Developer presents 'Plan C' to Summit County Council, cuts residential density and increases deed‑restricted affordability

Dakota Pacific representatives presented a revised concept for the Florence/Gilmore master‑planned project and answered council questions about housing mix and impacts. The developer said the revised "Plan C" reduces residential density compared with the earlier Plan B and shifts the housing mix to include more for‑sale product and deeper levels of deed‑restricted affordability.

"We pulled about a third of the total residential units out," said Mark Stanworth of Dakota Pacific, summarizing the changes that reduced the previously proposed 1,100 units to roughly 727. Stanworth said the team reallocated product types — fewer large apartment blocks, more townhomes and condominiums — to lower the likely year‑round population density while keeping market‑rate units that can cross‑subsidize infrastructure and amenity costs.

The developer said about a third of units would be deed restricted, with several cohorts targeted at about 44% and 60% of area median income, plus a small number of units at 80% AMI and above. Stanworth also described standalone deed‑restricted senior housing and continuing‑care options that would be pursued with an outside operator: "We've incorporated some deed‑restricted seniors housing, kind of a standalone project." He said the continuing‑care element would depend on finding an operating partner.

On nonresidential uses, Dakota Pacific said it removed a full‑service hotel from the plan and increased commercial space for office, medical and life‑science uses. The team emphasized design moves intended to preserve open space, connect trails and create a central park concept for the basin.

Councilmembers asked for more detail on how the team derived the 727‑unit total and the mix between rental and for‑sale units. Stanworth said the numbers come from market studies and iterative tradeoffs between parking, excavation costs, structured parking economics and the need to deliver affordable units.

Next steps in the public process were outlined by county staff: a traffic work session Jan. 23, a second traffic session Jan. 25, additional housing‑focused meetings in early February and a public hearing on Feb. 20, with a council decision tentatively scheduled for Feb. 22.

The presentation does not change any approvals yet; Dakota Pacific and county staff said they will return for the formal public hearings and any necessary amendments to existing agreements.