Bluffdale may never be called a "sleepy little town" again.
Over the course of a four-hour meeting Tuesday, vocal locals were warned they could be charged with a crime if they turned disorderly, Bluffdale's mayor posted two sheriff's deputies in the meeting to keep the peace and a City Council member angrily resigned.Oh, and the City Council approved a controversial development -- sort of.
A legion of city residents crowded into the Bluffdale Elementary School lunchroom for Tuesday's council meeting. At issue was the future of a 75-acre development proposal near the Bangerter Highway and Redwood Road.
After listening to dozens of residents -- mostly in opposition of the development -- the council agreed to allow a consortium of landowners to develop about half of its original proposal.
The landowners hoped to gain zoning approval for a commercial development and some sort of high-density housing on a 75-acre area originally zoned for one-acre residential lots.
In a 3-1 vote, the council agreed to designate about 40 acres or so of the proposed area for "gateway zoning," allowing restricted commercial development.
Council member Greg Wolfley voted against approval, saying the application runs counter to the city's comprehensive master plan forbidding commercial development from encroaching on existing residential area.
Council members Colleen Bliss, James Dunn and Gary Garrett voted in favor. Veteran Councilman Calvin Webb abstained -- he didn't want to vote at all.
Before the vote was taken, Webb said he was quitting, saying some people who recently moved into Bluffdale and are now fighting change in fact changed Bluffdale for him when they moved in.
For months, the landowners -- including Anderson Development and Bluffpointe LC -- have been asking the city to allow them to develop an area bordered by the Bangerter Highway on the north, Redwood Road on the west, 1300 West on the east and the Bethany Hills subdivision on the south.
The council approved the zoning change to accommodate the development but sliced out a big chunk on the east, saying that area could not handle the impact of the development.
The city's new gateway zoning ordinance, which was adopted Tuesday, does not allow most types of high-density housing.
Despite Tuesday's decision, Gerald Anderson of Anderson Development said he believes he and his associates still have a shot at developing the entire 75 acres, including some sort of high-density housing. And, Anderson added, the development could be a win-win situation for both the applicants and residents of Bluffdale.
Recently, a judge -- at the request of some of the developers -- slapped a restraining order against Bluffdale for failing to draft a state-mandated moderate-income housing plan.
Bluffdale is expected to share the state's burden in providing moderate housing -- and the area sliced out of the proposed development Tuesday would be the ideal spot for a high-density housing area, Anderson said.
Emotions ran high all evening. Residents speaking out against the proposed development were often rewarded with a rousing cheer, drawing ire from Mayor Noell Nelson who asked two Salt Lake County sheriff's deputies to come to the front of the meeting to keep order.
At one point, council member Dunn said audience members could be charged with a misdemeanor if they disrupted the public meeting.
After a break, the mayor eased up on his "no clapping" rule and the cheering continued throughout public hearing portions of the meeting.
Resident Connie Trabell, who recently moved to Bluffdale, said development and high-density housing could usher in unwanted growth and crime.
"Our dream was to find a safe, rural community. We found that here in Bluffdale" Trabell said. "Let's keep it that way."
Others asked for council members to resign if they did not follow the wishes of their constituents.
A few audience members hinted that they agreed some commercial development is needed to maintain the city's financial base -- an idea echoed by Councilwoman Bliss.