OCR Text |
Show PAGE 5 THE ZEPHYR DECEMBER 1995 And what about the Spring Break Crowds that now use the Sand Flats? In Bigler's UTDDP application, he says. The High School age Spring Break crowds make up the largest concentration of visitors and they are the most destructive to natural values and community They come for the scene, not the scenery. They spend the least, on a per capita basis, in the community and impose the greatest cost to the community. In 1995, more than 90 of damage to natural values on the Sand Flats occurred during the five day period associated with Spring BreakEaster Weekend." So where will they go? Last week, Bigler suggested to me that we should turn the Sand Flats into a showpiece and then find another designated area in the county, to be set aside as a sacrifice area for the Spring Breakers. Huh? Wait a minute. The Sand Flats bus that sacrifice area. It was being hammered. So now we restore it and designate another location to be beat to death? n This could turn into a dollar project. First we let an area be trashed. Then we spend a small fortune restoring it while encouraging the land rapers to use another area. Then we get indignant at the damage being caused there, and set restoration plans in motion for the new (or newest) sacrifice area. This could go on forever. Before the Collaborative Land Management Program commits itself, it really needs to hear from the citizens of Grand County. It was mandated to "use the funds for search and rescue, law enforcement, and other services and infrastructure needs related to recreation use." And that is what Grand County citizens expect. Let's keep this simple. Let's keep administrative costs down. Let's not turn the Sand Flats into a "showpiece." self-estee- multi-millio- so-call- ORGANICALLY GROWN VEGETABLES SEASON'S North Highway Development...The Future? GREETINGS FROM ALL US DIRT FARMERS Several months ago, the Moab City Council placed a temporary moratorium on development along US Highway 191, north from the city limits to the Colorado River bridge. The city wanted to assess proposed future development on the north highway and determine what options the city had for dealing with future growth. The city sent a questionnaire to the owners of 25 properties on the east and west sides of US 191 and asked how they intended to utilize their land. The response is if not still predictable. This is how owners with undeveloped properties responded: eye-openin- AT SHOJIN g, FARMS. Parcel 1: "Retail, Restaurant and MotclHotel." 1500 sq.feet retail, 100 rooms, 200 seats. Parcel 3: "Motel Development anticipated." 150 sq. feet retail, 75 rooms. Parcel 6: "RV park. Retail, Showers and Hookups." 57 RV Hookups, 100 seats. Parcel 7: "Retail, Restaurant, RVs, HotelMotel." 70000 sq.feet retail, 20 RV hookups, 60 rooms, 80 seats. Parcel 8: "Proposed Chain Restaurant in City." 200 seats. Commercial Retail." 250,000 sq. feet retail, 200 RV Parcel 11: "Major Mixed-Us- e hookups, 100 rooms, 200 seats. Parcel 12: "Apts., Motel, Restaurant, Retail, & RV." 2500 sq. feet retail, 10 RV hookups, 150 rooms, 60 seats. Parcel 18: Information based on "Conversation 11195- - High-LevCommercial. "1000 sq. feet retail, 100 rooms, 60 seats. Parcel 20: Apparent motelrestaurant. "Stated to use septic instead of sewer." 100 rooms, 50 seats. Parcel 21: "New 100 Unit Hotel Development." 1000 sq. feet retail, 100 Rooms, 50 seats. Parcel 25: Apparent RV Retail. "Requires sewer hookup; Northwest of River." 2000 sq.feet retail. 30 RV hookups. I JUST WHEN STILES PORTRAYS ME AS ONE OF el SANTA'S ELVES. WHAT AN ORIGINAL IDEA. Pretty amazing. In total, the proposed new development would add 785 new motel rooms, 1000 new restaurant scats, 317 new RV hookups, and 328,650 square feet of new retail space. Parcel 11 was particularly, uh, breathtaking. In addition to the information already provided, it includes a total floor space of 440,000 square feet. On the 40 ace lot, 36 of them would be surfaced or occupied by the development. We're going to have so much asphalt in this town, we're going to end up altering our climate. Of course, some of this is stuff. This kind of development is actually is the stuff of some peoples' fondest and most wonderful dreams. It's what makes me wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. But it does tell us that the development we have seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg. As a real estate agent friend of mine said the other day, although a bit belatedly, "You know...there's a lot of greed going on in this town these days." We've only just begun. THE WESTERN PLAZA, NEXT TO McSTIFFS. .239-726- 5 MERRY CHRISTMAS & MANY THANKS FOR A GREAT 95- -. watch for Mr. Steve's Surprise packages coming in the Spring. And LOVE IT have i cor A SURPRISE FOR YOU. |