Resource(s): www.thespectrum.com/ ; www.sltrib.com/

Land Purchases, Conservation Easements Part of Plan to Protect Utah Watersheds

As part of sustainability efforts focused on 240 endangered ''eco-regions'' nationwide, the Nature Conservancy launched its Living Lands and Waters initiative to protect eight key Utah watersheds through direct land purchases, conservation easements and other means, a goal strongly backed by Republican Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., with the Conservancy's Utah Executive Director Dave Livermore stressing, ''We're not out to protect these lands from people. We want to protect them for people.''

The task is not to protect ''every acre,'' he told the Salt Lake Tribune editorial board, ''but to merge the natural world and the world we humans need to survive.''

Governor Huntsman, reports Tribune writer Joe Baird, pledged to help the conservancy in the task and to seek more money for the state's LeRay McAllister Open Space Fund, which has always lacked full allocations, currently having just over $1 million left.

''All of us have a vital economic interest in protecting these critical lands and water resources,'' the governor told the Rotary Club in Salt Lake City, pointing to huge state revenues from tourism and recreation. ''And we can do this without killing the golden goose.''

But this indeed requires stronger action, warned the city-based Oquirrh Institute recently, noting that Utah ranks fifth nationwide for fast growth and for numbers of species at risk of extinction, and that it has lost 58 percent of the Great Salt Lake's wetlands, loses an average of 15,000 acres a year to development, and could lose 45 percent of its riparian areas by 2030.

''If the trends continue, we'll develop another 308 square miles along the Wasatch Front by the 2030,'' said Oquirrh environmental management chief Brad Barber. ''That's the size of New York City.''

The Nature Conservancy has already raised $1.5 million of the $4 million it needs for a conservation easement to the 6,700-acre Selman Ranch in Cache County, the writer reports, quoting rancher Bret Selman, who said, ''We want to stay in the ranching business. I want to see my grandkids ranching sheep.''

Ranchers and farmers helped defeat a $150 million land-protection ballot measure in 2004, but according to Utah Department of Agriculture and Foods Commissioner Leonard Blackman they increasingly see both the immediate and the long-term benefits of conservation easements.

''They still have mixed feelings about it, but they're starting to come around to the idea that the no-hands approach we've been using doesn't work,'' he observed. ''If they can maintain their viability and be profitable, this can be a good tool.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   7/19/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Mayor Anderson Announces Salt Lake City Has Surpassed Greenhouse-Gas Reduction Goals

Having committed Salt Lake City to the Kyoto Protocols and set its greenhouse-gas reduction target just before the 2002 Winter Olympics at 21 percent by 2012, Democratic Mayor Rocky Anderson announced the city has already surpassed that goal, saying, ''I only wish we were seeing the same leadership at the national level.''

The U.S. has not ratified the Kyoto treaty, with President Bush convinced it would hurt the national economy, observes Salt Lake Tribune writer Robert Gehrke, noting that Mayor Anderson has helped organize the Cities for Climate Protection group of more than 250 mayors who work to cut the harmful emissions.

Salt Lake City cut them by the equivalent of 22,627 tons of carbon dioxide a year, thanks to a series of agency steps, such as installation of energy-efficient light bulbs and traffic lights, recovery of methane in the sewage-treatment plant, and purchases of high-mileage vehicles, including a hybrid police car.

''We ask our citizens, when they're pulled over by this car, to at least congratulate the police officer'' for driving a hybrid, the mayor said, pointing out that the city is also seeking stronger business and public involvement against climate change through its e2 Business and new e2 Citizen conservation programs.

''We all recognize what a mess we're in,'' the mayor stressed.

Concerned that the nation ''is lagging behind'' in adopting greater fuel efficiencies, he added that the city expects members of Congress from both parties to work on solving national energy problems. -- Salt Lake Tribune   7/18/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

State Considers Medical, Transportation Needs of Older Residents in Utah 2030 Project

Last year, Utahans age 60 or older made up about 10 percent of the state's population -- third in life expectancy nationwide, with an average longevity of 78 years among men and 84 among women -- but in the next 25 years their numbers will reach 20 percent, including a large segment of ''baby boomers'' born between 1946 and 1964, which will generate unprecedented demand for medical, social, transportation and other services, a challenge the state must meet, announced Republican Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., unveiling the Utah 2030 project, under which state agencies will identify strategies to provide and fund what older residents need.

