Recently, I went to the Holladay Gun Club to enjoy a few hours of recreational clay-target shooting. I was very disturbed to hear the club was in danger of extinction because a developer wants to build a small subdivision just east of the club.
The Salt Lake area has enjoyed steady growth in what has been a poor economy in much of he rest of the country the past few years. One of the prime reasons is that people have discovered the great quality of life we enjoy here: beauty, open spaces, abundant recreational opportunities, wildlife, etc.If we are to continue this, it is imperative we maintain these precious and rare assets. The threat to them is not a singular, sudden loss, but slow erosion.
The development proposed by the Boyer Co., I believe, is such a threat. If we do not carefully weed out these improper developments, we soon find ourselves in the position of having killed the goose that laid the golden egg, not by any one act but by slow poisoning.
Pretty soon, we are in the unenviable position of overdeveloped southern California - an area of once-great pristine beauty that has become a sprawling nightmare due to a lack of stewardship and overdevelopment. It is ironic that many of the people flocking to Utah are southern Californians.
Let's not let history repeat itself. It is not worth sacrificing the beauty, the abundant wildlife and the recreational opportunities harmoniously integrated into the current community and enjoyed by thousands of current residents in this tract as it is currently used for the monetary gain of one developer.
There is also the issue of fairness. It may make sense to lawyers that someone can move next to an existing facility such as an airport or gun club, then complain it is a nuisance and have it shut down. But to most people, it goes against common sense and fairness.
Finally, let's look at this from a cost/benefit analysis. What is the benefit to the community from permitting this development - more tax revenue? Residential development does not pay for itself. It will cost the current community more to add the subdivision than it will ever take in in additional tax revenues. What other benefit is there?
It appears the developer is stalling as long as possible to tire the opposition, to where it appears it has died down. Please remember that unlike the developer, we are not engaged in this full-time as a moneymaking venture. We are only private citizens using our precious free time to try and preserve our community and quality of life.
Bruce W. Kirchenheiter
Park City