Park City Real Estate Trends

             In the spring of 2008 creditors forced the Promontory luxury golf subdivision in Park City, UT into bankruptcy. The developer, Arizona based Pivotal defaulted on loans amounting to over $270M.

            On April 15, 2009 a group named Pivotal 7000 headed by the CEO of Pivotal, Francis Najafi, purchased the development for a price far less than the debt on which Pivotal defaulted. The $70M bid by Najafi which was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court effectively wiped out $275M in loans that had been packaged by Credit Suisse.

            During the bankruptcy, Promontory maintained its operations which consist of two golf courses, clubhouses (golf, tennis, kids, outfitters, etc) an equestrian facility and more than 1000 building lots. The assets have been valued between $230M and $560M.

            The new ownership plans to move forward with Promontory's original vision for the second home luxury community. While some property owners within Promontory may still have a bad taste for Pivotal, the fact that the development is no longer in bankruptcy and is being run by a company familiar with the project may be a benefit. Promontory's plan of reorganization binds Pivotal 7000, LLC, as the new owner, to observe key provisions of the court-approved plan and sale procedures.  These provisions include the obligation to honor Promontory's county-approved master plan, the Promontory Club's membership agreements and membership plan, and the assumption of all lot purchase agreements with Promontory lot and home owners.  In addition, provisions have been made in the plan for funding of legitimate unsecured creditor claims and the creation of a reserve fund for Promontory's homeowners' association, the Promontory Conservancy.

            The stigma of bankruptcy and the relatively large number of speculative purchases and building that was done by private investors has hurt the market in Promontory. The luxury homes that are for sale in the Promontory area are currently some of the best values in Park City. Now may be a perfect time to invest or purchase a second home in a golf course community as the developer should be on much more stable ground for the near future.

            On another positive note, Golf Digest just ranked the Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye designed courses at Promontory as the number 2 and 3 courses in the state behind Glenwild (also in Park City).