Tuesday, September 25, 2007
In with the old or out with the new?
Park City is considering revising the Historic District Guidelines. Some say the rules are too rigid; others say they have loopholes that need to be tightened. With property values in Old Town at an all-time high, the debate over revising the guidelines is sure to be feisty. What do you think? Is it time to allow more variety in the historic district or is it time to get more serious about preservation? Please post your comments here.
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44 comments:
Come and look what the City has allowed to be done at the bottom of Prospect Ave in Old Town. They tore down the oldest barn in the city, and threw the entire thing in the garbage. They kept two tiny pieces of the original facades and now have them placed on the corners. There is a HUGE concrete foundation now, nothing remotely like the original structures. The aesthetic damage done is obscene. This project was initially proposed by Doug Stevens, former president of the historical society. As soon as he got approval from the City, he sold it! At least they didn't let him destroy ("remodel") the National Garage, which he wanted to do. Yes, he wanted to 'fix up' the National Garage, sell it, and split the profits with the City. For making this suggestion, he was not fired, or otherwise disciplined. He should have been fired, period. Shame on Doug Stevens, with his amazingly BAD TASTE. Shame on the City for not clipping his ugly wings.
As an old town resident, I'm tired of the enormous, stale, and repetetive buildings going into old town. My biggest frustration - why does the city tightly regulate historic homes while new construction in the historic district can be whatever it wants. The current loopholes and rules are not only destroying the historic nature of old town but also destroying our sense of community. I'm sick and tired of hearing how important the tourism economy is to our community yet the we continue to undermine one our most important tourism assest - our historic old town.
City officials need to make a decision here one way or the other. I am hoping that they will rule on the side of preserving historical sites. New construction should be held to some sort of standard that compliments the historical motiff of the area. They are not going to solve this problem by having public forums to hear folks out. Not everyone is going to be satisfied with any decision that will be made. Decide one way or another, and get on with it. Do the job that folks elected you to do.
Preserve the history!!!!That is what people come here to see, they can see the new stuff anywhere. We want our "old town" to be old town not some new ugly stuff like they are building in NEWPARK!!! What an eyesore!!! Looks like hooville or the old cartoon the "Jetson's". Tearing down our history is really stupid!!!
NEWPARK looks like where "Beetlejuice" would live. With it being so close to Swaner, it will scare the wildlife away for sure...But sure as you are born some dumb asses from LA will consider them a bargain......... Preserve the historical district and "Amen" to the last blogger.
Now lets all just calm ourselves down a bit here.
I think Newpark looks cool. I think old town looks cool. We can have both, it doesn't all need to look like the fake historic district on lower main.
How spoiled a people are we?
To the previous blogger: Think Newpark looks cool? Please do humanity a favor, and never design anything. Ever.
I have seen better things left on the trail by horses than what they call Newpark. If those building last another 100 plus years, parents will walk by there with their kids and say, "what were they thinking back in 2005-06!
3:47,
Never design anything? That is so funny.
Yes, I had millions sitting in the bank just waiting for me to scratch that itch and design myself a building.
That was really funny.
I guess there is no accounting for taste, especially mine.
I really can't stand how fake lower main is. I know they are trying to make it blend in but it just looks so bulky and lacks taste. It does work out at the junction though, it is a different area and works well with funky roof lines.
Lets all just take it easy on here and not take ourselves too seriously, please.
8:20
EVER.
8:20,
Never ever?
Let's learn from lower main street and not fake it anymore. Keep the real thing!!! Newpark--what a joke!! Who was that architech? I want to make sure I never use him. Let's hope those buildings don't last long--They look horrible.
Just curious- Are any of you bloggers city "officials" that are going to be making choices for the people of Park City--if so are you reading these comments?? We want to keep the history!!!
Based on a recent article in the Record about developer Rory Murphy hoping to be on the planning commission is just another indication of the direction that Park City and Summit county is headed.
While there may be some developers who are conscientious, I think its a serious conflict of interest to have them on the planning commission. This would be no different than having a construction company or Wal-Mart as a member of the planning commission.
We have seen the results of development in summit county ruin the character of the area with cheap construction, strip malls, and big box retailers that I doubt are the reason residents like it here.
For those who have seen the plan for build-out of Newpark, this will be clear. Hundreds of residential units, multi level parking structures, and cheap goods chain stores like Best Buy are all in the plan.
Old Towne will most likely lose the historic character and possibly the historic designation by destroying the existing buildings, leaving just a facade. New construction is all loosely based on a strip mall concept and is the same in virtually all cities these days.
I'd like to see summit county make some better decisions about the development. Its dissapointing to see the area beginning to look identical to every other city in the U.S.
The thought of doing anything other than preserving Park City's historic sites is about as obnoxious as those silly Talikser adds or Terry Orr's ridiculous sideshow of freaks lined up for the upcoming season at the Eccles Center!
What geniuses in the Park City Administration. Ah........Still working with developers to destroy the last vestiges of charm in Old Town. The nerve of the "City Fathers" to push for a change in the Historic District.
The view corridors in Old Town have already being disturbed/destroyed because approvals alowed for the raising up many of the old homes in Old Town. Now they have been turned into mini "mcmansions". Other buildings have been torn down without a single thought to their historical value.
