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Show Jdck-Sfraiftfs By Jack Walhs V ) While driving around Ashley Valley, we are astounded at the number of new subdivisions, homes and mobile home set-ups. Especially in the Davis, Glines' and Maeser areas. Where are all the people to fill these dwellings coming from and why, with all the new housing, is there a continual housing shortage? Uintah County Commissioners have been approached by three different developers who have plans for subdivisions subdivi-sions that have over 1,000 units each. What will be the impact on an area to receive 1,000 homes in what is now an uninhabited area? Think of the demands on the roads, water and sewer lines. Then there are the social problems, pro-blems, the dogs and cats and children. Where do the neighborhood children go to play? What about flood control, etc.? All these problems are being faced by county officials who are trying to make preparations for growth and avoid impact im-pact problems before they are irreversible. irrever-sible. Changes in the present county subdivision ordinance are being considered con-sidered to allow for stricter flood control con-trol measures and to provide areas for parks and playgrounds. It is hard to believe that such impact problems are coming, but according to the High Development Scenario Impacts Im-pacts Summary prepared by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Utah and the State Planning Coordinator's office on the Uintah Basin energy development develop-ment impacts, the Vernal area will increase in-crease in population from energy development, in 1981 only 749 persons, compared to 26,247 by 1989, the peak year of growth. Imagine that! 25,498 more people in just eight years. Added to the present population of Ashley Valley, we are looking at a population of 42,247. This growth is projected to be caused by 6,357 new jobs by 1989, according accor-ding to the report. Are we ready for this kind of growth? Can we handle the impact? And most of all, is it really going to come? The figures we have cited are for the high development, but eventhe medium development population figures will add 22,414 to our valley population by 1988, only seven years, caused by 3,890 new jobs. Added to the present 16,000 population of the area, it would give us a population of 38,414. This prospect for growth is making wild-people out of subdivision developers. Large blocks of land have been purchased pur-chased by energy companies including Deseret Generation & Transmission, White River Shale Project and several outside properties and real estate investment in-vestment companies with the idea of providing housing and community services ser-vices that will be needed by the forecasted population increase. With the rapid growth in mind, the County Commission is trying to tighten up its subdivision ordinance and to make developers provide the many services ser-vices that will be needed in large developments. The Commission is afraid that once a large subdivision goes in and problems develop, it will be hard to require the developer to provide solutions to these impact problems. The problems need to be spotted before the development is finished and the developer moves away. Adequate access and over crowded roads are already becoming a problem in certain areas of the valley. Imagine what would happen if only half of the people in a 1,000 home subdivision went to work at the same time over a narrow county road. Then as each subdivision funnels out, what will happen to the main artery road system? One of the only hopes for the future is that the statisticians are wrong in their population growth forecast for the Vernal Ver-nal area. But we are certain some growth is coming and the area must face this and get ready for it as fast as possible. One of the best avenues for growth preparation is in cooperating and working work-ing together. Governmental entities and service areas must work together and plan the future growth patterns and potentials of their areas. If growth is based strictly on economics and goes to the cheapest areas of development, we could experience a hodge-podge method of community growth instead of an organized and planned type of growth. We hope that in the final analysis those who have leadership positions in Ashley Valley will cooperate one with another and take part in a planned development master plan for the valley that will be able to adequately absorb the forecasted population growth needs of the area. |