It's official.
No more development can occur on 800 North between State Street and 1450 East for the next six months.That's how long a citizen ad hoc committee has to work out the road's future.
The City Council appointed nine people Tuesday to the committee assigned to meet a handful of objectives during the moratorium:
- Establish a design corridor for the expansion of 800 North.
- Establish appropriate land uses for 800 North.
- Determine the appropriate use for large land parcels on 800 North.
- Implement the appropriate general plan and zoning designations to accomplish the above purposes.
Included on the committee after some initial resistance was Bill Peperone, elected by the Northeast Homeowner's Association to represent their interests.
The northeast neighborhood wants an second access into the area that would have been blocked by the moratorium. However, the council voted to draw the cutoff line for the moratorium map at 1450 East and leave their options open so they can deal with that request and other pending issues involving land around Cascade Golf Course and the canyon intersection.
Peperone was added to Mayor Stella Welsh's list of committee members after members of the association requested he be part of the fact-gathering group.
The roster for the committee includes local developer Paul Wash-burn; EsNet Management Corp. representative Randy Deschamps; and 800 North area residents Lori Neusome, Lynette Kern, Linda Adams, Sam Yadon, Darrell Cook and John Stratton, one of the landowners with considerable property in the area.
The mayor and councilman David Palfreyman pointed out that this is not the first time 800 North has been exhaustively studied.
"To say this committee's decision will not be changed is not realistic," said Welsh. "The Utah Department of Transportation can't give us a definitive plan line. We just can't get an answer."
Without UDOT's time line for the street, it's difficult for Orem to draw up concrete plans for the roadway, she said.
In earlier meetings, city staff members said the road is going to be widened to seven lanes and the city needs to prepare.
"An excellent plan would probably be accepted (by UDOT)," said resident Marin Cook.
Councilman Steve Heinz said he doesn't believe it's fair to stop building when the city's hands are tied by UDOT's inaction.
"We're breaking new ground here," said Councilman Stephen Sandstrom. "We're not stopping development because we can't, but we sure can channel what happens."
"A moratorium is the right thing to do," said Council member Judy Bell. "I'm really in favor of a moratorium, three months or six months, whatever it takes. I'm tired of putting it all off on someone else. It's time for some input."
City attorney Paul Johnson said state law prohibits putting a moratorium into place for longer than six months.
City manager Jim Reams said the moratorium affects any application submitted after April 22 unless the project or change re-quest-ed is for a permitted use within an existing zone.