Developers broke ground recently on Studio Crossing, a mixed-use development being built with private dollars that is the largest affordable housing project in Park City history.
The Crandall Capital development, which is next to Utah Film Studios, will include 208 affordable housing units ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments and about 100 market rate townhouses and condominiums. Eclectic retail and dining options, as well as open space, also will be part of the mix.
Crandall Capital is a local family-owned company run by Gary Crandall and his sons Ryan and Matthew. Steed Construction is the general contractor, and Trent Smith, owner of Salt Lake City design studio Modern Out West, is the lead architect.
Matthew Crandall said Smith’s design of the 320,000-square-foot project creates “a little bit of a new style.”
“Everybody goes for the mountain modern,” he said. “What we were going for is mining modern, so we wanted to go off of that mining heritage and I think he’s done a really good job capturing that.”
The company did not have an obligation to build any workforce housing, but the family wanted a development that would serve the community and decided to go to the extreme with 208 units at Studio Crossing, which also is the largest affordable housing project in Summit County history, Crandall said.
The family also chose to build without using state and local tax money, he said.
“It’s all privately funded and 100% of the ownership is local, which consists of myself and my brother and my dad,” Crandall said. “Oftentimes when people develop in Park City, even if they are local, they have a small portion of it and the fact is the majority of the ownership is big money outside of the state.”
The family members are focusing on building something they can be proud of, he added.
“Oftentimes, affordable housing units are tucked away in the corners of developments, more likely than not built with the cheapest materials that one can find,” Crandall said. “If you’ve seen our renderings, you can tell that these are just as nice as market rate units that are either for sale or for rent. And we really want to provide our tenants with a place that they can be proud of, where they can have a sense of pride and really call their home. We’re excited about that.”
The town homes and condos are designed for a variety of residents, including working professionals and seniors who want to age in place.
A permanent fixture at the 320,000-square-foot development will be sculptures of two deer by local artist Malen Pierson, who has been sculpting for more than 30 years using old farm machinery and found objects and tools. His Studio Crossing sculptures, which were made out of old John Deere tractor parts, are named “John Deer.”
Park City Mayor Nann Worel said Studio Crossing is giving a big boost to the effort to have 800 affordable units in town by 2026. She noted there had been a recent groundbreaking of a project that will add nearly 100 units to the city’s housing stock along the Kearns Boulevard.
The EngineHouse Apartments project, a public-private partnership, will have 99 income-restricted units and 24 units that will be rented at market rate. At an Oct. 4 ceremony, Worel described the project, at 1875 Homestake Road, as the largest affordable housing development in the history of the city.
“We were so incredibly proud of that and still are,” the mayor said at the Studio Crossing groundbreaking. “But now we’ve been upstaged tonight with this development.”
Worel also praised the developers for their plan to shy away from big box stores and big box brands in favor of locally sourced and locally driven businesses and their sustainability efforts.
By providing housing for ski tourism workers who are currently priced out of the area, the development is designed to decrease commuter traffic coming into Park City. In addition, the entire development plan calls for “eco-conscious solutions” such as electric car ports, an electric bike share, construction materials that do not emit significant pollutants, water-wise planting, public transit station for getting to downtown Park City and Salt Lake City.
