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Show A-4 The Park Record Myths of Treasure described City Beat Mayor says project buildable, long-ago rights remain intact CITY EDITOR: JAY HAMBURGER 649–9014 EXT. 111 | citynews@parkrecord.com PoliCe Blotter Hot tub parties reported in city The Park City Police Department last week received several reports about parties or loud people, including two cases of hot tub parties. On Sunday, March 4 at 10:48 p.m., the Police Department received a report of loud music somewhere along Prospector Avenue. The police classified the case as suspected disturbing the peace. The Police Department earlier that day was called to Woodside Avenue at 2:36 a.m., when someone reported upstairs neighbors were noisy. The Police Department classified the case as suspected disturbing the peace. A party in a hot tub was also reported that day somewhere along Park Avenue at 3:10 a.m. The police told the people to quiet down. On Saturday, March 3, meanwhile, a party was reported somewhere along Norfolk Avenue at 1:15 a.m. The people were in a hot tub, the police were told. There was music and the people were loud, according to the police. The Police Department classified the case as suspected disturbing the peace. JAY HAMBURGER Other incidents reported to the Police Department last week included: On Sunday, March 4, a police officer at 10:21 p.m. told a taxi driver not to park in the opposite direction of traffic along Royal Street. The taxi driver was apparently picking up passengers. The Police Department at 3:44 p.m. received a report of a snowplow hitting an unspecified type of pole at or close to the intersection of S.R. 224 and Meadows Drive. The pole was “kinda sticking out in the lane of travel,” the police were told. The Police Department said the pole was a traffic hazard. A vehicle was apparently left on Main Street overnight and was reported to the police at 7:39 a.m. Overnight parking is prohibited. A little bit earlier, at 7:25 a.m., the police received a report about several cars left on Main Street overnight. The police were told snowplows needed to navigate around the parked cars. On Saturday, March 3 at 11:07 p.m., a vehicle slid off the road at or close to the intersection of Marsac Avenue and Hawkeye Place, a small street of the upper reaches of Marsac Avenue. Nobody was injured, the police said. A police officer at 5:59 p.m. pulled over a driver at the intersection of Bonanza Drive and Munchkin Road after the person reportedly failed to yield to a person in a crosswalk. A tree reportedly fell on the 300 block of Daly Avenue, landing on a truck that was parked on the street. The report was logged at 7:15 a.m. On Friday, March 2 at 5:04 p.m., a car was reported to be parked in the opposite direction of traffic on Main Street. It was moved. Someone on Sidewinder Drive at 2:09 p.m. told the police they received 17 calls and an associate received 13 calls from a company attempting to send them an unspecified sort of card reader. They asked the company to stop, but the calls continued, the police were told. On Tuesday, Feb. 27 between 4:11 p.m. and 5:26 p.m., police officers stopped at least 10 drivers on streets like Sidewinder Drive and Comstock Drive. The drivers primarily failed to stop at stop signs, the police said. On Monday, Feb. 26 at 12:44 p.m., a suspected identity theft case was reported on Prospector Avenue. Public police logs did not provide details. Bobcat tracks seen in city JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record MMXV III The Park City Police Department last week received a report from someone claiming to have seen tracks left by a bobcat, a case that followed shortly after an animal appearing to be a bobcat was seen on a surveillance camera in the same neighborhood. The police logged the report at 8:52 a.m. on March 2 on Sun Ridge Drive, a street in Solamere. Public police logs indicated Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 7-9, 2018 a person with a leadership position in a homeowners association said people had seen the tracks. The person who contacted the police inquired about the possibility of relocating the animal, according to department logs. Phil Kirk, a police captain, said the people in Solamere had not seen a bobcat. The report was based on the tracks, he said. The March 2 report followed a Feb. 24 case that involved a sighting of a bobcat on a surveillance camera. The Feb. 24 report was logged on Oak Wood Court, a street that intersects with Sun Ridge Drive. Police Department logs from the case on Oak Wood Court indicated the animal was seen on surveillance three times walking around the property. In late January, meanwhile, a bobcat was spotted on Mellow Mountain Road protecting a deer carcass behind a house and close to a trail. It had consumed part of the deer. Mellow Mountain Road is not adjacent to Sun Ridge Drive and Oak Wood Court, but it is on the other side of a stretch of open land from the other two streets. The Park Record City Hall and the Treasure partnership have drafted years of reports about the project, made numerous statements and held meeting after meeting centered on the disputed development proposal. But, according to Mayor Andy Beerman, myths about Treasure remain. During