City Watch

Something fishy is happening on the eastern edge of the Jordanelle Reservoir. The town council of Hideout—a town in Wasatch County of roughly 1,000 residents—unanimously voted on measures allowing them to annex land in neighboring Summit County near Quinn’s Junction and Richardson Flat. With some observers characterizing the surprise move as brazen heist of undeveloped land, officials in Summit County and Park City are seeking recourse.

Just to clarify, a municipality is attempting to annex unincorporated land across a county line without that county’s approval. If this sounds like madness, that’s because it is. However, it seems the move is legal, at least for the time being. During the Utah Legislature’s recent special session, Sen. Kirk Cullimore introduced a substitute bill to H.B. 359 that contained what he characterized as technical changes. In reality, the substitutions appear to have been custom tailored to allow Hideout to annex and develop a tract of land in Summit County that had been set aside for open space and recreation.

The appearance of impropriety is enhanced once you learn the developers behind the move are Nate Brockbank and Josh Romney, the son of current U.S. Sen., former Republican Presidential Candidate, and recent resistance participant Mitt Romney. Brockbank and Romney had previously requested a zoning change to allow for mixed-use development on the land, which Park City opposed. Thanks to the legislative changes snuck through during a special session, that opposition may be rendered moot. It would be charitably described as naïve to overlook how political connections could help guide the direction of backroom dealings.

Hideout’s annexation and development plan are part of the town’s new General Plan, which passed in February 2019. The General Plan’s goals couldn’t be met in the town’s existing limits or under the approved Annexation Area, so they went back to the drawing board with developers to rewrite Utah state law to suit their needs. They succeeded. Conveniently for Hideout, the sprawling Superfund site with contaminated soil from the area’s mining past that is adjacent to the proposed annexation was carved out of the plans and will remain in Summit County’s hands.

The area’s two representatives in the statehouse, Rep. Tim Quinn, R-Heber and Sen. Ron Winterton, R-Roosevelt both voted against H.B. 359. Sen. Cullimore, who introduced the changes to the bill is a republican representing Sandy. Perhaps recognizing his role in a growing controversy, Sen. Cullimore said in an interview he was looking into whether the broad consensus of support behind the bill’s changes had been misrepresented to him. If other senators feel the same as Cullimore suggests he may, the Utah Legislature could repeal the law. Discussions about the possibility of repealing H.B. 359 during a special session in August have already begun.

Another obstacle to annexation and development coming to fruition is the negotiated agreement between Park City and the land’s previous owner Talisker Development to not build on the property. Talisker has since gone bankrupt and the land is in pending foreclosure, which means the courts will likely decide whether the previous agreement would apply to the new owners as well.

The developers are planning a Kimball Junction-size development on the annexed land. With large-scale development projects underway or in the pipeline at Mayflower Mountain Resort and the bases of Park City Resort and Deer Valley, the City and County opposed further significant development that would exacerbate traffic issues and add to creeping sprawl in the area. Thus far officials from other jurisdictions including Park City, Summit County and Wasatch County have expressed opposition to the annexation plan and to the rushed and secretive processes under which it was passed.

Whatever the ultimate outcome for the Hideout annexation, it would behoove lawmakers to implement a more transparent process for this and future annexation efforts. Handcuffing local governments while politically connected developers scoop up land stinks of favoritism corruption. I’d like to think Utah is better than this. Let’s see if we are.

Read more of our community coverage here.

Let me level with you. I am in favor of and in full support of wearing masks as a preventative measure against the spread of the coronavirus. The flagrant display of rebellion (and jeers from the crowd) against wearing masks at the Utah County meeting last week made national news and was painful to watch.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCtY7Eth-no/

We could go into a long debate trying to convince, and while namecalling is fun, realize that shaming often fuels the fire more than to extinguish it. And, given the nature of the virus of late, that most of us are eager to get our kiddos back into school or at least back to some degree next year, we need solutions more than conflagrations. Having two high school students, one an entering freshman and the other a senior at Highland High, I can’t help but hurt inside for the common yet wonderful things they will be missing out on this year.