''We're looking at how the increase of the aging population will impact the state over the coming decades,'' said project leader, Utah Commission on Aging Executive Director Maureen Henry. ''The departments need to be aware that the aging population is a big part of their constituency.''

Scheduled for completion by next February, reports Salt Utah Tribune writer Carey Hamilton, the project will also look into ways to reduce the service demand, with director Henry mentioning ''preventive measures like saving for retirement or taking a walk daily and eating well that might help people'' remain healthy and independent.

Senior advocacy groups applauded the project. Glad that state agencies are coming together to ''avert a major crisis down the road,'' AARP Utah Director Rob Ence pointed out that air quality, living conditions, transportation access and other factors affect the elderly more than others.

Seniors who can't or shouldn't be driving need alternatives to the car, he said, adding, ''We've got to figure out ways in which we can move people so they can stay in touch with their vital resources for living as well as for sociality.'' -- Salt Utah Tribune   7/14/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Revitalization Coming to South Salt Lake

Largely industrial South Salt Lake, sandwiched between Salt Lake City and Murray, is ''built out, with old, tired housing and businesses in need of revitalization,'' but must be very careful about ''how and what'' it develops, said Mayor Bob Gray, stressing its need to maintain the small-town character while increasing services, and expecting the just opened $16 million Residences At Central Pointe mixed-use complex, with 76 condos above street-level retail within a few blocks of a TRAX light-rail station, to become ''a catalyst for further development.''

The complex's two-bedroom and three-bedroom condos are priced between $170,000 and $250,000, with 32 units sold before the opening, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Cathy McKitrick, quoting Cascade Development Partners managing member Bob Aste, who plans groundbreaking for his high-density development second phase, called Market Station, on 13 nearby acres next spring.

''We're interested because of what it offers in terms of mass transit and accessibility to Interstates 15 and 80,'' he said. ''We saw it as a wonderful opportunity to offer people an alternative to downtown Salt Lake City, at less cost per square foot.''

He hopes the planned $250 million Market Station, with 500 to 600 condos, town houses, industrial lofts, brownstones, and live-work and student units, just north of an envisioned light-rail spur, will help the Utah Transit Authority to obtain federal funding for its construction.

''If that spur doesn't get built, it would be a shame,'' he commented. ''But our project will move forward with the idea it (light rail) can be incorporated later.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   6/29/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Senate Republicans Reject Request for Special Session to Consider One-Cent Sales Tax Benefiting Transportation

A day after the Wasatch Front region's business and civic leaders in the 2015 Transportation Alliance called for a special legislative session next month to consider a possible November ballot on a statewide one-cent sales tax for transportation, which would raise $2.1 billion to accelerate TRAX light rail expansion and other transit projects, the Senate Republican caucus dismissed the proposal as too thorny for a one-day debate, bothering neither to contact the alliance nor to look into its report data.

''Special sessions are a very difficult forum to take up controversial and complex issues,'' said Senate Transportation, Public Utilities and Technology Committee GOP member Curtis Bramble. ''This particular issue is more complex than what may first appear.''

At the same time, the senator noted that although he likes the idea of putting the one-cent tax to a public vote, he thinks lawmakers should first approve his bill, drafted together with Republican Senator Rebecca Lockart, which would let Utah County vote on its consolidation into a single transportation district and participation in the planned construction of a commuter rail line from Salt Lake City south to Provo.

Salt Lake Chamber CEO Lane Beattie considers the matter more urgent. ''We are not asking them to debate taxes,'' he stressed. ''We are only asking them to allow the citizens of Utah to vote if they would like to have increased transportation services by increasing a small portion of the sales tax on a county-by-county basis.''

