The Park City Planning Commission on Wednesday night signaled it did not want City Hall's development rules loosened to enable some property owners to break height restrictions in Old Town, a line of thinking that jeopardizes the Kimball Art Center's ambitious expansion ideas.
The panel did not cast a vote, but the comments by Planning Commission members pointed toward an eventual recommendation barring property owners within the historic zones of Old Town from putting up taller buildings than are allowed by the rules.
The Planning Commission is considering a change to the Land Management Code, a document that details the development rules. It appears the members want a prohibition on exceptions to the height restrictions within projects known as master planned developments. Those sorts of projects are typically given more flexibility.
The discussions are critical to the Kimball Art Center's expansion idea. The expansion blueprints could call for an addition reaching to 80 feet in height. The rules now, though, restrict the height of buildings at the site to 32 feet. A project like the one the Kimball Art Center envisions would be rejected based on the restriction, meaning the organization would need to alter the proposal to fit the rules or seek a variance to those restrictions from a separate City Hall panel. Park Record
