district, turned over to a "lease-back" operation, oper-ation, then rented by the district. Fire-fighting vehicles can cost as' much as $120,000, and "we can't go out and just buy them," Ms. Buchanan explained. Generally, the trucks are turned over, with title, to a lease-back firm on a seven-year contract. Three are on lease-back now, with one to be paid off this year. Another firm will handle lease-back on buildings, she added, and part of the $75,000 figure (some $40,000) was to have been the first installment on a lease-back of the Summit Park station. Also under capital expenditures is $3,000 for bonding and the $36,000 to the Redevelopment Agency. In 1981, the district spent 2;164 hours in fire suppression 'alone just about ; six hours" a' day. The1 Blue-Church--Lodge fire involved some 25 fireman on the scene continuously for about 16 hours, costing the district more than $3,000 in salaries, plus equipment and operating expenses. Ms. Buchanan took issue with City Attorney Tom Clyde who last week accused the district of a lack of "accountability" in spending. "We have yet to see a city official come to our commission meetings and sit through the entire session," she said. ' Usually, she said, it's just the three ; commissioners, the chief and Saunders 'who- last the- whole meeting.' "We are accountable," she said, "to anyone who cares to take the time to become informed." 9 CALENDAR ii THURSDAY Supper at the Senior Citizens' center, 5 p.m. Pure Prairie League at the Cowboy Bar, 9 p.m. 12 FRIDAY Wrestling: State 1A Tournament at Weber State College, Ogden Basketball: South Rich at Park City High School, games at 5:45 and 7:30 p.m. Park City Cabaret at the Kimball Art Center main gallery. Cocktails at6:30p.m. "Barefoot in the Park," , presented by Park City Performances, at the Egyptian Theatre, 8 p.m. Pure Prairie League at the Cowboy Bar, shows at 8 and 11p.m. 13 SATURDAY Wrestling: State 1A Tournament at Weber State College, Ogden Ski racing: Intermountain Division junior nordic races, White Pine Touring Center, 10 a.m . Ski racing: Nordic handicap relay race, White Pine Touring Center, 10 a.m. Heber Creeper Snow Fun Luncheon Safari, Heber, 1 p.m. "Swan Lake," presented by Ballet West, at the Capitol Theatre, shows at 2 and 8 p.m . Basketball: Utah Jazz vs. the Phoenix Suns, Salt Palace, 7:30 p.m. "Barefoot in the Park," presented by Park City Performances, at the Egyptian Theatre, 8 p.m. Utah Symphony lobby concert, Symphony Hall, 8 p.m . Pure Prairie League at the Cowboy Bar, shows at 8 and 11p.m. 1 A SUNDAY Ski racing: Intermountain Division junior nordic races, White Pine Touring Center, 10 a.m . Kids' Town Race, Park City Ski Area, lp.m. Heber Creeper Snow Fun Luncheon Safari, Heber 1 p.m. Tim Weisberg at the Egyptian Theatre, 8 p.m. 15 MONDAY Ski racing: Special birthday Nastar race at the Park City Ski Area. Supper at the Senior Citizens' Center, 5 p.m. Basketball: Park City Recreation League at the Carl Winters Middle School, 6:30 p.m. Basketball: Utah Jazz vs. the Denver Nuggets, Salt Palace, 7:30p.m. Tim Weisberg at the Egyptian Theatre, 8 p.m. "Swan Lake," presented by Ballet West, at the Capitol Theatre, 8 p.m. 16 TUESDAY Motor vehicle registration at the Memorial Building, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Summit County Commission, regular meeting, Summit County Courthouse, Coalville, 10 a.m. Open volleyball, Park City High School, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Park City Board of Education, special meeting, 7:30 p.m. 17 WEDNESDAY Ski racing: Bartender's Cup, Park City Ski Area, noon Historic District Commission, -regular meeting, Marsac School, 5p.m. Basketball: Park City Recreation League, Carl Winters Middle School, 6:30 p.m. Michael Murphey at the Cowboy Bar, shows at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. "Swan Lake," presented by Ballet West, at the Capitol Theatre, 8 p.m. ONGOING Leslie Appling art exhibit at the Kimball Art Center lower gallery, through March 2. Georgopoulos acrylic exhibit at the Kimball Art Center main gallery, through March 2. Nathan Oliviera Print Retrospective, Salt Lake Art Center main gallery, through Feb. 21. Ansell Adams, private collections, Salt Lake Art Center upstairs gallery, through Feb. 21. Utah Winter Landscapes, Glendinning Gallery, Utah Arts Council, Salt Lake City, through March 12. |