The alliance's proposal, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Paul Beebe, envisions a three-step process. First, lawmakers grant county leaders the authority to put the one-cent sales tax for transportation on the November ballot; second, county leaders agree to do so; and third, voters pass the measure to gain better transit by 2015 instead of perhaps a decade later. -- Salt Lake Tribune   6/23/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Utah Transportation Alliance Seeks Special Legislative Session to Discuss Transit Sales Tax Option on November Ballot

With the Utah population expected to explode from some 2.5 to 4 million within 25 years, and travel needs growing twice that fast, the 2015 Transportation Alliance of business and civic leaders asked Republican Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. to call a special legislative session next month, to debate the possibility of a November ballot on a uniform statewide one-cent sales tax for transportation, which would raise $2.1 billion and let the state speed up expansion of TRAX light rail, commuter rail and other transit projects before traffic congestion along the Wasatch Front imposes higher costs, a request the governor considers premature, but he promises to review data and consult top lawmakers.

''We are not at a critical stage; we are at a crisis stage,'' warned Salt Lake Chamber CEO Lane Beattie. ''We face an economic imperative to invest in transportation now or accept an underperforming, less-competitive economy in the future. Nothing will stall an economy faster than gridlock. Business costs will increase and our quality of life will decline.''

Made a week ahead of a Salt Lake County Commission meeting on an $895 million bond issue, sought by the Utah Transit Authority to accelerate construction of four new light-rail lines, which would require a county property tax increase of $108 for a $200,000 home, the alliance's legislative session request and one-cent sales tax proposal, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Paul Beebe, stem from a study by Kansas City-based HNTB consultants and Tom Warne and Associates experts from South Jordan, Salt Lake County.

The study shows that the state will have a $21.3 billion gap between revenue and transportation needs by 2030, and that the $2.1 billion investment in transit and road improvements is needed now or the region's traffic congestion will nearly triple and commute times will get much longer.

The unified one-cent sales tax for transportation would be voted county by county, with Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties needing to increase their current taxes by only a half cent and Utah County by three-quarters of a cent, but it would ensure construction of at least eight major projects by 2015 and save taxpayers about $14 billion in the long run.

''It is time to go beyond planning and studying. It is time to act,'' stressed 2015 Transportation Alliance Co-chairman and Zions Bank CEO Scott Anderson. ''While the price is high, the cost of inaction is much greater.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   6/21/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Tough Construction, Remodeling Regulations Approved to Help Preserve Character of Salt Lake City Neighborhoods

Beseeched by Capitol Hill and Avenues area residents to protect their working-class bungalows from getting dwarfed by so-called ''monster homes,'' ''McMansions'' or ''garagemahals,'' which kill sunlight, valley views and neighborliness, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Heather May, the Salt Lake City Council unanimously toughened construction and remodeling regulations for these two neighborhoods, reducing the home height standard from the citywide 28 feet to 23 feet and the garage space from the standard 720 square feet to 480 square feet, with additional restrictions on front yard setbacks and side yards.

The standard structures will receive over-the-counter permits; anything taller and bigger must seek administrative approval, the writer observes, quoting area Councilman Eric Jergensen, who pointed out that the regulations don't preclude larger structures if they fit the block or if the neighbors agree. ''If you want to add on, fine,'' he said. ''If you want to add on higher than what normally might be allowed, that's fine, too, but make sure it's compatible with what's going on in the neighborhood.''

The move to restrict mega-homes in the area was sparked last year by replacement of a 1,000-square-foot one-story home by a 6,000-square-foot three-story structure. The construction is still going on and the new rules are too late to have it stopped.

''We wish it would have been sooner,'' said neighbor Ellen Horrocks. ''But we're very happy. We need the protection.''

Even though a few residents called the restrictions too tough and architect Sandra Hatch complained that the administrative process for the citywide anti-monster home regulations, enacted last December, create ''a nightmare'' for her clients, because ''(e)verybody at the counter is afraid to make a decision,'' other city neighborhoods, including Wasatch Hollow and Foothill Sunnyside, are considering similar special restrictions, too. -- Salt Lake Tribune   6/8/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Editorial: Realistic Strategies Needed to Make Smart Growth Central in Planning Decisions

With wildlife habitat long eroded and partitioned by sprawl, animals and humans increasingly find themselves where the others play or dwell, with three deadly alligator attacks a few days apart recently reported in Florida and a cow moose or a bear known to pose a random threat in Utah, notes Salt Lake City Deseret Morning News editorial writer Marjorie Cortez, raising larger development cost and quality of life questions and concluding wryly, ''It's time to embrace smart growth principles and develop realistic strategies to pay for it before we, too, are up to our elbows in alligators.''

