Summit County buys Highland Flat parcel at I-80, US 40 gateway

Summit County has taken one of its most contested gateway parcels off the development map, buying the 25-acre Highland Flat property at the US Highway 40 and Interstate 80 junction and putting the land under public control for open space, recreation and other community uses.

The purchase, announced June 4, covered Tax Parcel SS-32-B, a highly visible stretch of land where traffic pressure and growth have long collided. County officials said the acquisition was funded through the voter-approved open-space general obligation bond program, a $50 million bond passed in 2021 that runs for 26 years. County materials say the bond’s tax impact is about $40 a year on a $715,000 primary residence.

The county said the deal keeps a dense project from moving ahead at one of Summit County’s most sensitive entry points. Instead, the land is expected to stay largely open, with possible uses that could include continued agriculture, passive recreation, trails, a dog park, an equestrian arena, or a limited facility that serves the community. The county’s open-space criteria include agricultural land, trail connections, scenic view corridors, wetlands, wildlife habitat and growth buffers.

The move marks a sharp reversal from the land’s recent development history. In 2021, the original Highland Flats proposal called for 410 units on about 41 acres and sought a rezoning from Rural Residential to Community Commercial. The Snyderville Basin Planning Commission gave that plan a negative recommendation on March 9, 2021, and county staff later said council members were concerned about road capacity, traffic, the site’s isolated location and the need to understand the full phasing of the project.

The proposal kept changing after that. By 2023, the developer had revised it multiple times, shifting toward senior housing, assisted living, memory care and a phased first stage. Local reporting also noted that Highland Drive is one lane in each direction and that the nearest freeway access points are at Kimball Junction and Silver Summit, underscoring why the parcel drew so much scrutiny. The county said the land’s market value on the 2025 tax roll was about $1.3 million.

Summit County now controls the future of a parcel that has drawn repeated debate over density, traffic and access for years. County leaders said they intend to preserve the property’s broader public value, while the Utah Department of Transportation continues study and improvement work tied to the US-40, I-80 and SR-248 corridor.