Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts

Sunday, November 16, 2008

North/South Fields Rezone

The move is on to rezone the North Fields. The first step appears to be the rezone of the South Fields, this was recommended by a 4-1 vote at the recent Planning Commission meeting.

A public Hearing on the matter is scheduled for 6 PM on 19 Nov. It is item #9. Items #7 and #8 are also rezone requests (P160 to M zone or 1 house per 160 acres to a potential 1 house per 2.5 acres - a 64 fold increase)

Several arguments were presented in opposition to the change, to no avail:
  1. The Wasatch County General Plan (See Chap. 4, pg 159) indicates the area is "highly prized by many local residents" and is "identified as having a public benefit as open space." The area has been called the jewel of the valley and its current zoning A-20 (Agricultural with one house allowed per twenty acres) protects the "desired green belt separation between Heber and Midway" (Policy 1.1.1)
  2. The area is NOT included within the Proposed Heber City Annexation Policy. Several member of the Heber City Planning Commission attended the meeting and spoke against the rezone.
  3. The area is in the "Inundation Area of Sudden Jordanelle Dam Failure" - approval of more houses could present potential danger to those house and liability to County taxpayers.
  4. There are currently only 6 large land parcels (>20 acres) in the 464 acre proposed rezone area and another 12 parcels between 5 and 20 acres which, as "lots of record," could already be built upon. Some parcels already have houses built. Of ten parcels less than 5 acres, 7 current have residences.
  5. A zone change from A-20 to RA-5 would increase the number of allowable houses from 33 to 92.
  6. The long proposed ByPass road passes through several of the parcels, a rezone would likely increase the cost of property acquisition.
  7. An Open Space, Transferable Development Right ordinance was recently passed allowing a "bonus" sale from rights in this area. Rezoning would adversely affect the goals of that ordinance.
  8. While presented as a "County initiated" rezone, it was clearly introduced by the land owners and not necessarily for the "health, safety and welfare" of the community in general.

In 2000, a well written resolution was introduced to "protect" the North Fields - regrettably it was never really considered for passage:

Saturday, September 23, 2006

What to do about growth

1 Educate Yourself

To find the rules of growth, planning and zoning, see County Title 16, the County General Plan for Wasatch County. For Heber City, see the Heber City Code (particularly Titles 17 & 18).

To read the City survey, click here - Big Box for the presentation and results

Other contacts, Wasatch County Heber City and we mustn't forget Midway

2 Inform your Neighbors

In Wasatch County, Empty land has Property Rights, People in HOMES do not! The avowed purpose of "Zoning" is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the community. That must include the current residents who have repeatedly expressed their collective desire to maintain a rural, small town environment.

They have built and purchased homes at least partly predicated on promised zoning. Regulations are being continually modified toward higher and higher densities and more and more growth in defiance of the expressed desires of the residents.

3 Express your Opinions

To contact your elected officials, see County Council and Heber City Council and/or the Mayor or City Manager

Mike Davis Wasatch County Manager, 654-3211 fax 657-5116

Mark Anderson Heber City Manager, 654-0757
Alan Fawcett Planning Director, 654-4830

4 We need to understand, we ALL live in Wasatch County!


(The recent growth survey was posted at www.snipurl.com/heber. Preliminary results were posted below in this blog.)

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Wasatch City - Again

In 2004, the US census estimated Wasatch County had 7,853 housing units. In the last two years Wasatch County, alone, has approved at least 1,448 new houses. This does NOT include many previously approved developments that are still not completely built out. It also does NOT include those approved as single house or small scale developments (less than five acres), or those approved in Heber City, Midway,etc.

Growth moves inexorably forward, but most current residents do not seem too happy about it. In my conversations on the subject, most people seem to feel little can be or, at least, will be done about growth. That's probably true - if that unhappy populace does not express their collective opinion to those who CAN make the decision to moderate the growth rate to attempt to retain at least a facade of rural environment. The county moratorium and subsequent Land Use change certainly didn't solve the problem, nor did the proposed General Plan review committee. (Whatever did happen to that?)

We hear of "smart growth," sustainable" development, "walkable" communities, Envision everything, and Agenda 21 - all apparently leading to the same goal - put everyone in big houses on small lots and make them use public transportation. We seem to have tacitly adopted the philosophy of a "medium rural" environment. That's where you might see the cows, but you can't smell them.

If you're happy, sit back and wait for the traffic lights to change; get out your check books for the property taxes coming as the winter murk begins to settle on the once pristine valley. If you are less than satisfied about the direction we are heading - get involved, make your voice heard. Thursday night, the County Planning Commission will be considering another four new developments, with only a 100 or so houses; but the Red Ledges (1468 ERU's) and other developments are waiting in the wings.

Here's a list of approved developments in the last two years:


Date approvedDevelopmentLocationERU'sacres
TOTAL ERU's =1448
Jun 2006Farms at Tate LaneTate Lanephase 2910
May 2006Crossings3000 E Lk Ck Rdphase 1458
Apr 2006Grand Haven2400 S 2400 E91133
Mar 2006Victory RanchKamas Rd.73298
Mar 2006Wild Mare Farms C3200 E 1670 S13
Mar 2006Jordanelle RidgeKamas Rd.14577
Feb 2006TuhayeJordanelle1531
Feb 2006TuhayeJordanelle4
Feb 2006TuhayeJordanelle6
Feb 2006Black Rock RidgeJordanelle162
Feb 2006Summit Meadows3050 E 1200 S1113
Jan 2006Slipper HollowWallsburg9
Jan 2006River MeadowsRiver Road3980
Dec 2005Triple Crown450 S 1200 E6195
Dec 2005Black Rock RidgeJordanelle10232
Dec 2005Fox Run1800 S 3600 E1722
Nov 2005Crossings3000 E Lk Ck Rd4513
Nov 2005Victory RanchJordanelle22
Oct 2005Hideout CanyonJordanelle15
Sep 2005Deer MeadowsJordanelle
Jul 2005Deer Canyon PreserveJordanelle103401
Jul 2005TuhayeJordanelleRidgeway B37
Jul 2005TuhayeJordanellephase 1315
Jul 2005TuhayeJordanellephase 16 S51
Jul 2005TuhayeJordanelle2411
Jul 2005Victory RanchKamas Rd.phase 1A22289
Jun 2005Farms at Tate LaneTate Lane820
Jun 2005TuhayeJordanellephase 3N15
Jun 2005TuhayeJordanelleRidgeway A11
Jun 2005TuhayeJordanellephase 16So A28
Jun 2005TuhayeJordanellephase 16So B23
Jun 2005Hideout CanyonJordanellephase 2&46933
Apr 2005TuhayeJordanellephase X21713
Apr 2005Deer Point PreserveJordanelle12151
Sep 2004StillwaterJordanellephase 2637
May 2004Crossings3000 E Lk Ck Rdphase 14780
Mar 2004GiltnerHwy 248 Jordanelle615