Since 1997, she observes, the public-private Envision Utah partnership is showing the way, training county and municipal officials in smart planning, and hoping for ''workable policies and good planning and zoning ordinances.''

Concerned about ''the ultimate price of rapid development'' and the ability of infrastructure and taxes to ''keep pace,'' she writes that the Utah Department of Natural Resources' wildlife officials told the editorial board that wildlife-human interactions require a growing share of their resources, while the Utah Geological Survey cautioned about residential development on slopes, some of which have been or are prone to landslides.

With another population boom ahead, state agencies face huge financial challenges. The Utah Department of Transportation is for the first time considering toll roads as part of a multi-source funding package for its highway system, an idea the Utah Trucking Association sees as double taxation. The Utah Transit Authority wants to borrow $875 million over 30 years for four new TRAX light-rail lines in Salt Lake County. Some fast-growing school districts may seek bond issues to build and renovate schools. Although the daily's recent poll found 61 percent of county residents in favor of a small property-tax hike, about $95 a year on a $200,000 home, some residents either want to form their own school districts rather than pay for the valley's new west side schools or join smaller school districts because they feel underserved.

''If certain industries or property owners decide they do not want to share the responsibility -- and yes, the burden -- of paying for services on the whole, who will?'' the editorial writer asks. ''Isn't part of the problem the manner in which we choose to develop our communities -- large houses with Kentucky bluegrass lawns in the second most arid state in the United States in locations farther and farther from our centers of commerce and government?'' Surely, she stresses, ''this model isn't sustainable over the long run.'' -- Deseret Morning News   5/16/2006

Resource(s): www.deseretnews.com/dn

Utah Celebrates Vision, Habitat Preservation, and Revitalization at 6th Annual Governor's Quality Growth Awards

Envision Utah and the Utah Quality Growth Commission presented the 6th annual Governor's Quality Growth Awards to 10 cities, developers and nonprofit groups from Grand, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties ''for their creativity, community spirit and market savvy,'' with Republican Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., commending the winners for the ''sense of humanity that we are bequeathing to the next generation,'' and Envision Utah Executive Director Alan Matheson stressing they ''demonstrate that development can enhance our communities and succeed in the market.''

The four Quality Growth Awards of Excellence went to Draper's Corner Canyon Preservation Area, which saved its watershed and critical habitat from imminent development; Magna's Main Street Project, which revitalized this historic street, made it friendly to pedestrians and cyclists again, and allowed moderate-income housing above ground-floor businesses; Ogden's Scowcroft Building and Junction City Café, which involved cleanup and redevelopment of the 1906 long-vacant warehouse by a private-public partnership using historic building tax credits as part of the city's downtown revitalization effort; and Wasatch Choices 2040, in which the Wasatch Front Regional Council and the Mountainland Association of Governments are working on growth principles and a regional land-use vision for Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties.

The six Quality Growth Awards of Merit honored the Moab City Center for adaptive reuse of a historic school; the Ogden Valley General Plan Element, with criteria and guidelines for recreation planning, including resort development; the Provo Wells Fargo Center Mixed-Use Development for crating the first downtown housing in years; the West Bench Planning Summits by Salt Lake County and the Kennecott Land company for public involvement in drawing up the area master plan; the Utah Clean Cities Coalition for its educational efforts to reduce everyday petroleum use by turning more toward alternative fuels and smaller vehicles and fleets; and the master-planned 3,500-housing unit Vintaro project in American Fork for following the example of Utah's most successful historic communities and offering a wide array of housing choices, all energy efficient and with some 30 percent of units within a quarter mile of bus stops and a future light-rail station.

Details at www.envisionutah.org.   5/16/2006

Resource(s): www.kcpw.org/

Environmental Groups Critical of Draft Plan to Protect Washington County's Open Spaces

Although they took a lot of language from a successful bipartisan land-use bill devised for Nevada's Clark and Lincoln counties by Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Utah Republican Senator Bob Bennett and Democratic Representative Jim Matheson got poor environmental marks for their draft legislation to protect hundreds of thousands of acres of mostly federal land in Washington County, suddenly the fifth fastest-growing nationwide, with Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Executive Director Scott Groene saying this legislation ''brings more water, more roads, more private land and more money for developers in a way that will change the face of southwestern Utah for decades to come.''

