OGDEN -- Growth may be inevitable for residents of the bucolic mountain-ringed Ogden Valley -- but it won't come without a fight.
About 60 of those residents dropped by the Weber County Commission chambers last week to debate the latest growth issue: a proposed rezoning that would allow a commercial development at the intersection of U-39 and Snow Basin Road.Developers Ron and Lisa Catanzaro contend their project, which would have about 80,000 square feet of commercial and professional space, is needed to serve residents of their nearby Ski Lake development.
When completed, Ski Lake will have some 400 single-family homes and condominiums housing more than 1,000 residents. The development already has its own water and sewer systems.
But a number of valley residents have been waging a bitter campaign against the Catanzaro project, arguing that the proposed commercial development threatens the rural lifestyle they have sought there.
They also complained expansion of commercial areas along U-39, the primary highway in Ogden Valley, will thwart efforts by Huntsville to establish a new commercial center in the northeast section of town.
After listening to some two dozen valley residents during a public hearing that spanned more than three hours, commissioners debated the issue for another half-hour and finally decided to table the matter for two weeks.
They agreed the southwest corner of the Snow Basin/U-39 intersection is a logical place for the proposed development, noting the other three corners are already zoned for commercial use.
But they also questioned whether there is a need for a neighborhood commercial center at this time, when the Ski Lake development is still taking shape.
Commissioners tabled the rezoning request for two weeks to give Assistant County Attorney Dave Wilson time to research the legality of a development agreement that would approve the zoning but postpone construction until the need can be documented.
Not all of the residents who turned out for the marathon public hearing were opposed to the project.
At least nine people spoke in favor of the rezoning, saying the valley needs the services the proposed neighborhood commercial center would provide. They also said increased shopping opportunities in the valley would help relieve Ogden Canyon traffic congestion.
The Catanzaros complained they have been the victims of an ongoing misinformation campaign that has convinced many valley residents they intend to build a four-story shopping mall or regional shopping center.
Lisa Catanzaro assured commissioners the plans only call for "a professional village with some associated general commercial uses" that would cater to the needs of Ski Lake residents. "It's not designed to be a destination" that would attract regional traffic and increase pressure on U-39 through Ogden Canyon, a winding two-lane road that is heavily traveled year-round.
Building height limitations in the valley would limit any construction at the intersection to no more than 21/2 stories. But other residents agreed with Jim Hasenyager, a Huntsville planning commissioner, who argued the valley already has enough small commercial areas or "nodes" to serve its needs for the foreseeable future. "There is no justification or need for this that I can see," he told the commission. "There is commercial space available in Huntsville" that needs to be developed first.
Kimball Wheatley, chairman of the East Huntsville Planning Commission, warned approval of the project would constitute "a first and irrevocable step toward urban sprawl" along U-39.