Commissioners approve Rocky Mountain Power Summit Park substation upgrade despite neighbors’ visual concerns

The Snyderville Basin Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for Rocky Mountain Power’s Summit Park substation upgrade at 4969 West Kilby Road after staff and the utility described upgrades intended to modernize antiquated equipment and increase area electrical capacity.

What was proposed and why: Senior planning staff and the utility said the existing substation is about 50 years old and lacks modern communication and control systems. Rocky Mountain Power project manager Richard Bartauskas said the work will raise transformer capacity, add a control house and remote communications so some switching and monitoring can be done remotely. The project also includes replacing three related utility poles in the nearby transmission/distribution corridor. Staff characterized the project as a major utility use that requires a conditional use permit under county code.

Visual and site impacts: The most visually prominent element discussed was a retaining‑wall system needed to create a level platform on the hillside. Staff and the applicant explained that the southeastern corner of the proposed footprint requires tiered retaining walls that amount to 26 feet in total height at their maximum extent. The applicant and staff emphasized the walls will be tiered (multiple stepped walls of about 6 feet each) rather than a single vertical face and said the design follows the county’s hillside/stewardship guidance and the required code standards. Applicants showed illustrative photos of similar tiered walls and said they plan to retain as much native vegetation as practicable and to plant drought‑tolerant shrubs between tiers where feasible while avoiding root systems that could compromise the wall structure.

Public comment and local concerns: A nearby property owner, Susan Schultz, spoke during the public hearing to say the substation borders her five‑acre parcel and asked what the wall and equipment would look like from her yard. Schultz asked whether the wall would reduce her property value and whether it would appear as a building or simply a wall; she also asked if Rocky Mountain Power had proactively contacted adjacent landowners. Staff replied that notices were sent three times for the steps of the project and that the proposed improvements would be contained within Rocky Mountain Power’s property. The applicant said they had not undertaken direct private outreach to that neighbor beyond the required noticing for the permitting process but that they would preserve vegetation where possible.

Technical and wildfire context: The applicant and staff discussed wildfire mitigation and distribution‑line burial options. Rocky Mountain Power said some distribution lines will be replaced and that burial of all lines is not economically feasible in many existing back‑lot settings; some overhead segments and service re‑feeds will remain because burying them would require extensive yard excavation. The applicant also said two of the three poles being replaced will increase in height by roughly five feet and that wood poles remain a permitted option under the project’s plan and the state‑approved wildfire mitigation approach.

Decision and conditions: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about site views, vegetation and wall design; they thanked staff for following code requirements for hillside development and mitigation. A commissioner moved to approve the conditional use permit subject to the findings, conclusions and conditions in the staff report; commissioners voted in favor and the motion passed.

What the record shows: Staff noted the project follows prior Board of Adjustment approvals for fencing height variances that are security‑related, that retaining walls are tiered per county requirements, that a small amount of vegetation will be removed to build the walls, and that the electrical improvements include replacement of distribution and transmission elements as part of broader wildfire mitigation and reliability work.

Next steps: The permit approval allows Rocky Mountain Power to proceed to required engineering and construction permitting. Staff and the utility indicated site work will attempt to preserve vegetation outside the immediate construction footprint and that additional coordination with adjacent landowners can occur during the construction‑planning phase.