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Summit County announces $10.4 million plan to expand recreational open space

Posted at 2:36 PM, Feb 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-06 17:39:54-05

COALLVILLE, Utah – A $10.4 million agreement will bring more recreational space, and needed affordable housing to Summit County.

The Summit County Council and the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District (Basin Recreation) announced Tuesday that they had made a deal with a local estate and foundation, to purchase a 461-acre parcel of land in the lower Silver Creek drainage area.

The land, purchased from the Estate of Florence J. Gillmor and the Florence J. Gillmor Foundation, will have allow around 350 acres to be used as contiguous open space for Summit County residents. The remaining 112 acres of the property will be designated for future development by the county.

“[The land] offers a variety of recreation opportunities. It will also provide a potential future development parcel to satisfy some of the community’s needs such as affordable housing, transportation, etc.  Until that possibility is realized, the potential future development parcel will be held as additional open space.  In addition, the land will help protect important wildlife corridors and habitat in the region,” said Kim Carson, Summit County Council chairperson.

The $10.4 million deal includes an agreement by Summit County to help clean up the area, to resolve environmental liability with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Natural Resource Trustees concerning the property.

The city council said that the transaction supports efforts Summit County has made to clean up soil contamination in the lower Silver Creek flood plain, east of US Highway 40.

“The County and Basin Recreation have not finalized the sources of the funding that will be used for the purchase, but it will likely be a combination of available recreational open space bond funds and other County funding sources to be determined,” Summit County said in a statement.

A photo of the proposed open space concept can be seen below: