PROVO -- Developers of a controversial canyon project are proof that persistence pays off.
After nearly two years of trying, Ron and Tracy McDonald received unanimous approval for their mountain home development in a "critical-environment zone" in Hobble Creek Canyon.The McDonalds will build 35 homes on 117 acres in the left fork area of the canyon, a move some fear will set a precedent and encourage urban sprawl into other Wasatch Front canyons.
Initially, the three-member commission flatly rejected the proposal based on concerns over watershed pollution, fire danger, increased traffic and disruption of the canyon's sensitive environment.
Through countless return trips to the County Commission, the Planning Commission and even the Board of Adjustments, the McDonalds have whittled away at the opposition, adjusting and redrawing their plans until they satisfied county ordinances.
One of the latest adjustments involved deleting the four homes that would have been adjacent to a stream.
"This is an emotional issue. Some see it as a 'watershed' type of issue," Commissioner Gary Herbert said. "For me, the main thing is what do the current ordinances say and if the developers have met the county ordinances and the state statutes, we have no choice but to approve this."
Commissioner Jerry Grover said the commissioners have read every comment and evaluated every issue brought before them, "based on what our law requires."
"As in most decisions, we're not going to make everybody happy," he said.
Commissioner David Gardner said he was very specific when the application first came to the commission and was rejected.
"We said if it did not meet the full criteria, we would not approve it. There's a delicate balance," he said, between property rights and the public good.
Provo resident Barbara Bingham and her husband, Joe, have fought the development from the outset, saying the project will not only jeopardize the water supply but result in the desecration of the fragile canyon.
"This development would be at the expense of many for a few," she said. "The laws support rejection."