Charts sometimes seem to be helpful in visually supporting data. I appreciated this particular chart that shows a significant gap between the climb of those testing for COVID-19 in SL County as compared to the rest of the state. The chart (below) shows the rolling average of new cases in Salt Lake County (red line) and the rest of the state (gray line), pointing out that the mandate to wear a mask went into effect on June 25. 

Posted on Twitter, Sunday, July 19, 2020, Robert Gehrke, columnist at http://sltrib.com: “I updated my graph showing the trends for Salt Lake County and the rest of the state. Today was a bad day for SLCo, 347 new cases bringing the 7-day rolling average to 265, still down from the peak. The rest of the state still surging. 7-day avg now at 371.”

The chart seems to be indicating that a mandate (and compliance) in wearing a mask in public seems to be working, in spite of SL’s higher and denser population, and is mildly encouraging news. For those who are wearing masks, thank you. Please continue to keep it up, make those amazingly clever and cool signs to display in your yards, and stay healthy SLC.

To read more about City Life in SLC, go here.

Promise Park is at 2230 South 500 East, and was dedicated in the memory of Hser Ner Moo. In the picture stands, Mayor Cherie Wood (left) with Hser Ner Moo’s mother (center).

In 2008 and only at the age of 7, Hser Ner Moo was found brutally murdered in a South Salt Lake apartment. This only happened shortly after her family had landed in SLC as refugees from Thailand, but originally from Burma (Myanmar) Karen. Today, July 16, 2020, the Mayor of South Salt Lake Cherie Wood dedicated a new public park next to the S-Line at 2230 South 500 East as Promise Park, in memory of Hser Ner Moo.

July 16, 2020, also marks Hser Ner Moo’s 20th birthday. The park dedication was small, brief and heartbreaking, but still meaningful as it gives us a chance to pause and note the positive changes that have come since her death and the ones that still need to happen. Her murder was a catalyst of sorts in bringing about the Promise South Salt Lake initiative (learn about here) and the Hser Ner Moo Community and Welcome Center.

In Mayor Wood’s words: “Promise Park marks a milestone in SSL history. The work of Promise South Salt Lake and getting to today has been a herculean effort by all employees. For putting our youth first, ensuring they have a safe neighborhood to thrive in, for meeting the needs of everyone in our community.

Our work is far from over, today I recommit and hope you will join me as we work for a community that continues to welcome all. We will keep our promise that every kid has the opportunity to thrive, gain a great education, and live in a safe clean home and neighborhood.”

In attendance, was her family, leaders of South Salt Lake, Promise South Salt Lake, and community members.

See all of our city life coverage here.

Salt Lake City is classified as an orange (moderate risk) zone for COVID-19. And by moderate we mean over 14,000 cases and 132 deaths, with numbers continuing to climb on a daily basis. With that said, schools here in the city are unable to reopen until we’re at least within the yellow (low risk) phase. Instead, schools and students will have to adjust to online learning this fall. This plan has caused outrage amongst some parents.

In a report from KSL, parents voiced their frustrations. “We have schools that are 2.7 miles away that are in a different district that have the opportunity to go to school five days a week,” said Glenna Lotulelei. “We are not even given the chance to make a choice and as a parent, I feel like we should make a choice if our child should go to school and play sports.”

According to two surveys given to parents and teachers in the spring, most families and staff agree with the school restart plan for the 2020-2021 school year. “My husband and I are definitely doing the distance learning option, there’s no way we’re going to send our kids into the fire.” Jen Brown, a local mother, said in a statement.

While teachers and families continue to discuss the logic and practicability of reopening school doors in Salt Lake City, every school across the United States has been met with pressure from the White House. A recent tweet from President Trump shows a seemingly politicized view on the health and wellness of our children and school workers.

