OCR Text |
Show Fark City Expansion Leads To Heated Issue of Who Will Get Right to Sid There Park City are uneasy about us To a town this sue our x We know the people of 'Xsx company must seem awesome and overpowering In New York or Chicago we but here, wouldnt make the want-adwell we're pretty big The speaker is J W arren King, president of Greater Park City Co To some residents he is Mr. King. or King, to still to others Warren others the names for him are unprintable But whether the Parkite loves or hates the man, views him as raising the city from its ashes or as an Attila rav aging the pristine countryside leaving condominiums and parking lots in his wake, everyone knows Warren King is the pnme mover m Park City Doesnt Quibble When told that Councilman Mary Condas Lehmer claims that the March position paper of GPCC means that the general public will not be allowed to ski at Park City this coming winter, Mr. King didnt quibble: That is not a true t statement " We believe that Park City has the potential of being the greatest ski resort m the United States, but only if there is proper concern and planning Contrary to some statements Ive heard, the capacity of a ski mountain is not limited by the number of lifts but by the number of people in a given area. Maximum Load Studies have proven that any more than 3 5 skiers per acre is the maximum any more means skung will not be enjoyable or safe Mr. King said he doesnt see the problem of overcrowding occurring except on certain peak pressure days such as Chnstmas and Presidents Day When youve rented space to people for a skung vacation and you have a mountain for 8,000 but 10,000 want to ski, how do you decide who skis First come first served That doesn't seem equitable. Our first obligation is to those people who have invested in our properties or are staying here. The people who drive up from Salt Lake can ski as long as theres space. Park. City has become a city of contrast and controversy. The contrast is shown by condominiums Will Get Pnority Present property owners in Park City any property owners, not just GPCC will be issued certificates investors that give them pnority on those pressure days, he said. This includes every family dwelling, condominium, or hotel They will all be vested with this privilege." For the next two years, he added, we will encourage people to build small lodges. What we are fearful of is the condominium at Snyderville or Kimball Junction that will promote their it was like 16 years ago when we . ad units by saying that skung is only three one restaurant and a couple of bars and miles away at Park City. that was it. The blinking light down m If these developers wish to be includthe intersection was the most exciting ed our amenities we will . charge u thing in town. royalties that will vary with the size and And there was a time when you nature of each operation. could buy property here for the back Pillow Tax taxes so property owners cant condemn been rampant in Park Rumors have the development company because the City that a pillow tax will be charged old homestead which was once worth exowners of rental units by the actly nothing is now a valuable piece of existing real estate An old clapboard shack is company if guests were to be allowed access to GPCC facilities. Mr. Kings going for $30,000; its ridiculous but thats statement will apparently settle that what theyre getting. issue but future developers of large-scal- e Its the old timers who are most rental operations will have to pay, he against them (the Company) but I dont said. being built in the foreground, and the old part of town in the background; argument also abounds. Sleepy Unrest Marks a Town Geared to Skiing Recreation Continued From Page B-- ner asked rhetorically l peak load days such as Christmas and Presidents Day. Mrs. Lehmer charged that condominium construction by the Company has been steadily going downhill. She said the architectural standards as outlined m the Master Plan have been abandoned and termed the modular Homestake condominiums banana boats (Other residents said the units look like freight cars stacked on top of each other ) She added that the Three Kings and Crescent Ridge condominiums on the golf course, which sell for upwards of $50,000, are not as bad as the banana boats but still dont conform to mining town architecture as required in the plan. (Mr King contends that mining town architecture is indefinable and must mean either the temporary shacks erected by early miners or the Victorian mansions erected m Salt Lake City by wealthy mine owners ) Mrs Lehmpr said, is My feeling, that they will load the city with condominiums and make a typical urban town out of what is presently a natural area of clean air and peaceful people and when everything is sold theyll go to another area and there well sit. But not everyone in Park City forsees doom Tom Mathews, vice president of "ommon Cause, Washington, came to the city in 1963 He tells how it was then in day s. wall-to-wa- ll I opened up The Bucket as a bar but I went bankrupt Every body was optimistic that we were going to be another ail or Aspen but that all disappeared. Static Town "The town remained static for years until Royal Stieet moved m with lots of capital We may have grown spottily and maybe that wouldnt without them but as a person who went be too bad broke here and now has money (Mr. Mathews is again operating The Bucket and a laundry and is opening a vanety store) Pm glad theyre here. William