A citizens group is trying to stop the expansion of a housing project deeper into Rock Canyon.
The Rock Canyon Preservation Alliance wants the City Council to impose a one-year moratorium on building above 1450 East and write a master plan for the area.But it might be too late because the city has already approved plans for 12 condominiums as part of Oak Canyon Estates. Developers, however, intend to ask the Provo Planning Commission next month to change the proposal to a nine-lot, single-family-home subdivision.
"The new houses will block the view of the canyon from 1450 East and give the appearance that public access to Rock Canyon is prohibited," according to the alliance's newsletter. The area is the gateway to popular hiking, rock climbing, biking and horseback riding sites.
Mark Clemens, spokesman for the 410-member alliance, asked the City Council last week to halt all development east of 1450 East. Besides it recreational and aesthetic value, Clemens said, it poses geological hazards because of the Wasatch Fault. The council will discuss the issue at its Oct. 12 meeting.
"The development would transform one of Provo's greatest treasures into part of someone else's back yard," he said.
A row of condominiums already exists along the south side of 2300 North, the road going up the canyon. The proposed subdivision would extend 841 feet past 1450 East. Dick Bastian, Carl Bacon and City Councilman Mark Hathaway are the developers.
Leland Gamette, city community development director, said building cannot occur past the proposed Oak Canyon Estates subdivision because the ground belongs to the U.S. Forest Service.
Hathaway said he doesn't disagree with the alliance's philosophy but explained it was made known after he and his partners bought the land. "We do have a sizable investment," he said.
Clemens said the alliance erred in not voicing opposition to the initial condominium project when it was proposed three or four years ago. But the group has long maintained that development above 1450 East is inappropriate, he said. It worked to prevent former Seven Peaks Resort owner Victor Borcherds' from building a ski resort on Maple Mountain.
To stop the housing project, the city would have to change its policy regarding development, Gamette said. In so doing, it could be setting the city up for a lawsuit.
Developers wouldn't be opposed to selling to the city. "It is up for sale," Hathaway said. Hathaway, who is a mayoral candidate, said he would divest himself of interest in the project if he's elected.
Whether the city has the interest or money to buy what would likely be pricey property is another question.
The Planning Commission on Oct. 13 will hear the request to change the plan to a subdivision. It has the final word on that issue. It will not go the to council, Gazette said.