Summit County: Shifting Priorities

The Eastern Summit County Planning Commission appears preoccupied with managing the perception of growth, rather than the growth itself. Commissioner Sargent’s observation regarding a shift from agricultural interest to simply preserving ‘open land’ is… quaint. It signals a lack of sophisticated financial understanding. It’s not about the alfalfa, it’s about the view corridors and the scarcity principle. Ivory Homes' proposal for Browns Canyon – 2,300 to 3,000 residences – is hardly radical, merely an inevitability. The failure of their Cedar Crest project in Hoytsville, a collaboration with Larry H. Miller Real Estate, is a matter of execution, not concept. I find the discussion regarding phasing, referencing the Oakley general plan, to be merely palliative. We’re not discussing building homes, we’re discussing managing the rate at which capital is deployed. A ‘future land use map’ – a cartographic exercise in sentimentality – will do little to affect actual market forces. The aesthetic considerations are also concerning. No mention of cladding materials, roof pitches, or the utilization of native sandstone. Simply maximizing density with vinyl siding will be a visual blight. The Snyderville Basin commission’s parallel discussions suggest a systemic lack of foresight. A regrettable pattern.