Gardner operates a real estate agency m town as well as the old establishment on Star Hotel, a recent He sees Street. company acMain threat m a detions as a cline of property values and sales if exclusions are made and also the threat of a pillow tax for his guests. double-barrele- d I'm Confused' confused, frankly, about whats I wish theyd clarify just what on. going their policies are Ive been trying to gpt an appointment with Mr King for weeks but he wont see me Mr Gardner said. Im n I i 1 r stat- They keep saying theyve already ed their policy but its ambiguous Referring to the threat to limit skiing Mr. Gard except for company investors, -- i Whats going to happen to all those people in Salt Lake whove supported this area? At 2nd South and Main theyve put up a sign saying Summer m Park City, Only 30 Minutes Away. Theyve promoted the hell out of the place but theyre going to let people down Councilman Robert Hays wishes everyone would quit worrying and settle down to the busmess of making Park City the wonderland resort he knows it can be. Theres been an incredible amount of misinformation Coating around this town. But theres a lot of work to be done and we need to get at it. Some people prefer to live in a national monument rather than a functiomng city. The histoncal flavor of Park City is fine but the fact is we don't have that many histoncal buildings here. What we do have is a lot of falling down shacks, lousy streets, a disintegrating sewer system and a host of other problems that need to be solved. An avid skier, Mr. Hays says the Companys claim of overcrowding on the hill is perfectly valid. I ski a hundred days a year and there were days when it wasnt safe up there. Pillow Tax Mr. Hays sees nothing wrong with the pillow tax concept and denies that the Company has any quick buck intentions. He does, however, thmk the city should maintain control over such things as water and sewage processulg as well as the rate of the pillow tax or royalty payment as the Company calls it. King wouldnt be in this position if he didnt care about the town. I told him he could stay out m the county and Id be happy to drive through his town and everything would be fine. He said we could work together. Mr Hays said property owners in Park City must have priority on the hill. Just because people in Salt Lake think this is their area doesnt make it true. The people who have invested their money should be considered first. But the Salt Lakers will still be able to ski here. Only on peak days theyre going to have to get up early." Gene Johnson operates the Silver Wheel theater where a live melodrama is performed on Friday and Saturday nights. He also operates a printing shop and is an accomplished sign painter. Not Skiers Mr Johnson is not in a position, he feels, to be either hurt or helped by the Company. His theater attracts a specific clientele, he says, most of whom are not skiers We dont really krow if growth is the same thing as progress If it is then we have a fine thing here Its debatable. But Ive been here 16 years and I like what I see today. I can remember what know why. We on Main Street depend on the tounst trade and the resort company is going to bring m the tourists. ( Mr. Johnson contends that the only attraction of the old section of Park City is just that, its old. When they build those .new condominiums down below it creates a contrast and makes us look better. Mam Street should be kept as it is except for the places where the roofs have fallen down inside. Not Ready How much of all this is Park City ready for I asked Mr. Johnson. None of it, he replied. The town isnt ready for the kind of growth that is going to occur. The company is going to keep on building and there will be skung all over the place youll be able to ski clear to and in 10 years youre going Brighton to need a compass to find youre way around. But I dont see how they can miss. Theyve got a super highway and an airport only 25 miles away. There is just no way they can go wrong as far as I can tell. The town? The town is like a rock in the middle of your yard Its too big to move so you just mow around it. Theyre just going to mow around us. Bob Jones, operator of the New Park I Hotel, isnt as sure as Mr Johnson. was going to buy some property but the uncertainty of it all has given me a com- plete turnabout. I feel like I have a tenuous future here. Ae all feel that he should pay for his slope not us. W'e do contribute money already by our guests who use the hill. If he (Mr King) werent there, somebody else would be. Weve been through the lean years and now it looks like hes trying to drive us out. And then theres Mrs MatJda Toley, resident of Park City whose a white frame home sits at the top of Main Stieet surrounded by crumbling, condemned shacks. I'm used to it the way it is. Ive been here a long time and I don't like what theyre doing Those buildings ' arent right, they have to be more solid. The winters are pretty hard here you know 500-u- Mr. Kmg justifies the royalty payment dont like the term pillow tax we cant tax anyone, he said) by the fact that the other developers have contributed no money to the ski facilities which he says have operated at a loss. (I Many residents have contested this, pointing out that vanous accounting Greater Park methods can be used to show a loss when one doesnt exist. Mr. King insists it's the truth. Operated at Loss not saying we wont make money eventually but in the early days ski operations usually dont. Our