ALPINE — A day after the Alpine City Council voted to condemn two properties using eminent domain, the landowners sold their chunk of land Wednesday to the city for the reconstruction of Fort Canyon Road.
Now that all the rights of way are in place, the city can begin rebuilding the narrow, rural pass. Widening and repairing the historic road is needed for future development along the north bench.
Widening the road will improve its safety, said City Councilman Kent Hastings.
"We can't maintain a failed road," Hastings said.
The road eventually will carry traffic to a subdivision two decades in the making. The Three Falls subdivision, formerly Ilangheni Estates, is a high-end housing project to the north of Fort Canyon.
Alpine staff and the developers have worked for two years to secure a 54-foot right of way from existing homeowners along the road. The majority sold before the city considered eminent domain. The holdouts negotiated Wednesday.
Developers of Three Falls also spoke with the council and Fort Canyon residents on another road matter Tuesday — power lines.
Will Jones, who is building the 811-acre, 59-lot subdivision, wanted the council to consider allowing overhead power lines instead of underground lines, as were originally planned.
Alpine's ordinance mandates that all new developments bury power lines.
Ed Gifford, engineer for the development, said it's a matter of cost — overhead lines cost $250,000, while underground lines cost $500,000.
Residents, however, felt slighted.
They shared a February letter Jones sent to residents stating the lines would be buried.
"Some of us have put up with this development progressing in part because of certain promises and things that were built into the program — one being underground (power lines) and widening the road," said Keith Brown, one of the roughly dozen Fort Canyon residents at the meeting.
Other exceptions have been made, said resident Marla Rogers, noting that the Shotcrete retaining walls are not natural looking like originally presented.
"Literally the only thing that is requiring the improvement of this road is the Three Falls subdivision," added Don Rogers, Marla's husband. "Three Falls is a private, money-making venture. … Fort Canyon residents get to reap all the negative consequences of this subdivision."
The City Council agreed, adding that it would not be fair to residents to allow overhead power lines.
"I don't think we as a city have ever been in the business of helping a developer make money," Mayor Hunt Willoughby said. "I would suggest we stick with the ordinance."
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