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Show Cal Cowher Will Chair Planning Commission Park City real estate developer Cal Cowher has been appointed to chair the Planning Commission for the next two years. Cowher takes over from Greg Lawson whose chairmanship expires .this vear. Cowher, 39, has lived in Park City for four years and - J" iPM -mwmmstmmni: it . ;.. ' y. . $ :: ''.O.-Si-x'".' ::. v" :S;:.v:-"'::':::::':;-:.i . ' -. illll f t-! ,4 "'ZL , 111 - Newly appointed Planning Commission chairman, Cal Cowher. has served on the Planning Commission since October of 1981. The new chairman came to Park City as Deer Valley's Vice President in charge of Engineering and Construction. Construc-tion. Later he broke away from the resort to form Quadriga Development with Bob WeUs and Merle Huseth, also former Deer Valley employees. The most pressing issued that will appear before the commission during the next two years, according to Cowher, are those associated with the development of areas outside the present city limits including Richardson Flats and the Snyderville Basin. "There is going to be tremendous development pressure in those areas during the next two years," Cowher said, "and whether those areas are in the city limits or not they will eventually have an impact on Park City. The Park City Planning Commission has to work very closely with Summit County during the next few years to develop overall planning concepts that affect the entire area and lead to compatible development and growth in the future." Currently, the City Council is considering a somewhat controversial redefining of the powers of the Planning Commission. The council . would like to place many of the routine responsibility for individual project reviews in the hands of the Planning staff. The move would free up the Planning Commission-to Commission-to concentrate on long range planning concepts. Although some Commissioners are concerned the move would concentrate too much authority author-ity in the hands of the planning director, Cowher says he supports the plan. "We have an excellent and highly trained planning staff." he said, "and they should be given the responsibility respon-sibility for all the technical aspects of the planning " process. The Planning Commission Com-mission is made up of a broad cross section of backgrounds back-grounds and experiences that are not necessarily directly related to technical planning concepts. I feel the Planning Commission can best serve Park City by concentrating on broad planning plan-ning issues rather than specific details of specific projects." he said. The chairman of the Planning Commission, like the Mayor of the City Council is charged with leading the group and may vote only to break a tie. |