Why does the city continue to disregard the reason people came to Park City in the first place? It's because the city fathers both elected and appointed continue to bow and scrape to the developers. It's all about $$ and greed. An elected or appointed official in town should not be affiliated with real estate or development. This entire proposal is DISGUSTING and they won't get away with it.
I am a "conservative" person. I know that that is an endangered speicies here in Park City. I am however, starting to think that there is a John Denver type song in the making here. Why is tearing down the old and building the new even considered here for any other reason than greed? How many city or county officials in this town have ties to or are even in the real estate business?..It is a general understanding that there are close to 1200 realtors here. 900 of them are unemployed but do not know it..Could there be a few less than hidden agendas here? One does not have to be Colonel Mustard in the parlor to have to figured out this caper! Additionally the Park Record enables the developers and realtors. Just look at the next edition and count the endless adds for property and new homes. While the editorial pages say one thing, the advertisment department of the paper clearly states another story.
This blog record is really quite interesting. Has anyone from the local government, or the Park Record, or KPCW read these entries? It is apparent that the conflict of interest between realtors and our local government is under real scrutiny. I know about these conflicts all too well. Too bad nobody in the reporting business is investigating this. Especially since it is all out in the open. The arrogance (hubris, even) of our local government continues to astound me. And yes, you have my name. Stand up and be counted.
I do not trust anybody. Especially the Park Record.
I do not trust the Record as well. You can tell when Nan is lying, her lips are moving.
Part of the tourist attraction is to come and be part of and admire the quaintness of this historic mining town. Main St. below Zoom is ugly and not welcoming and no one I know ever goes there to hang out or shop. Old Town Park City still retains that special uniqueness that people love and want to be around. Let's not aspire to mediocrity. The city has already changed a lot, almost too much. Buildings, condos, and shops seem to pop up everywhere and anywhere without real planning in terms of the bigger picture for our future. Retaining the old means it challenges our creativity and innovativeness. Let's preserve our unique identity!
Will the Park Record ever take on an indepth investigative story?........It will NEVER happen. It is Park Record "lite". KPCW suffers from the same problems.
It is about time that the local fish wrapper and the poor excuse for a public radio station in this town that makes Blair a ton of cash is starting to be exposed for the frauds that they are. No objectitivty exist between either organization.
Rory Murphy has real integrity, and I would expect him to do a good job if he were on the planning commission. And no, he won't be deciding anything about me! This is a genuine comment. Our community would be fortunate to have someone with Rory's expertise and experience at its service. Rory is sensitive to the needs of the area: he sees the big picture.
I know we've come a long way.
We're changing day to day.
But tell me,
Where do the children play!
It is Halloween. Perhaps Nan and Terri Orr can fly around Old Town tonight on their brooms and scare some the new development away..............
Terri Orr and Tom Clyde are communists and anti-American. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Terri Orr should do Park City a favor and move to Santa Fe or Berkley where all of the other loons on the left live in bliss and suffer from "Bush Derangement Syndrome." Stick to writing about the grandchildren and continue to bore us to tears!
Another good place for Terri to move to would be Boston!
Keep the flavor...STRICTLY. I agree with the blogger who said "...Preserve the history!!!!That is what people come here to see, they can see the new stuff anywhere. "
That being said, I don't agree with projects that completely change the elevations of the existing structures by lifting them from their original foundations and underpinning a full story garage (or taller) They don't really preserve anything important to the history of the town. They don't look like the building they replaced, they don't maintain the aspect of the surrounding property. They just cost more. Structures with one original wall or wall section propped up on a new floor deck waiting for the rest of the new structure to be built around it scream PORK BARREL CONSTRUCTION BUDGET. The labor and expense in saving even a small piece of original fabric can increase the cost of a project enormously over other approaches.
Park City is a very expensive place to live, and it is getting more expensive with every project. In my mind, a big part of the character of the town comes from the locals. We should keep the costs down so we can live here too.
A fully new project can be built using advanced materials in such a way that a passer by could not tell if that structure was new or old. Designers can follow guidelines that lay out characteristics of historical significance and still keep construction budgets down. Old building exteriors can be replicated exactly and still incorporate modern technology.
Let the property owners completely remove a structure that is old, run down, and falling apart. Put new guidelines in place that strictly govern the shape and character and placement of the new structure that takes the place of the old one.
Blog fans:
I just received a call from Park City Mayor Dana Williams who wanted to make it clear that the Dana W. comments on this blog are not his. He does,however,read the comments, though like me, he is not sure that they are always helpful!
Nan
Nan,
Instead of saying, "Not always helpful" you should have said, "don't always agree".
Your tone is one of arrogance and puts you in a position of absolute moral authority. A big problem for those in the media.
Just saying.
You would probably have a more helpful blog if you actually used it a little more, had more threads, edited the spam out.
This could be a great forum if it wasn't so neglected by the administrators of the blog.
To the previous blogger, you are right on the money with the arrogance comment. This is the very reason that other bloggers have referred to Nan as "Mother Superior." She and the folks at the Park Record feel that free speech is only for those that agree with her, the cartoonist, Terri Orr, Tom Clyde, or Karl Marx!
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