| OCR Text |
Show WASATCH VALLEY TIMES REPORT é& HEBER MOUNTAIN Midway Embraces Big Development ast spring one hundred angry resimdents of Midway gathered at city council meetings to voice displeasure with the’ municipal government's annexation agreements with several developers that would more than double the town’s population. At least three large condominium projects were approved allowing 500 to 600 new housing units. If that didn’t frighten residents enough, a number of similar projects were waiting in the wings. A petition drive to slow growth was completed just in time to have a referendum placed on the ballot that would slow development to 3 percent per year, which in areas not undergoing a boom is thought to be brisk growth. But during balloting in November, the townsfolk turned down the growth control measure by a 2-to-1 margin. The vote was the final page in a campaign that turned ugly, pitting neighbor against neighbor in the small town of 1,600. Large property owners and developers ran adds in the area’s weekly newspaper threatening huge lawsuits against the tiny municipal government. Into They also called question the ethics of those who would restrict property rights George Hansen, who lost a bid for a seat on the Midway City Council says the town is all but lost to big development. “My worst fears are coming true. They are going to give these developers anything they want,” Hansen said ma Wasatch Mountain Times interview. Hansen said he and other unsuccessful candidates, Ron Gayle and Darrell Mensel, were aligned with the growth control measure by the opposition. An 11th-hour distribution of cam- paign literature by pro-development forces mischaracterized the candidates and their wish for controlled development, rather than a free-for-all, Hansen said. ‘It was character assassination. And you can quote me on that,” Hansen said. The campaign turned so mean that one of Hansen’s associates reported to him that a friend had retorted: “How can you vote for Hansen and still go to church?” Until the campaign, Hansen said he was a well-respected member Wyoming Woolens shows pride in organizations that protect the world we live in by continuously donating a portion of our profits to: Wilderness Society * Sierra Club Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund With a purchase from Wyoming Woolens your Christmas gift can ensure you participate in helping to save our planet. of the community. It has been largely Hansen’s efforts that have saved Snake Creek Canyon from development by the Brighton ski resort and others. But incumbent Councilman Don Huggard, who won re-election, said the growth initiative scared people. “I think the number of new units allowable per year (under the initiative) was too limited. Fifteen per year was not acceptable.” Midway doesn’t need a growth cap, Haggard explained. Instead, the town needs growth management. Midway’s present, and relatively new, zoning allows for up to 3.5 units per acre. To the casual observer, that appears like urban density in a traditional rural town of single-family homes Huggard explained that increased density, known in development circles as “clustering,” provides open space. “The problem the city council has had is that it conducted a survey and found residents wanted open space. In order to get open space, you have to cluster units,” he said. Huggard said he believes the community will now pull together and work toward orderly and well-balanced development. @ BUY ONE a Wyoming Woolens 801-645-9427 518 Main ¢ Park City A e Wyoming Weac — rutece Feet FP JACKSON ae yw ¢ HOLE, UGA mite Coe free kid skiing* and high-speed quads don’t iit ae iC ee our powder will. (2 fuletide! : : \ Greetings 4 CES I oy SAAS We have 850 acres of Wasatch Powder — the driest, PRICE yy Jackson Hole Wyoming PARK CITY OUTLET dUbestee rem ime (outa @ ieee CMe la Ome ld Oe ee Cheam mem CUBIC AS to be crazy to ski Utah without skiing Brighton. For MALL Take Kimball Junction Exit to Park City, turn west at the first light. information, call GET THE SECOND AT HALF PRICE 532-4731. * 2 Receive a FREE gift with purchase with this ad. PAGE 15 KIDS WITH Bri 10 AND UNDER EACH PAYING SKI FREE ADULT | |
