The proposed 5-acre Bonanza Park development is a missed opportunity for our community. While the need for affordable housing is real, paving over one of our last central, city-owned parcels with high-density mixed-use buildings is the wrong approach. As former primary candidate Ian Hartley wisely noted when asked about future of the 5 acres, “No one ever regrets building a park.” We must remember why the city brought this land in 2017 for $ 19.5 million. It was originally designated as an arts and culture district intended to anchor the Sundance Institute and Kimball Art Center. It was supposed to be a true community space. Now that those foundational partners have relocated, why has that community-first designation been abandoned? Instead of honoring that public spirit, the city wants to cram 106 residential units and 32,000 square feet of commercial space onto the corner of Kearns Boulevard and Bonanza Drive. Park City Councilor Tana Toly defended the shift, stating that the project hasn’t “betrayed the original vision” but has simply “responded to it” through changing circumstances. But adding dense workforce housing and retail to an already gridlocked intersection is not a faithful response, it is a total departure from the open civic space we were promised. Residents have actively voiced opposition to stop this rapid urbanization. I urge the City Council to slow down and answer a simple question: If the original arts anchors left, why didn’t we pivot back to a true open public park? The standard line that “people had a chance to voice their opinion” doesn’t really hold much water after nine years of debate and a council who wasn’t there when the original decision was made. Let’s protect our mountain character before it is gone forever. Jennifer Beckham Lower Deer Valley The post Missed opportunity appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less