Over objections of residents, wildlife and water agencies, gun enthusiasts and their own planners, Salt Lake County commissioners Wednesday paved the way for a new subdivision near the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.
The commission voted 2 to 1 to overrule the Planning Commission and approve the Boyer Co.'s plans for an access road to a proposed 60-lot subdivision next to the Holladay Gun Club.Commissioner Brent Overson moved to grant the exception to the county's Hillside Protection Ordinance subject to the developer meeting strict engineering, geological and environmental criteria.
Calling it the "toughest vote" of his elective career, Commissioner Randy Horiuchi voted yes with the understanding that the proposed development would not pose a threat to the survival of the popular gun club.
Commision Chairman Jim Badley strongly opposed the motion, arguing that the road violated the county's Hillside Protection Ordinance and would prove to be unsafe, unstable and a permanent eyesore.
"We will have to live with this decision not only for the remainder of our terms in office but for the rest of our lives," Bradley said. "This road will mar a mountainside, and every time you look at it, you will be reminded of what you've done today."
County planners said the proposed road would be on slopes exceeding 30 percent in violation of ordinances, engineering standards and the Wasatch Canyon Master Plan. Also, the planners said the subdivision lacked secondary emergency access.
Because of the access concerns, the Planning Commission denied Boyer's petition without considering the subdivision layout or other development issues. Wednesday's vote clears the way for the developers to seek approval of the subdivision, which has drawn widespread opposition.
Area residents and gun club members angrily denounced the commission's action, saying Overson and Horiuchi had ignored the overwhelming evidence against the project. Holladay Gun Club officials said the subdivision could force their facility off the hill.
In a letter to the county, state Division of Wildlife Resources officials said the site of the proposed subdivision has been classified as a "critical value winter habitat for mule deer."
Michael Sieg, U.S. Forest Service district ranger, warned that the development would have an adverse impact on the planned Bonneville Shoreline Trail.
The Big Cottonwood Canyon Community Council said the Boyer project would not only damage the mountainside but also the community. Council members also agreed with the gun club that residents of the proposed subdivision are not likely to accept the club as their neighbor for long.
Commissioners also received a letter from the 300-member Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association encouraging them "to support your professional planning staff and the Planning Commission and deny the appeal."
Saying she was speaking for the her group's 1,500 members, Connie Bullis, president of the Great Salt Lake Audobon, said the "visual scar" of the road would permanently damage the mountain.
"It is not hard to say that 60 houses packed into 50 acres in the heart of Mount Olympus with a road gouged out of its currently pristine south side would have an enormous impact on the natural systems as well as on our, we humans' sensibilities," Bullis added.
A City-County Health Department official said the subdivision poses a health threat because of its proximity to the gun club. "I recommend that either no residences be built closer to the gun club than existing housing or that efforts be made by the developer to mitigate the noise impact on the proposed community."
LeRoy W. Hooton Jr., director of Salt Lake City's Department of Public Utilities, expressed concerns over "possible adverse effects" the proposed development could have on the city's water operations.
While acknowledging the objections and concerns, Overson and Horiuchi said they were persuaded by the Boyer Co.'s assurances that appropriate engineering measures can be taken to minimize the impact of the cuts and fills required to build the road.
Noting that the Boyer Co. bought the land with development zoning in place, Overson said, "Everyone has the reasonable expectation that their property may be used for the purposes properly established by law."
According to Overson and Horiuchi, the environment and aesthetics of the area "will not be significantly affected."
As for the gun club's worries, Horiuchi said he would insist that no complaints from the proposed subdivision's residents would "chase you off." Future commissions would not be bound by that assurance, Horiuchi conceded, but "it would be on the record."