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Show JANUARY 31, 2001 WASATCH Problems with Aspen Hollow ing scheduled Feb. 15). The proposed development is located on 400 West in Midway. We have been told that this ‘development meets all building’ ordinances, and therefore it must be recommended. However, according to the Midway Master Plan, all new develop- — ment must be in harmony with the existing community. Here are just a few reasons why the proposed Aspen Hollow PUD is not in harmony with the existing community, which i is also our neighborhood: — | Traffic: Survey According to the Personal Transportation published transportation by the bureau statistics, an of average household is comprised of two people, each of whom own one vehicle and each take six round trips per day. That equals 12 round trips per household per day. According to the proposed plan and the subsequent density of 10 units, we will experience 120 round trips per day, which means 240 cars turning into and out of the driveway per day. Most of these cars will turn toward town, which means they will turn directly in front of Most of these trips will be the morning and evening - most certainly constitutes our house. clustered in hours. This an inharmo- - nious increase in the level of traffic in front of our home, as well. as _ this : community. — Safety: Again, with most of si car trips turning toward town and’ there-_. fore turning in front of our home, in the morning and evening hours, we have a major concern with the fact that the only sidewalk for our daughter as. well as the other children cosmetic in this neigh- — harmony of an issue which the is . very important to those of us who bought historic homes for the specific This letter is to voice our concerns. over a 10-unit PUD called Aspen ‘Hollow being considered by the Planning Commission (public hearing Nationwide the neighborhood COUNTY COURIER property in 1997 slipped including town officials, city planner came along - quote from memory but by everyone, until a new who did not rather looked reason that we did not want to be in an up facts in the ordinance book. We area filled with the new homes and buildings. Open Space: Simply meeting open space requirements does not make know this because as a family we looked into the possibility of purchasing the property in 1999. We were told the density ordinance on the property this design right. It’s a fact that most of was four acres minimum for 10 units, the open space resides in the driveway and cul de sac leading into the development from 400 West. The remainder dropped wouldn’t be so bad. Now we are facing a 10-unit development on 2.3 acres. We are not alone in the belief that the Aspen Hollow PUD is simply too much on too little land. Based on the current plan this development will not . beautify, it will not improve, it will now benefit and it is not in a with our community. two acres minimum for five units. We Suen and John Hughes, ee it, thinking that five units is out in the back 40 — the horse field. If open space requirements have been exceeded, why then are there buildings on the zero dot line? Why is a building placed 20 feet off our back property line? Are the buyers of this home really: going to enjoy their 20foot backyard? Since the open space = WASATCH COUNTY | 210 East Main Miva, Urs Wasatch County’s Source for Van (435) 654-2661 e (435) 654- 2531/6) -MEMBER: UTAH out in the horse field benefits no one, why not sacrifice some of that excess | Editor & and give it to the buyers of this home. Most folks, including us, like to enjoy e see eb OE PRESS ASSOCIATION/ASSOCIATED Publisher com PRESS Dan Stephens . Derek Jensen Dixie Bishop © Paulette Tillman . Managing Editor Office Manager . Education Editor their backyard in some semblance of privacy. With the current design, nei-_ PO Box 1030 Midway, UT 84049 Sports Editor Russ Riggs STAFF WRITERS Kirsten Shaw ¢ Paul Swenson ° Tim Westby ther of us will get to do that. Lighting: How can any level of safe lighting for 10 units where there previously was none except for the Hale Bop comet, the Mir space station, the full moon and a sky full of stars, which we no longer see, be in harmony with _ the existing community? - Landscaping: Please drive through this neighborhood and you will see pine trees over 100 feet tall and 100 years old, apple trees with a lifetime of CONTRIBUTORS Sam Allen ¢ Matt Heimburger ¢ Aaron Taylor Art Director . Erin McGuinness _ Books Advertising Executive Circulation/MIS Security Amber Stephens Dianne Davey Dylan Stephens . Ramona Michael J. Kearns PRESIDENT/CEO history. What we saw on an initial plan was lots of pretty green shrubs, trees and landscaping, but in looking closer at the fine print, we: saw one-gallon ~~ containers? One-gallon trees take 20° years to mature to any functional “screening” size. This is not acceptable. Improvement of fay Property: We've heard repeatedly about how this borhood to walk to school on is located : development project will improve this across 400 West. In order to walk to _ piece of land. That it’s a nuisance; a — and from school, they will have to field filled with weeds, insects, rodents dodge those 240 cars. Harmony? and a fire hazard. Some people call The developers say that these will that an ecosystem. It most certainly is be mostly second homes and therefore filled with weeds — milkweed being empty so there will not be an increase just one. Which, for those who may not in traffic. Can they guarantee that? Of course not. The flip side to that vacant assurance is that where there are empty homes, there is an increase in> crime. Swiss Architecture: Other shew the density incentive, (an additional one half unit is allowed when using a Swiss style of architecture), why is there such an effort to promote a Swiss architectural style in this development — similar to Creekside’s? This is certainly not in harmony with the existing » community, since the only access will be from 400 West; not Creekside. Creekside provides a backdrop but Sk VE RSM RNIN, Ser Nae tS - should not be considered when evalu- ating the “blending” of this development with the existing homes. Many of the existing homes in this community are over 100 years old with historic sig- nificance, and are not built in the Swiss style of architecture. This should be taken into consideration when evaluat- sively on which an “insect” called the monarch butterfly perpetuates its life cyele. Monarch butterflies capture the imagination of people of all ages with their spectacular migration and striking beauty. According _ to MonarchWatch, western populations of this beautiful “insect” are severely _ declining due largely in part to loss of natural habitat, ie. milkweed. This gives you an idea of how lucky we are as a community to be able to enjoy these insects in our yards and gardens. Buildings on this field do not represent an improvement to us, our family nor anyone in this community that appreciates the simple wonders that a plain old field of weeds can offer. Make no mistake about it, the developers are not improving this field, they | are destroying it forever, and there is a big difference between the two. 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