Bonanza Area to be New Art District in Park City, Utah

On July 13 and 20, the Park City Council passed the approval of a purchase agreement for a 5.25-acre parcel in the City’s Bonanza Park neighborhood for $19.5 million to form the City’s first-ever Arts & Culture District, with Sundance Institute and the Kimball Art Center as anchor partners. Park City plans to impose a one-percent transient room (lodging) tax to pay for the initial land purchase and development of the site. Sundance Institute and the Kimball Art Center have signed letters of intent to purchase land in the new district from the City and will participate in a joint planning process with the City, with the goal of building venues as part of the district. “This district will enhance our town and community over the long term, and collaborating with two of Utah’s most recognized cultural institutions will galvanize Park City’s place as a cultural hub of the West.”

In addition to Sundance Institute and the Kimball Art Center building headquarters and art venues for their respective organizations, the district will house other arts and culture-related amenities and infrastructure, including a transit hub, parking, commercial space, and affordable/attainable housing for residents and artists. “Park City has been home to our Sundance Film Festival for more than 30 years, and together we have supported and celebrated filmmakers from around the world,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute. “We are excited to explore how the creation of a permanent space in Park City can help advance our nonprofit mission to support independent artists throughout the year.” “We could not be more thrilled to be partnering in this project,” said Kimball Art Center Board Chair Maggie AbuHaidar.

“More than forty years ago, arts enthusiast Bill Kimball created a gathering place for the Park City community to experience the transformative power of the arts. This joint venture with the City and the Sundance Institute will take Mr. Kimball’s mission to the next level, by creating a new and inspiring gathering place, with increased access to arts education, exhibitions, and events, in the heart of Park City.” “From a municipal perspective, the Park City Arts & Culture District is unique: it will advance the arts and culture economy in Park City and generate revenue for key programs without raising taxes on local residents,” said Capital, Debt & Grants Budget Manager Nate Rockwood. “It will also help diversify and complement the major drivers of our resort economy by providing year-round programming for residents and visitors.” The design and planning process is expected to begin as early as August. Through this joint planning process, the City will strive to create a district that inspires creative expression while ensuring design compatibility and compliance with the General Plan and Land Management Code. This can allow Park City to collaboratively shape the future of the Bonanza Park area by partnering to secure approximately 20 percent of the landmass in the area and developing a vision of a sustainable, walkable, livable, vibrant community Arts & Culture District for the residents of Park City. Another exciting piece of this new development will be the increased value for near by neighborhoods such as Prospector and Park Meadows.

For more information on this and other Art related news check out http://kimballartcenter.org