“In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020

In spite of this, as NPR reported last week, the reopening of schools is based on the recommendations of local and state health officials and leaders of school districts, all of whom take the thoughts and concerns of families very seriously.

Governor Herbert will be deciding this month whether or not to move Salt Lake City from orange to yellow. If Salt Lake City is moved to the yellow phase, The Salt Lake City School District has laid out a plan. “In the Yellow (Low Risk) phase, our schools will be able to operate on a Modified Schedule, where students will spend time each week learning in class and time learning remotely.” Larry Madden, Interim Superintendent for the Salt Lake City School District, wrote in a statement (click here to read full statement).

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Thursday, July 9th, the District Attorney of Salt Lake County, Sim Gill, announced his decision to rule the shooting and death of 22-year-old Bernardo Palacios, as “justified.” More than 20 shots were fired at Bernardo Palacios while running away from Salt Lake Police on May 23rd.

In reports, Gill stated that the police were justified in their actions because Bernardo dropped and picked up his gun multiple times while fleeing the scene.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, “Two police officers fired 34 rounds at Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal in May, killing him. The officers said they knew the man had a gun and worried he could turn around quickly and shoot them. Their first bullets hit him in the back.”

Gill’s decision caused mass outrage. Protests went on into the evening as “Justice for Bernardo” was chanted across the downtown area. Frustrated protestors painted the street outside of Gill’s office red and smashed in windows. Bloody-red handprints marked the glass next to the numerous posters.

Once again, the noise of helicopters disturbed the evening in the area around downtown as what police had hoped would be a peaceful protest turned rowdy. Authorities expected a protest, just as most people who have been observing the SLCPD over the years must have expected Gill’s decision—very seldom has a DA found police action “unjustified.” In the past decade, no Utah cops have been convicted of murder or manslaughter, and shootings are ruled as justified 92% of the time, according to the Tribune. Police in Utah are legally allowed to kill someone if they feel that person may hurt or kill someone else.

And, as an LATimes op-ed pointed out years ago, “too many have died and been seriously injured from unnecessary police use of deadly force.”

It’s time for American police forces to find another way to fight crime. Sim Gill apparently agrees, saying that although his decision was in accordance with current law, the laws around police use of force need to change.

The need is urgent, Mr. Gill.

For more city news, click here.

The planned development of the lots at the base of Park City Mountain has encountered a procedural snag. The Park City Planning Commission unanimously voted on Wednesday to subject the plans from developer PEG Companies to a complete review, siding with City Hall staff as well as some vocal outside critics. PEG Companies aimed to move forward with the project under an existing 1990’s development agreement for the area, but ultimately the planning commission decided the substantive differences between what was envisioned decades ago and what has been submitted warrant a full review.

At this point, PEG Companies is not required to make any modifications to their proposal, and it may proceed through the master plan development review process as is. The decision does, however, subject the project to a new level of scrutiny regarding several facets of the development including the location of buildings, parking infrastructure and pedestrian routes. Whether the procedural hurdle turns into a major obstacle remains to be seen, but it adds yet another hurdle for developers to clear as they were already confronting some vocal opposition.

The Citizens Allied for Responsible Growth (CARG) levied a withering critique of the developers to the Planning Commission earlier in the week. One of CARG’s founders, Rich Wyman, suggested the plans lack vision befitting a world-class destination. Among Wyman’s objections were substantive issues such as the project’s lack of affordable-housing and traffic solutions as well as some remarks that strayed into ad hominem attacks suggesting PEG Companies wasn’t up to the task. PEG Companies has in the past stated an intention to listen to and adapt to local input, though it appears they’ll have an uphill battle in winning over some factions.

The PCMR Development isn’t the only Park City project in flux. On Thursday the Park City Council met to discuss the future of the Arts and Culture District as the city’s two primary partners, the Kimball Art Center and the Sundance Institute, are experiencing turmoil amid the coronavirus pandemic. The $70 million the city planned to spend on the project seems daunting amid unprecedented budgetary shortfalls, while the Kimball Arts Center and Sundance Institute cope with the loss of major revenue with the cancellation of the Kimball Arts Festival and alterations to the Sundance Film Festival respectively. Both the not-for-profit organizations have recently laid off staff amid the economic downturn.

