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Show I City Council changes zone in Swede Alley, approves agreement for office building The City Council voted June 7 to rezone a 2.7-acre parcel in Swede Alley, setting the stage for the development of an 82,000-! 82,000-! square-foot office building and a 360-space parking structure. By rezoning the Swede Alley parcel, the Council overruled the Planning Commission Com-mission recommendation to deny the zone change. The request to rezone was made by the Redevelopment Agency Agen-cy whose board of directors is made up of the City Council. Later in the same meeting, the Council approved the sale of the property to Fields Nipkow Real Estate and Development who will build the structure. The office space is the proposed headquarters head-quarters of Mrs. Fields Cookies and Fields Enterprises. Enter-prises. The office building will accommodate 400 people. peo-ple. The office building parking park-ing structure grew out of an earlier agreement between the R1)A and Silver Mill of Park City to build a 220-space parking structure. Randy Fields is the major stockholder stockhold-er in Silver Mill who is now building the mall on upper Main Street. That parking was originally designed to serve the mall. The agreement between the city and Fields Nipkow holds that the city be given architectural review of the building plans to make sure they are "harmonious" with Old Town. The density and scale of the project, along with a lack of site specific plans, were at the center of the Planning Commission's recommendation to deny the zone change. The approved agreement acknowledges that the project pro-ject concept is being "fast tracked" so that construction can begin this summer. It stipulates, however, that the city must have final drawings no later than July 14. According to City Manager Arlene Loble, it is important that the parking structure is in place by the winter season. Before the City Council voted on the measure, it was presented with a letter from former Planning Commission Chairman Greg Lawson outlining out-lining his concerns for the overall Redevelopment Agency plan. Lawson said he had questions concerning the proposed urban-type density and scale in Old Town. In his letter Lawson said the structure will create a "Queen Mary" impact on Swede Alley. Referring to another RDA plan to develop a 300-room hotel north of the Marsac Building, Lawson said the project "appears well beyond any reasonable scale with the historic area." Lawson further stated that although the city and RDA have held public hearings, residents have not participated participat-ed in RDA decision concerning concern-ing the development of Swede Alley. He suggested that the city make a survey to "evaluation resident opinion" opin-ion" on the RDA master plan. But City Councilman Bob Wells said that there has been "ample opportunity for public input" on the RDA plan. "The general concept of the RDA is six or sevn years old," he said. Wells explained that the plan has always been to broaden the economic base on Main Street by providing parking and beds in Old Town. The RDA has made an effort to keep projects scaled down, City Councilman Al Horrigan said. He cited a contract just signed with California developer Taylor Grant for construction of parking and commercial space at the top of Main Street opposite the Treasure Mountain Inn. Taylor Grant was held to a minimum of commercial space while providing pro-viding 137 parking units and a plaza, he said. |
