Industry News
A new land-use ordinance in the Town of Brighton is being hailed as a major win for hyperlocal, community-led stewardship in the Central Wasatch. Last week, the town passed ordinance OAM2025-001431, a measure that reshapes how ski resort expansion and commercial development can move forward in upper Big Cottonwood Canyon, according to the Winter Wildlands Alliance. The ordinance is designed to balance growing demand for winter recreation with protection of local ecosystems, watersheds and community character.
The new rules first clarify and accurately map ski resort boundaries within Brighton town limits and only permit future growth inside those margins. That change gives Brighton a formal process to accept or deny proposed ski resort expansion, making it more difficult for Solitude Mountain Resort or Brighton Ski Area to advance development projects without explicitly engaging the town.
The ordinance also removes a carve-out in previous town code that allowed resorts to build commercial developments in forestry zones. Under the updated code, Brighton and Solitude can no longer commercially develop those areas, a shift supporters say will help preserve natural landscapes and existing backcountry recreation.
In addition, the measure gives the Town of Brighton a much stronger voice in how land is used in upper Big Cottonwood Canyon. It sets up a clearer public process that more fairly balances the interests of local residents with those of the resorts and opens the door for organizations such as Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, Save Our Canyons, Winter Wildlands Alliance, and individual recreationists and conservationists to participate in meetings about the canyon’s future.
Supporters say the ordinance better aligns town code with the Brighton General Plan and creates a tool for achieving community goals that include preserving open lands, restoring resilient and healthy forests through land-use regulations, and promoting the safety of people, wildlife, water and natural landscapes. The practical implications are significant as well. The ordinance limits the ability of resorts to pursue projects that would connect upper Big Cottonwood Canyon to Park City via ski lifts and constrains plans such as Solitude Mountain Resort’s proposed parking lot.
Advocates credit both town leaders and grassroots groups with driving the effort. Wasatch Backcountry Alliance and Save Our Canyons closely tracked the process from the outset, submitted public comments, and helped residents find ways to engage. Winter Wildlands Alliance also submitted comments and worked to educate the public about the importance of the decision, including through a recent podcast. Across meetings and stages of the ordinance, hundreds of comments were submitted, mostly by individuals.
“For supporters, the passage of this ordinance is a testament to the importance and power of hyperlocal engagement,” Anneka Williams wrote, Policy Director for Winter Wildlands Alliance and a Utah resident who has been involved in the discussions around recreation and stewardship in the Central Wasatch. Williams, who works with groups around the country to help protect the places they love, wrote that she is deeply grateful to the Town of Brighton for bringing many voices to the table and to grassroots organizations for galvanizing public participation throughout the process.
