| OCR Text |
Show Volume V, Issue XII THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 3 April 1, 2002 OVN Editorial Proposed Zone Change Needs Further Study By Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News Staff Should Weber County support a rezone of 4498.4 acres of property at Powder Mountain to allow for approximately 500 single-family homes, and over 81 acres of CVR-1 and CV-2 commercial property? If not, then to what degree should continued development be allowed? If Weber County Commissioners are only thinking of potential tax revenue—it may be swayed to pass the Powder Mountain proposal that will be coming before them. But would passage of the current petition really be in the best interest for water users and the community below? I don’t know, but believe tools are available to help the county come closer to obtaining the correct answer. Weber County Planning staff have often counseled decision makers to, “go ahead and approve a zoning change, and make approval of future development conditional on major issues being addressed when the time comes, i.e. sewer, water, roads, etc.” Sorry, but this is bad planning advice! The question shouldn’t be whether stipulations or conditions have been met after a zoning decision has already been made! Instead, this question should be asked beforehand: “Does the natural environment, infrastructure (man made environment), and the community general plan—created through the public process—support the proposed zoning change?” Commissioners then really have only three answers to base their decision on: “yes, no, or I don’t know.” If they don’t know, the decision can be tabled until answers are generated. Currently Powder Mountain Road is not built to state safety standards. Yet think of the amount of added traffic that will be generated from the proposed recreational and residential community built atop Powder Mountain. More importantly, think of the amount of heavy equipment—dump trucks, cement trucks, and flat bed trailers carrying machinery, along with commuter traffic—that will traverse this road. We lost two truck drivers operating heavy equipment on Trapper’s Loop during the last two years when their vehicles lost their brakes due, in part, to this road’s steep grade. Can you imagine the same scenario from trucks coming down Powder Mountain? What about county school buses? Could they be insured to carry students off the mountain on a road that is not built to state standards? Today, buses carrying students aren’t even allowed to traverse the North Ogden Divide. Unless a new or improved road is constructed, approval of intensive development should be denied until there is appropriate infrastructure to support the proposed zoning. An in depth study should also be completed, clearly outlining the impact higher density development would have on this sensitive watershed area. No matter how carefully planned development is, there will always be a human impact. How will water consumption at the top affect wells and water resources below? Weber County should insist on an aquifer recharge map study. The USGS and the Utah Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Quality, have mapped recharge pathways to local aquifers in many areas of the state, including Weber County. Specifically, an ARP (Aquifer Recharge Protection) overlay should then be generated for the proposed development area. In an ARP, specific land uses are restricted, thus giving planners knowledge about where specific land uses should or should not be permitted. Most ground water contamination is preventable through appropriate planning and zoning regulations. If a study of this area has not been completed, a decision should be tabled until such a study can be undertaken, and the data analyzed to determine, again, if the natural environment will support the proposed zoning requests. The Powder Mountain area has exceptional ecological value. Is the proposed development suitable for the surrounding environment? Many species’ existence depends on the continued health of their natural habitat. The Utah Department of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), through its Habitat Section, strives to maintain or enhance conditions for Utah’s biodiversity, particularly for those plant and animal species deemed “high interest.” High interest species are defined as economically important species such as game animals or furbearers; species EDEN PARK’S 3rd ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT (If there is still snow on the ground, the Easter Egg Hunt will be held at Snowcrest Jr. High.) Saturday, March 30, 2002 11:00 A.M. EDEN PARK For ALL children of the Valley, ages up to 11. If anyone would like to donate, please send contributions to Eden Park, P O Box 961, EDEN UT 84310 We are not able to have this wonderful event if we don’t collect enough donations. In the past, it has been totally funded by individuals and businesses of the Valley. of special aesthetic, scientific or educational significance, including those deemed as sensitive or those recognized by the Utah Natural Heritage Program as being of conservation concern. This would include, but not limit, all federally listed threatened and endangered species. There are crucial periods in each species’ life cycle when protection from disturbance is essential to the survival of individual specimens and populations. During those periods, habitat of individual specimens would be considered of critical value. Additionally, habitat areas for high interest species are characterized with qualitative descriptors ranked in order of importance, from Critical Valued habitat areas on one end of the spectrum, to Limited Valued areas on the other. Utilizing local UDWR Habitat Manager’s expertise, as it relates to resource (habitat) identification, as well as impact avoidance, minimization or necessary mitigation, would prove invaluable in the Powder Mountain rezone decision making process, determining, once again, if the natural environment can support such a zoning request. Weber County, so far, has failed to produce a overall sensitive land ordinance, which should be developed and put into place before a zoning change of this magnitude is approved. This type of ordinance would clearly spell out rules and guidelines for sensitive land protection, while accommodating non-subjective parameters for safe and reasonable levels of development. These guidelines would address sensitive land use matters such as wetlands, riparian areas, steep slope, geologic hazards, flood plains, aquifer mapping, sensitive wildlife habitat, etc. With the development of Snowbasin, the U.S. Forest Service played a key role in overseeing initial development to ensure that the environmental impact was minimized. Where will the resources come from to institute the same type of oversight and environmental protection in this critical area? Will provisions be made for such oversight? Who will pay for and enforce this oversight? The Weber County Planning Commission, in their March 19 meeting, was wise not to be pressured into passing the petitioner’s zone change request before they understood clearly and factually if the natural environment would accommodate the proposed development. Was the question raised as to whether the proposed zoning is consistent with the Ogden Valley General Plan? A decision to table the petition was made by the Planning Commissioners. Their decision is applauded. In the future, Weber County would be wise to make rational zoning decisions through a systematic and scientifically based, in depth study of what the natural environment, capital improvements, and general plan will support, before being pressured into making a zoning decision based on economics, politics, ignorance, or emotion. EASTER BRUNCH BUFFET AT THE HUNGRY WOLF GRILLE _______________________ ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET: New Zealand Leg of Lamb au Jus Boneless Ham w/Honey Pineapple Glaze Chilled Poached Salmon w/Dill Sauce Blueberry Pancakes Country Fresh Scrambled eggs Omelet Bar Hickory Smoked Bacon Homestyle Potatoes Fresh Seasonal Fruit Selection of Muffins, Danishes & Baked Goods SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2002 Adults $15.95 Children under 12 $9.95 Open from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Seatings at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and Noon RESERVATIONS REQUIRED PLEASE (801) 745-3737 Ext 113 |
