Most residents assume a decision this consequential gets made carefully and in full view. Here is what actually happened at Bonanza and Kearns. In 2017 the city spent $19.5 million of public money on 5 acres for an arts and culture district. When that vision passed $100 million in costs, the ci ty reset, and the plan quietly became a 106-unit housing development with ground-floor shops and a green between the buildings. Every meeting along the way was public. The trade itself was never put in front of residents as one choice. The story was told a page at a time over nine years, and nearly everyone I explain it to has the same reaction: They had no idea. However much workforce housing Park City should build, there are many places it can go. There is only one parcel like this one. A lawn between apartment blocks is not a town center. A real gathering space on that ground would serve the whole town for decades, and once buildings go up on it, that option is gone for good. It also matters how we got this design. When the council asked about reducing the unit count to make room for more community space, the developer said the count could not come down further without jeopardizing the tax credit equity. The shape of our town center is being dictated by a financing structure, not by what residents want on that ground. Some will say City Park already fills this role. Look at what is happening there now. The new community center triples the building it replaces, 15,000 square feet instead of 5,000, plus 40 new parking stalls required by code. Across the street, a senior center four to five times the size of the current one is planned, partly so the Woodside site can be cleared for housing. Open land here gets used up one project at a time. Whatever gets built on those 5 acres will outlast everyone who votes on it, and so will the memory of how the decision was made. Residents just proved this council listens: pushback on the pay raises brought a reversal within weeks. The Bonanza development agreement still needs a final council vote. Email the mayor and council through parkcity.gov and speak at a council meeting. If this plan is what the community wants, an honest comparison with a true open space alternative costs nothing. Kimball Thomas Park City The post Who knew? appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less