The Park City Board of Adjustments asked the city to take another look at previously approved plans for Matthew Prince, the billionaire owner of The Park Record, to build an 11,000-square-foot home on Treasure Hill.
In a surprise move Tuesday night, the board voted 3-2 to partially grant a request for an appeal filed by neighbors Eric Hermann and Susan Fredston-Hermann. They asked the city to reconsider its August decision, when it said the proposal met historic district design requirements.
The decision comes after planning commissioners, an appeal panel and city planning staff all signed off on plans for the home.
But the Board of Adjustments came to a different conclusion after three hours of deliberation Tuesday night, when attorneys on both sides argued over whether the plans met historic district design standards.
At first, board member Ruth Gezelius asked to deny the appeal, allowing the approved plans to move forward. But only one other member of the five-person board, Jennifer Franklin, agreed with her.
Then board member John Stafsholt made a motion to approve the appeal. But the city attorney pressed the board to be specific about what errors it found in the planning department’s decision, since granting the appeal required the burden of proof. Board members Stephanie Wilson and Beth Armstrong pointed to the scale of the building and the impact of retaining walls. Wilson also commented she was concerned the house would be “looming over Old Town.”
Read the full story at kpcw.org.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.