Despite the setbacks, city officials and representatives from the Sundance Institute and Kimball Art Center remain steadfast in the goal towards seeing the Arts and Culture District come to fruition. Though they admit the timing of the project will likely be altered, it’s seen as an important long-term step in diversifying a local economy that is heavily reliant upon the ski industry.

Read more of our community coverage here.

My phone kept buzzing. “Rudy Gobert just tested positive for coronavirus,” read the text from my friend. It was March 11, and I was hosting a local radio show as a volunteer DJ in Park City. Suddenly my sardonic news breaks in the middle of songs I didn’t feel like playing turned into actual breaking new snippets as Twitter lit up. Within minutes Tom Hanks announced he’d tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA had suspended its season and the president halted travel from Europe. Yet the handful of coronavirus cases in Utah were tied to international travel and life in Park City churned on. Then on March 14, the canary collapsed.

The canary, for the uninitiated, served as a harbinger of danger for miners. The diminutive birds would succumb to dangerous gases like carbon monoxide before people, alerting miners to the presence of a threat. With most of the United States blissfully inattentive to the looming specter of coronavirus, Park City and similar resort communities sounded the alarm with a pronounced thud.

On that fateful Saturday, Park City Mountain opened in a mostly typical manner. The lodges served only grab and go food, but nobody was adhering to the only-ride-chairs-with-your-party mandate, and crowds were queued up for beer at Tombstone BBQ. In the afternoon, word spread: A doorman at a popular Main Street bar had tested positive for coronavirus, the first instance of community spread in Park City. The lifts wouldn’t spin again.

In the days and weeks that followed, the coronavirus case rate in Summit County exploded, ranking seventh nationally in infections per capita. Blaine County, Idaho, home to Sun Valley, and Gunnison County, Colorado, home to Crested Butte, also held the dubious honor of being in the top seven of all 3,142 counties in the country. With relatively low population densities, it seemed counterintuitive these small ski communities would be hit so hard, but each is a hub of nationwide and international travel far exceeding what population statistics would indicate.

As visitors flocked to the slopes in February and early March, coronavirus made an early entrance and silently spread for weeks before the threat emerged. On March 14, five of the eight cases in Summit County were from visitors. By March 27, it was only eight of 135. Strategy shifted rapidly from containment to mitigation. That same day Summit County became the first in Utah to issue a shelter-in-place order. The prompt county response was admirable and spurred action throughout the state. Nobody asks to be the canary, but at least Summit County caught people’s attention.

For more on Park City life, click here.

Salt Lake City was founded on a religion imported from the East. Its neighboring city to the north, Ogden, has its roots in the Wild West.

And therein lies all the difference.

Ogden is technically the oldest town in Utah, first settled by trapper Miles Goodyear in 1846. In a couple of years, Fort Buenaventura, as the little town was known, was purchased by the Mormons for less than $2,000 and renamed it Ogden, but even then the town was not tamed. Ogden has always had a reputation for pushing the limits, inspiring the probably apocryphal quote from gangster Al Capone, “This town is too tough for me.”

Historic 25th Street has been the site of gun violence, gambling, shootouts, prostitution, liquor, opium dens. “We’ve been able to maintain the Wild West narrative, but blend it with the new,” says three-term Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell.

Photo courtesy of: Jay Dash/Visit Ogden

A lot has changed in Ogden, but fortunately, maybe accidentally-on-purpose, a lot hasn’t changed. And, as is true in many cities, what remains is what has saved the city. As Salt Lake City raced to join mainstream America, Ogden remained something of a backwater, a memory city, a relic of its former self. Really good restaurants were scarce, the cultural scene was provincial and although everyone loved Ogden, those declaring their love for that city had often moved to Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake gutted its downtown and sabotaged it repeatedly—once by building the Crossroads Mall, then by agreeing to the development of Gateway which pulled retail trade from the heart of downtown to its edges, and again by building City Creek Mall which undermined Gateway. City Creek was supposed to revitalize downtown but its outside-in design followed the footprint of former successes of mall developer Taubman, the premier mall company in the nation.

The trouble being: Downtown Salt Lake didn’t need a mall. Malls are by their nature lobster traps—shoppers park in the mall, shop in the mall and drive away from the mall. No one is strolling Main Street. City Creek failed at reviving Salt Lake’s downtown.

Courtesy of: Visit Ogden

Meanwhile Ogden had what Salt Lake needed: a couple of lively downtown blocks lined with independent stores, restaurants and bars. An actual downtown scene. “The heart of Ogden is small businesses and there’s such a private/public partnership on this—including housing as well,” says Sarah Toliver, President and CEO of Visit Ogden. And Ogden’s city fathers and mothers got it. “We’ve worked to keep out the big chains,” says Caldwell.

In spring, 2019, Ogden City, with its consultant Design Workshop, kicked off a multi-month planning process to create a new Downtown Master Plan, one that suits the city’s character and history, one that reflects Ogden’s personality and doesn’t try to mimic successes in other cities. Denver-based landscape architecture, urban design and planning firm Design Workshop is helping with the open process which has invited suggestions and comments from the public, online and in a series of public meetings. Goals include increased walkability, greater connectivity of public transit, developing strong social services, schools, day care, groceries and open space with an eye to attracting permanent residents, and increasing the quality and number of city events.

ROOSTER’S B STREET: (2525 B Ave.)
A longtime anchor in downtown Ogden, this Trackline branch is where the beer is brewed—in a funky, casual atmosphere with a patio and beer-friendly food.

Courtesy Of: WB’S EATERY/JAY DASH/VISIT OGDEN

WB’S EATERY: (455 25th St)
A concept from Amy Wanderley-Britt (owner of Pig & A Jelly Jar), the corner restaurant in the Monarch serves coffee and snacks by day, wine and snacks by night.

PEERY LOFTS: (2461 Adams Ave.)
The 106-year-old Peery Apartments, recently used as low-income housing, are being renovated into a contemporary loft space.

01 ARTS PLATFORMS: (25th & Adams)
The former vacant lot is now used as a community performance and exhibition venue.

This is part of a plan that’s already happening, although Tolliver admits there’s been a slowdown to address COVID-19 concerns. Music fans prefer Ogden’s Twilight concerts to Salt Lake City’s series, which have been bounced around town like a hot potato instead of a hot opportunity. Building on the old saying “you can’t go anywhere without going to Ogden,” coined with nine rail lines connected in Ogden, the city has designated the Nine Rails Creative District, already anchored by Rooster’s brewery and Rachel Pohl’s mural at 25th & Adams (in partnership with the Weber Art Council), the beginning of the Painted Streets project, several outdoor video projections during First Friday Art Stroll, and MOMENTS Festival, a one-night festival of ephemeral art. The idea is to support an arts epicenter, a place for artists to live and create.

Salt Lake City took a step in this direction with Artspace back in 1979. But Ogden keeps moving ahead with the idea: In 2020, Thaine Fischer opened The Monarch, a multi-use creative and business space whose fluid definition of what “belongs” leaves it open to a wide possibility of uses: event venues, artist’s studios, exhibit spaces. It’s located in the heart of the Nine Rails district in a converted enclosed 60,000 square-foot parking garage originally built to service the Bigelow Hotel. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 because of its architecture.(It was originally designed by Leslie S. Hodgson who also designed Peery Lofts, Peery’s Egyptian Theater and the Bigelow Hotel. Sliding into decrepitude, it was rescued by Fischer-Regan Enterprises, an entity whose plan is to redevelop Ogden’s historical assets.