projections are that we wont make money until our fifth year of operation (1975) At the end of our second year (last February) our loss v.as $2 5 million and weve invested $24 million Thats not scare tactics nor are we apologizing, its just a fact of life. Im Mr. King pointed out that the Park City resort is located totally on pnvate land, not public land as is the case with most areas. One source of worry for Parkites has been the clause in the company position statement emphasizing that any or all privileges may be withdrawn at any time or for any reason at the companys sole Mr. King said this is not a discretion. threat. Must Reserve Right If anybody takes it logically theres no reason for us to close it down. We have to reserve the right, in case of a war or economic recession or some far out thing, that we wont have to run this place at a huge loss. As long as we know what people want to develop far enough ahead for planning and they are willing to pay their share then everything will be fine. But when they want us to subsidize them, thats behind change going like, some dislike it. City Co., is guid- - when I get my back up. Greater Park City Company owns acres around Park City and leases another 7,000 from United Park City Mines compnsing mostly the ski areas proper. GPCC recently asked the city to annex 918 acres northeast of the city, the old Holladay LDS Stake Farm, now known as the Holiday Ranchette subdivi 5,000 sion. The company asked that 168 acres ranchette be zoned for 99 single-familhomesites. y Led Opposition battle ensued with Councilman Mary Condas Lehmer leading the opposition to the subdivision. The measure was initially defeated but at another council meeting 10 days later was passed with a resolution adopted requinng that seven entera be met, including expansion of the sewer treatment plant and water treatment plant, water and sewer mains be dedicated to the city, adequate fire protection be provided, seven second-fee- t of water be provided the city and an environmental impact study be made A Mr. King said he has no quarrel with the demands except that the city hasnt the need at this time for seven second-fee- t of water. This will have to be acquired over a period of time, he said. Express Outrage Residents have expressed outrage at the prospect of taxes being raised to pay for bonds needed to upgrade the water, for those sewage and fire protection Mr. King people down in the valley contends that the revenue bonds needed will be paid for by revenues from the project and there will be no need for tax hikes. GPlC has agreed to pay $1 milLon m advance to the city for purchase of the bonds. Wed pay for all the bonds but they want us to. They want to control it themselves and thats fine. But their water and sewage systems are in big trouble A new water source needs to be developed before any more building is done dont Requirements Posted Park City Reports Zone Plans There were eight demands originally made in a resolution passed by the Fark City Council outlining requirements Greater Park City Co. must meet before any further annexation, zoning, or subdivision approvals are made. 6. That development of a water treatment plant for new water be under way and a method of payment be resolved. Subsequently, nine more provisions were added at the instigation of Council- 2. That a traffic study and lighting study be added to the impact study. 3 That public parks be provided by each developer commensurate with the size of the subdivision. 4 That the ski slopes, present and future, be made available to the public in perpetuity by contract with the city. 5. That all recreation and equestrian facilities in all subdivisions be dedicated It is unclear whether the additional nme will be met. The original eight: That an environmental impact study must be submitted for zoning, subdivision approvals, and conditional use applications with three units or more. 1. to public use. 6. That land be donated to Park City for police and fire department buildings and equipment. 7. That land be given for library and city office buildings. 2 The new subdivision ordinances and standards must be adopted. 3. That the city will own and operate rights to a minimum of seven second feet of water. 4 That a complete study into the revenue bond issue be made and findings as to revenue possibilities and bond sale feasibility be completed. That expansion of the sewer treatment plant beunder way and a method of payment be resolved 8 That the fence for the sanitary land fill be provided for the city. 9. 5 t I f J 7. That all water and sewer mams developed by subdividers be dedicated to the Park City Municipal Corporation. 8. That the city have adequate fire protection equipment to properly protect the entile area within the boundaries of Park City. The additional nine: v 1. That Park City be assured of two second feet, plus need, of water for present use and assured that the present water contract with United Park City Mines Co. will be renewed. man Mary Condas Lehmer. While GPCC President J. Warren King has said he would comply with the original, he contends the additional nine were never officially adopted and are not binding. Park City Mayor William P. Sullivan, however, said the additional mne were adopted by the council. 1 t J. Warren King, as president of Mary Condas Lehmer Ranted New Provisions That each future developer be re- sponsible for hs equitable share, in land or cash equivalent, toward these items pro.ided for him. j i , |