Military hotel may attract retailers

(Park Record) Officials in Summit County are bracing for what might happen if the military builds a resort hotel at the outskirts of Park City.

The latest speculation about the controversial proposal has included possible construction of a big retailer in the Snyderville Basin, which would help offset the costs of giving soldiers room discounts at a hotel that could be built near the banks of Jordanelle Reservoir.

When he signed Senate Bill 216 into law last spring, then Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. may have paved the way for private builders to cooperate with the federal Military Installation Development Authority to bypass local zoning codes and develop near Quinn's Junction.

The legislation was needed to keep officials in Summit County from stopping construction of the military hotel, according to state Sen. Mark Madsen, a Republican who sponsored the bill.

Members of the Summit County Council met Wednesday at the state Capitol with Senate leadership and discussed the new law.

"I know MIDA is progressing on their part and they're cooperating with different partners," County Councilman David Ure said at the meeting. "We can't say we're really grateful for (SB) 216."

However, that doesn't mean local officials are anti-military, Ure said.

"Our problem is not with the military. Our problem is with other people," he said. "They want more than we think we are able to give."

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