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Show C-1 B-1 NONPROFIT UNCORKS A COLORFUL FUNDRAISER ICE MINERS NET STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AT LAST FIND US ON FACEBOOK COLUMNS, A-8 WAY WE WERE, A-7 SENIOR CENTER BUILDERS DEFIED THE ODDS Follow the latest. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ parkrecord for up-to-date news. TOM KELLY HITS PCMR WITH A VIRTUAL FRIEND Park Record. The PA R K C I T Y, U TA H Advocates say rate reduction, smaller tax credits could make rooftop panels less practical ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record Renewable energy consultants reported to the Summit County Council last week that they surpassed county-set goals for outreach and community involvement in energy programs, but the update came against a backdrop of regulatory changes that threaten the economics underpinning the area’s solar industry. One of the consultants told the council a Rocky Mountain Power proposed rate change for excess solar power could “kill the solar industry here in Utah,” while a local solar installer said in an interview the proposal sounded like the death knell for residential solar in the area. At issue is a proposal from the utility to pay rooftop solar owners 83% less than it does now for the excess power their solar arrays create. An advocacy group and a solar installer said that rate would make rooftop solar no longer a sound financial decision for homeowners. Rocky Mountain Power spokesperson Spencer Hall said the move reflects the actual cost of producing solar energy, which has come down significantly in recent years because of advancements in technology and hardware. “It goes both ways. Since it’s so cost-effective for everyone (now), that’s the appropriate rate that should be given to people,” Hall said. He added that most people aren’t putting solar power systems on their roofs for how much money they’ll make off the excess energy, but rather to offset their energy consumption. He took issue with the assertion that the rate change would mean the end for the area’s solar installers. “It’s certainly not true (that the rate would kill the area’s solar industry),” Hall said. Rocky Mountain Power has proposed to pay 1.53 cents per kilowatt hour for excess energy from future rooftop solar systems, rather than the 9.2 cents it pays now. The Utah Public Service Commission is not scheduled to rule on the proposal until after a series of hearings this fall. A Utah Clean Energy representative said the advocacy group will file a counter-proposal with the commission in time for a March 3 deadline. Summit County adopted a goal to reduce greenhouse emissions countywide 80% by 2050 compared to 2014 levels. It contracted with Utah Clean Energy as part of that endeavor, and representatives Jeff Bousson and Ryan Anderson told the council Wednesday of their work on the six goals that were determined at the outset of the contract by the county’s sustainability program manager. The projects included informing municipal governments of a community renewable energy program, conducting public outreach for endeavors like replacing lightbulbs with more energy efficient ones and administering a bulk-purchasing community solar energy program. The outreach effort for the community renewable energy program was unexpectedly fruitful, Bousson has said, with five Summit County municipalities joining the statewide initiative. Please see Solar, A-2 PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO The economic environment for solar energy is changing, advocates warn, with federal tax credits and solar energy rates declining. One area solar installer says those factors could be the nail in the coffin for residential arrays. 3 sections • 28 pages Classifieds .............................. C-7 Events Calendar ..................... C-6 Restaurant Guide.................... B-6 Scoreboard ............................. B-5 W W W. PA R K R E C O R D . C O M Wed/Thurs/Fri, February 26-28, 2020 Serving Summit County since 1880 Changes may ‘kill’ Utah’s solar industry | Vol. 140 | No. 07 $1.00 Buildings for sale for $10 million or more as boom market persists JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record Toward the southern end of Main Street, the owner of the building at 268 Main St. hopes to sell the property for nearly $11 million. And toward the northern end of the shopping, dining and entertainment strip, the owner of the building at 660 Main St. wants $10 million for the property. The building at 268 Main St., where the tenants include the J Go Gallery and the nightclub O.P. Rockwell, is one of the largest along Main Street, while the building at 660 Main St. occupies a high-profile location steps from the Main Street-Heber Avenue intersection and once housed Robert Redford’s Zoom restaurant. The two eight-digit listings essentially bookend the commercial real estate market this ski season on Main Street, long one of the most desirable locations in the state for investors. The $10 million mark for an asking price, though, is notable. It is believed there have been few deals over the years along Main Street to reach that figure. The $10 million or more asking prices represent broad confidence in the future of Main Street and Park City itself. The Park City-area economy enjoyed a strong emergence from the recession and, in more recent years, has strengthened with the arrival of Vail Resorts as the owner of Park City Mountain Resort and the linking of PCMR and the former Canyons Resort into a single property. Vail Resorts is seen as the industry leader and its season-pass product, known as the Epic Pass, offers skiing across the Colorado-based firm’s portfolio of mountain resorts. Epic Pass holders have arrived in Park City in large numbers since the Vail Resorts acquisition of PCMR in 2014, spending time and money on Main Street during their visits. Main Street has risen alongside the wider strength of the Park City area. Lease rates have increased and there are a dwindling number of PHOTOS BY TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD MAP BY BEN OLSON Please see The ‘Vail effect,’ A-6 Drop-and-load alteration considered Main Street zones could be consolidated, streamlining the controversial program JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record City Hall is considering a major alteration to the drop-and-load map in the Main Street core, a change that would be designed to streamline the operations of the controversial program. Officials in coming weeks could consolidate some of the zones. There would be fewer of the zones, but they would be larger under an altered map. The program currently involves nine drop-and-load zones. The alteration calls for a five-zone setup. City Hall says the alteration would keep the full complement of parking spaces — between 50 and 55 — in the drop-and-load zones. The precise locations of the five zones under consideration have not been finalized. Officials would focus on the 300, 400 and 700 blocks of Main Street, though. The zones on those blocks have been the most heavily used. City Hall staffers plan to make a formal recommendation to Park City Manager Matt Dias to launch the altered program on March 6, meaning the new map would be in effect during what is expected to be the busy final weeks of the ski season as spring-break crowds arrive. Staffers are also discussing the proposed alteration with Main Street leaders. Mayor Andy Beerman and the Park City Council are expected to be briefed at a meeting on March 5. Jonathan Weidenhamer, who manages City Hall’s economic development programs and a staffer heavily involved in the drop-and-load program, said the alteration would reduce the staffing needs of the program. It would also allow City Hall to better post signs identifying the spots as drop-and-load zones. “Easier to sign. Easier to see,” he said. Park City leaders in late 2019 created the drop-and-load zones in an effort to reduce the amount of congestion on and around Main Street as well as improve the safety of the shopping, dining and entertainment strip. Drivers are required to hold a City Hall-sold permit, costing $200, to use a drop-and-load zone. Transportation firms and lodging prop- VISITOR GUIDE Slither to a showcase of cold-blooded creatures erties have appeared to especially use the zones. The zones quickly turned controversial as City Hall enforcement efforts launched alongside the wider program. There have been numerous Park City Police Department cases involving violations since the drop-and-load zones debuted. In many of the cases, officers warned drivers who did not understand the system. In other cases, though, vehicles have been towed after they were left in a drop-andload zone. There was a respite during the Sundance Film Festival, when parking and transportation operations were managed under a different system. The violations restarted at the end of Sundance in early February and have stretched since then. Police logs show cases continuing as vehicles were repeatedly left in drop-and-load zones without anybody inside. In other cases in the Main Street core, drivers were seen picking people up in the middle of the street or double parking. The drop-and-load program is a pilot for the ski season. The mayor and City Council are expected to review the program after the end of the pilot. Kim’s Cold-Blooded Creatures will showcase her reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 29, at the Swaner EcoCenter. Tickets to the event are $6 per person, and free for ages 2 and younger. For information, visit swanerecocenter.org. |