It never ceases to amaze me how dumb many developers believe the citizens of Utah are. In the last couple of weeks I have read with interest about the plan to essentially give away Wasatch Mountain State Park to developers who would like to develop a playground to the rich and famous.
The plan calls for the selling of 1,200 acres of Wasatch Mountain State Park and development of a 250-bed hotel and up to 300 luxury homes catering to the "well-heeled" clients from California and New York.In return, the developers will deed back to the state a world-class, PGA-worthy golf course. They also mention that it would create the right atmosphere for luring companies to our state.
I'm sorry, but the carrot isn't worth the prize. These well-heeled individuals have ruined their own states with their lack of foresight and planning. If I lived in New York or California, I would want to escape, too. But why should we allow them to come in here and carve up public lands into something most people in this state won't be able to afford? At the present time, we have a park that we can afford to enjoy. Allowing this development will only put the cost of enjoyment beyond the reach of a lot of the 850,000 people who visited the park last year in favor of catering to the rich. I now ask, what is best for the citizens of the state? Minimum-wage jobs or a chance to get out and enjoy the natural resources of our state at reasonable expense?
Watch out, Wasatch County. This is only the start of unfavorable development. Next would be the ski areas that you have voted down, and who knows what else? Let this development go through and you can kiss your pristine environment goodbye.
Duane Blackburn
Salt Lake City