Utah’s Park City Council greenlights $7 million project to bury power lines in Bonanza Park
(UI) — Park City is advancing its long-awaited initiative to bury power lines in the Bonanza Park area, paving the way for future development in the district, according to KPCW.
The City Council has approved a $7 million agreement with Rocky Mountain Power to move the overhead transmission lines underground.
The current power lines stretch from the Rocky Mountain Power substation near Munchkin Road, across Kearns Boulevard, to the Park City Cemetery and Boot Hill. These overhead lines have long been considered an obstacle to development due to restrictions within a 60-foot easement.
The plan to bury these lines will unlock a substantial portion of the Bonanza Park site for future construction, according to Park City Sustainability Manager Luke Cartin.
"The benefits of this is it does remove a 60-foot aerial easement from Bonanza Park, which impacts roughly 20% of the site," Cartin said at the council meeting according to KPCW. “That significantly increases your site flexibility and land valuation.”
In addition to creating more space for development, burying the lines will also open up additional burial plots at the cemetery and help reduce wildfire risks in the area.
Relocating the Bonanza Park substation has been a topic of discussion for years, and burying the transmission lines is a step toward that goal, said City Council member Jeremy Rubell.
“If we can ever have the conversation about actually moving that substation, it can move along that buried line,” Rubell said according to KPCW. “So, this is a step towards a final solution if it goes that way. If it doesn’t, the lines are still buried, and it’s still an improvement all around.”
Rocky Mountain Power is expected to begin work on the power line project next year, though an exact timeline has not been set. Meanwhile, the City Council plans to finalize development plans for the five-acre district and issue a request for proposals (RFP) to developers later this year.
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