Developers of the city's golf course have violated Davis County zoning ordinances and development codes on several acres of land east of the city, according to a county official.

Zoning administrator Barry Burton said Sky Properties built roads across unincorporated land without submitting plans for review or paying county fees - regulations any resident would have to follow because the roads were intended for public use."They've started development, and nothing has been approved (by the county). We haven't seen a plan or anything," Burton said.

He said county officials also were concerned that the developer - without regulation - could construct other infrastructure like waterlines that don't meet building codes.

Sky Properties hopes to develop an $8.2 million golf course for the city, spanning about 146 acres. The company plans to sell about 500 building lots on land surrounding the course. More than 60 people already have paid $1,000 for a number that will allow them to choose a lot in a selected order once the plats have been finalized, sources say.

Burton inspected the site east of the city Dec. 19 and issued a stop-work order to the landowner, Ralph Cannon, and Sky Properties. However, he realized the order might not be valid later that day after learning that crews he witnessed grading roads were on land regulated by the city.

"There was no work to stop (on land regulated by the county). They had already done all the grading there," he said.

Sky Properties' crews returned to work on city-regulated land the next morning, he said.

City officials, according to Sky Properties' executive Steve Smoot, have given "their full blessing and knowledge" to the work on city-regulated land. He said his company did not submit construction plans or pay fees to either the city or the county because "it was not necessary."

A permit issued years ago to rehabilitate an old gravel pit on the property has given landowners the right to the kind of construction Sky Properties has initiated in the area without further regulation, he said.

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Mayor Jake Simmons, however, says the city issued its own stop-work order against Sky Properties two weeks ago after learning crews had cut roads through city-regulated land.

"We informed them that they would have to abide by our ordinances and pay the necessary fees," he said.

Burton said Sky's work has been done "under the auspices of rehabilitating an old gravel pit, but they went far beyond the boundaries of the gravel pit."

He said he would have issued a valid stop-work order earlier if he had seen the heavy equipment working on land regulated by the county.

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