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Show WASATCH MOUNTAIN CANYON TIMES REPORT Horiuchi Defends Boyer’s Controversial Road and Hillside Housing Project Near Canyon By Katharine J. Biele in case it’s not perfectly clear, yes, build Boyer Co. a-road Cottonwood to planning is its proposed Canyon housing to Big devel- opment, and no, virtually no one’s happy about it. But this isn’t a story about making people happy. It’s not even a story about personal conviction rising above public opposition. It’s a story about business and_ politics. Simple as that. The Salt Commission, own Lake which planning County overruled commission its in approving the 56-home subdivision, located on a bench overlooking the mouth of the canyon, has cleared the way to build a 2,000-foot long paved route up the hillside — despite public opposition, despite a damning engineer's report, despite lion cleanup cost Lake City’s stern water up the road. “This is question,” attorney a $2.3 mil- and despite Salt refusal to pipe essentially Says for the Cullen hapless a political Battle, the Holladay Gun Club, which more than likely will go out of business now. Attorney and environmental activist Steve Lewis recalls sitting in Horiuchi’s office when the commissioner told opponents he’d be voting for the road. “I pushed the button,” says Lewis, “and asked him, ‘Who in the world, besides you and Boyer Co., supports this?” To Horiuchi, it was a decision grounded both in business and sentimental reasons. “What sold me on ed the subdivision is, it’s entirely flat. In to develop the plans if it isn’t stable think it’s going to be a real nice my personal view, when you look at that site, it’s like ‘Little House on the Prairie.’ You can see Laura Ingle’s running won't ev in motion a man, long Kem ago: Boyer Gardner, Co.s is a says new that long-time roads road The to it takes crosses slopes and 12 percent. initial slope Co. indicated be within guide- n't even tell them what it was for, who it was for, or what we were try ing to get. Then we had another engineer compare the slope maps. There were gross errors in the Boyer survey.” Battle says he wrote to the county commission, saying the margin of drawn it difficult to error to cases — simply could not be inadvertent. “I never heard anything back,” he says “Do people think we're interest- mission — up to 20 this is the place percent in some freedom, Democracy, civility, polarizaton, finding Common ground!It was inspirational ! the city’s now 4.3 thot Sounds very interesting. Hey, do you think +here 1s any money in that? works, has ask the not water PAGE 17 responded treatment wants to to flooded the damage plant. avert any to The man division. “IT have a sense commission has that the county already taken made the heat for its it, nd those environmental con cers, substantial cleanup of lead from the gun club and former sheriffs shooting range must be accomplished before the subdivision can be built. Horiuchi says Utah Power and share of cleanup. Boyer Co. the estimated But county will $2.3 pay a million taxpayers will ante in as well Gardner says already has donated cleanup and his company $250,000 to the until Utah before remediation will wait Power finishes Boyer Co. actually purchases the and. Gardner finds the whole debate simply ironic. “It was all created by the gun club because they want to continue to shoot up there,” he says “The gun club filled the mountain lead; Utah Power $2 million to clean it up; the property at less has to spend they’re sellthan it cost them to clean up; the gravel pit’s at the mouth of the canyon; there’s a treatment plant and a power water station — and everybody’s talking about us ruining the mouth of the canyon by putting up a nice @ Pick IT UP It’s Everywhere It’s Free It’s for You Read John O95" ve wate1 city’s made dangers. Hooton says the city will not run a pipeline up to the sub- road.” Community huh... pl request city ing | went to a meeting last night about community. could In 1983, heavy rains area and ca used extensive with by John Helton They spoke of personal spoHeTGH, has Hooton’s B° at sal county commission to reconsider its decision to allow the road. The com- will be steeper, prope director of public according to county ordinance. Yet it determine just how Boyer expects mitigate the steep slope problem. up, Boye! troublesome to Salt Lake City’s system. LeRoy Hooton, the decision and Hooton says the road cuts would cantly impacted been stable? going lines. Then came a second, potentially devastating engineering report “We hired an independent firm for the survey,” says Battle. “We did- other vehicular routes can cross property with slopes greater than 30 percent if appropriate engineering measures are taken and the environment and aesthetics aren't signifiNo final plans have however, making The Interestingly, an from Boyer In overturning its own planning commission, the county commissioners cited the Hillside Protection It says Battle analysis point- Horiuchi political ally. Ordinance. if it isn’t that exceed 50 percent and some are as high as 60 percent, he said In addition, the grade of the road itself should not exceed 10 percent, round of development of housing farther up on the mountainside. B: another precedent, surely was set road However, Boyer Co. has run into several problems during and after the approval, not the least of which was defending the road as it would cross the steep slopes. “This road violates all the rules in the Hillside Protection Ordinance,” below. “It's a tradeoff,” Horiuchi contends. “If the proper road restrictions could be placed on it, I think the developer ought to have the opportunity to develop it.” Horiuchi dismisses critics who say the hillside project will set a setting < amenity.” across there. It’s likely you en see the subdivision from precedent, in doing asks Gardner. “You're not spend $300,000 to $400,000 ANS |