An eye towards the future with respect for the past seems to be the formula that is working for Ogden. Other mid-size Western cities like Boise and Bend have used the same philosophy. Why doesn’t Salt Lake City?

“Soul matters,” says Mayor Caldwell.

For more on city life, click here.

To learn more on visiting Ogden, click here.

“For the first time in my life, I belong to a political party — and here’s why you should, too,” is the headline of June 1, 2020, Salt Lake Tribune article by Robert Gehrke, he reports, “I did it because I should get to have a voice in who Utah’s next governor is.” 

And while Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen is not noticing this as a trend, according to Gehrke’s twitter poll and my own personal and highly scientific observations and conversations, we’d beg to differ. While Democrats would be thrilled with a Democratic governor, as Utahns, we know better. As Gehrke points out, “The Democratic nominee, Chris Peterson, seems like a sharp, likable guy. But in the past five gubernatorial elections, the sharp, likable Democrat has lost by an average margin of 67% to 30%.”

To be clear, whoever wins the Republican primary will most likely decide who runs the state for the next ten years. So many people are registering as party members for the first time or switching sides, call it temporary, call it ‘monkeywrenching’, no matter, what is most important is that we vote. Mail-in your ballot, drop it off, just be sure to do it Utah.

To learn more about the gubernatorial candidates for both parties, go here. 

Sorry, folks, but the show mustn’t go on. Park City has scrapped its annual July Fourth parade as part of the effort to encourage social distancing. Clearly throngs of people standing shoulder to shoulder and peering over one another for a glimpse of passing floats isn’t in keeping with responsible guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Accordingly, crowded Independence Day activities and gatherings that typically take place in City Park have been canceled, but the evening sky will still likely be lit up with a fireworks show even if City officials prefer you watch them from your own homes.

The cancellation of July 4 celebrations is notable as it’s one of the busiest days of the year in Park City, which relies heavily on tourism dollars generated during popular events. Officials were holding out hope for a semblance of normalcy to the festivities, but reversed course as it became clear that wouldn’t be feasible. July 4 in Park City won’t be advertised in the Salt Lake Valley with City Hall’s report encourages a “locals’ 4^th approach to enjoying your neighborhood with friends and family.” Still, don’t expect Main Street to be empty next Saturday as City Hall hopes to pedestrianize town on the Fourth as they have doing each Sunday.

The canceled celebrations add to a laundry list of nixed summer activities in Park City which also includes the Tour of Utah, the Kimball Arts Festival and the Park Silly Sunday Market. The dearth of events bringing people to Main Street is increasing anxiety about diminished shopping and dining sales in town. The uncertain timeline for reopening and the lack of confidence regarding the upcoming winter season are making it difficult for many businesses to survive.

The decision to cancel much of the Fourth in town comes as Summit County Health Director Rich Bullough issued a sobering warning about the spread of COVID-19 the Summit County. While the surge in infections in Summit County is not has high as in the rest of the state, the numbers are trending in the wrong direction. Three of the county’s four ICU beds were in occupied this week, and available beds in Salt Lake City used when Summit County exceeds supply are also filling up.

Of note, the current surge in Utah appears to have begun accelerating on May 27, about two weeks after the majority of the state moved to the yellow, low-risk phase. In her memo, State Epidemiologist Angela Dunn stated the average contacts per case in Utah has jumped from five to 20 since the shift, highlighting how vigilance fatigue and a shift in public perceptions have altered behavior. It’s a clear indicator we aren’t out of the woods yet and social distancing will be an important norm for some time to come. Cases have spiked high enough that travelers from Utah arriving in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut must quarantine for 14 days. Utah is among the nine states subject to these new rules, which marks a stark reversal from just weeks ago when the tri-state area was the nation’s coronavirus epicenter.

We’re all tired of this pandemic, but coronavirus is heating up in Summit County. Park City officials should be commended for making tough decisions, especially since they’re certain to spur criticism from some.

Read more of our community coverage here.