In 1996, I graduated from Park City High School and left our smallish town for college and big-city life. After working in Los Angeles, I returned to Park City in 2005. Like many who grew up here, I wanted to come home to the mountains. But wanting to live in Park City and being able to afford it a re two different things. I was fortunate to purchase a deed-restricted condo in Redstone at Kimball Junction. That opportunity changed the trajectory of my life. Affordable housing gave me the stability to start a business that eventually employed more than 20 people on Main Street. It also allowed me to volunteer with local nonprofits, mentor Park City High School students, and work for both Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort. That home didn’t just benefit me. It enabled me to give back to the community that shaped me. Now I think about the next generation. What happens to Park City High School graduates who want to stay or return, start businesses, teach, work at our resorts, raise families, coach sports, and volunteer? Will they have the same opportunity I had? That’s why the Bonanza Park 5-acre affordable housing project matters. It could give others the foundation I received more than 20 years ago. To our Planning Commission and City Council, I respectfully ask: Please move this project forward. I appreciate the care and effort involved in planning our community’s future. But additional studies, consultants, and prolonged discussions can become substitutes for progress. Let’s build on the work already done and turn planning into homes for our neighbors. Every month of delay makes it harder for the people who sustain Park City to remain part of it. We’ve built a remarkable mountain town, but a community isn’t defined by real estate values, luxury homes, or view corridors from a cemetery. It’s defined by its people. We need to stop talking about preserving our community while delaying the housing that makes preserving it possible. To the next generation of Park City graduates and everyone who serves this town: You deserve the chance to build a life here and give back. Please, let’s stop kicking the can and take action. Mike Wong Park City The post Kicking the Bonanza Park can appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less