a recent meeting of City Hall’s open space panel, the mayor addressed what he sees as important misunderstandings regarding Treasure. It was an important appearance by the mayor in front of the Citizens Open Space Advisory Committee as Park City continues a series of briefings about City Hall’s $64 million deal to acquire Treasure in a conservation deal. The acquisition would be, by a wide margin, the most expensive conservation deal in the history of City Hall’s lauded open space program. The deal is expected to be heavily debated in coming months as supporters and opponents press their sides. Beerman’s comments to the panel were not as focused on the benefits of a deal as they were on what he sees as the myths as well as the mechanics of the agreement. The Treasure land is located on a hillside overlooking Old Town along the route of the Town Lift. The Sweeney family in the 1980s secured development rights for the hillside as well as nearby parcels of land. Other parts of the 1980s approval were built over the years, but the partnership, consisting of the Sweeney family and a firm called Park City II, LLC, has been locked in difficult discussions with the Park City Planning Commission about Treasure itself. At upward of 1 million square feet, it is the largest part of the overall approval. Critics argue the proposal, as designed, is larger than the 1980s approval contemplated. They are worried about traffic on streets like Lowell Avenue and Empire Avenue, the required excava- TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Park City Mayor Andy Beerman says it is a myth that the Treasure land, located on a hillside overlooking Old Town, is unbuildable based on the steepness of the terrain and other issues. Beerman told City Hall’s open space panel recently other projects have been developed in difficult spots. tion and the size of the proposed buildings, among other issues. The mayor’s comments about what he considers to be myths about Treasure were an intriguing addition to the debate about the project. He spoke in broad terms but addressed some of the issues that have long been debated. Beerman, in a critical statement, said there is a myth regarding the validity of the development rights themselves. He acknowledged significant entitlements remain intact from the 1980s approval. City Hall would likely lose in court if officials determined otherwise, he said. There were persistent questions earlier in the Treasure talks about the validity of the rights decades later, but those sorts of issues have not been as pronounced recently. He described another myth as he spoke about the Treasure square footage. The Treasure opposition has consistently argued the approximately 1 million square feet sought by the partnership soars over what the 1980s approval envisioned. The Treasure side claims otherwise. Beerman said the approximately 1 million square feet designed by the partnership is a high number, perhaps by between 5 percent and 10 percent. He later pegged the number at closer to 10 percent. The mayor said City Hall square-footage calculations do not count space like hallways, parking areas and the so-called back of house area that is needed to operate a high-end lodging property. Other large hotel proj- ects in Park City received approvals using a similar formula, and it would be inconsistent for Treasure to be rejected based on that issue while other projects have been approved, Beerman said. He talked about another myth that centers on construction on the steep Treasure hillside. Some have claimed it would be too difficult to build at the location based on the topography while the Treasure side has argued the project could be constructed. Beerman said developers have built in difficult locations elsewhere in Park City. He noted the location of the Montage Deer Valley. Beerman’s description of the myths was the highlight of his remarks to the panel. The appearance, in front of a friendly crowd, provided the opportunity for the mayor to address topics that could arise repeatedly before Election Day, when City Hall will ask voters to approve a ballot measure funding the acquisition. In another important statement, the mayor addressed concerns that City Hall wants voters to approve a high-dollar ballot measure for Treasure as the Park City School District contemplates a significant bond election as well for facility upgrades. It is not clear when the School District bond will be put to voters. Beerman noted the municipality, where the Treasure vote will be held, comprises only part of the School District boundaries. He predicted voters will support the Treasure ballot measure as well as one for the schools. “I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive,” Beerman said. SKI 7 days on UTAH’S BEST MOUNTAINS FOR JUST $409. MMXIX UTAH DESTINATIONS WE’RE A DEDICATED GROUP OF SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS DEVOTED TO UTAH’S BEST POWDER, UNTRACKED BOWLS, AND THE BEST SEASON EVER, EVERY SEASON. MADE EVEN BETTER WITH ALTA, SNOWBIRD, AND SNOWBASIN IN-STATE, AND JACKSON HOLE OR SUN VALLEY WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE. PLUS, RIGHT NOW YOU CAN JOIN FOR JUST $409 WITH $1 KID’S PASSES ADDED. 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