News on Thursday that the head of the Military Installation Development Authority’s board, state Senate President Stuart Adams, had urged Park City a year ago not to “slow bake” consideration of Deer Valley’s Snow Park project had MIDA and city officials quick to reassure residents there’s no undue influence or a MIDA takeover in play.
The Park City Council that evening voted unanimously to turn over public parts of Deer Valley Drive West and Deer Valley Drive South to Deer Valley Resort for the Snow Park development and into enter into a public-private partnership with the resort addressing transportation and housing.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Stuart pitched in his two cents with Mayor Nann Worel in October 2022 after the deliberations had ongoing for about six months. He told The Tribune he advocated for fair treatment with Deer Valley, and urged Park City not to “slow bake” the decision.
To establish a Military Recreation Facility Project Area for the benefit of members of the armed forces and their families, MIDA has entered agreements with several developments around Jordanelle and Wasatch County to further develop the community at the base of Mayflower for recreational opportunities. As part of the arrangement, 100 of a hotel’s 387 rooms at the new base area will be reserved for military members and their families.
In September, Deer Valley Resort announced it had partnered with the MIDA project to expand the ski resort’s terrain, taking it from about 2,000 acres to over 5,700 beginning in the 2025-26 ski season.
The level of danger the Legislature would pass a bill enabling MIDA to shape Snow Park? Zero, said Park City and MIDA officials. The process for such a thing would be too complex and unmerited, they and Stuart said.
“The rumors are just that, rumors. No one has spoken with MIDA about expanding the Military Recreation Facility project area that sits in Wasatch County,” MIDA spokeswoman Kristin Williams said Thursday. “MIDA only operates in jurisdictions where we are formally invited by the local government, so to be very clear, MIDA can only expand into Park City boundaries if it is invited to do so by Park City Municipal.”
Even if they were invited, she continued, they would need a “military mission in Utah and nationally” before agreeing.
She also said that given the installation’s strict governing documents, state legislative interference in Park City’s decision wouldn’t necessarily come through MIDA.
“Just because there’s a rumor that the state Legislature might step in on a land-use matter does not mean that’s MIDA,” she said. “No one from Deer Valley nor Park City Municipal has spoken to MIDA about expanding the project area.”
The Park Record asked Deer Valley Resort officials if — in the case a council vote didn’t go their way — they might turn to state legislators for help and whether they had communicated with Adams in relation to the road-vacancy issue.
They did not answer those questions, but rather said they are committed to working with the municipality, mayor and council.
“Our focus is on preparing for this evening’s council meeting,” the resort said Thursday afternoon in a statement.
Adams nor his office responded to questions Thursday afternoon.
Worel explained more about the meeting’s background and Adams’ interest in the development in a statement:
“Given the likelihood of Utah hosting an upcoming Olympic Games, the state is understandably interested. He was hopeful that the City and Deer Valley would work with residents at the local level toward a viable project with substantial community benefits,” she said. “To be clear: We have NOT heard anything from any decision makers about MIDA expanding into Summit County. In fact, MIDA officials have said publicly they have no interest in doing so.”