Unveiled a week earlier and called the Washington County Growth & Conservation Act of 2006, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird, the proposals include national wilderness designation for more than 219,000 ecologically sensitive acres, including 123,700 already protected within Zion National Park; wild and scenic river designation for 170 miles of the Virgin River in the park; protection for watersheds, ranges and views near the park; creation of the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area to ensure long-term protection for the desert tortoise, along with public recreation; creation of the High Desert OHV Trail System; and sale of up to 25,000 acres of ''non-environmentally sensitive public land.''

Environmentalists, who were able to participate only in the initial phase of the 20-month-long work on the act and reserved their judgement until reading its fine print, call for public hearings on the draft, raising two main problems. They note that some areas outside Zion National Park need the wilderness designation much more than its inner parts do, and that a sale of 25,000 county acres could spread the St. George metro area from 65 to 105 square miles (67,200 acres).

''We had hoped for a more balanced proposal that would protect (Washington County's) outstanding wild lands and wildlife while also allowing for smart growth and sustainable land use around St. George,' said Wilderness Society regional director Suzanne Jones. ''Unfortunately, as written, this draft legislation fails on all scores.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   3/29/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Legislators Hope Land-Use Bill Provides Smart Growth Blueprint for Fast-Growing Washington County

Squarely in the state's scenic southwest corner bordered by Arizona and Nevada, large swatches of its high desert and forested ranges owned by the federal government, Washington County has recently became the fifth fastest-growing nationwide, the related land-use frictions heating up -- none too early for Republican Senator Bob Bennett and Democratic Representative Jim Matheson to follow the bipartisan example of Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign with their own draft legislation to save the county from sprawl.

''If we don't do this, we're going to have uncontrollable growth in Washington County, and that's just not smart at all,'' observed Senator Bennett, telling Salt Lake Tribune writer Robert Gehrke that explosive growth in a county with so much federal land requires federal legislation, and noting in a detailed press release that the comprehensive land-use Reid-Ensign bills ''have proven enormously beneficial for their state and serve as a great blueprint for what can work in Utah.''

Republican Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. applauded proposed legislation, saying, ''In a region that is among the fastest growing in America, we can't afford to get it wrong.''

In the works during the past 20 months, but with environmentalists excluded after the first phase of stakeholder negotiations, the Washington County Growth & Conservation Act of 2006 takes much of the language from the Nevada bills, which helped manage growth in Lincoln and Clark counties, just to the west. The act would add more than 219,000 acres to the state's 53,900-acre National Wilderness Preservation System, including 123,700 acres for Zion National Park; protect a total of 170 miles of the Virgin River and its tributaries under the state's first-ever Wild and Scenic River designation; identify a system of trails as the High Desert Off-Highway Vehicle Trail; preserve key water, utility and transportation corridors; create the Red Cliff National Conservation Area to continue protection of desert tortoises in their 61,000-acre preserve after its plan expires; and allow sales or exchanges of at least 17,000 and at most 25,000 federal acres, excluding wilderness and environmentally fragile land, with all buyers required ''to certify that they would comply with any county master plan, county and city zoning ordinances, and other applicable ordinances.''

As in Nevada, 15 percent of the proceeds would go to schools, fire and flood protection, trail repairs and related projects; and 85 percent to federal conservation projects, including those in the proposed bill.

As part of a long-term strategy, Washington County and its localities are forming ''a quality growth commission to consider ways to rein in urban sprawl,'' as Envision Utah has been doing along the Wasatch Front since 1997, the Tribune writer notes, quoting County Commissioner Alan Gardner, who said, ''There's been a lot of effort going into it by a lot of people.''

Environmentalists have reserved their views until they scrutinize the details, with Utah Nature Conservancy director David Livermore saying, ''We had input, but until we see the (bill) language, we don't know how our input was perceived.''

After a series of public meetings and comments in the next several weeks, Senator Bennett plans to introduce the final version of the bill in Congress, hoping for its passage later this year. -- Salt Lake Tribune   3/22/2006

Resource(s): http://bennett.senate.gov/ ; www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake City Council Eases Downtown Retail Requirements Following Success of Mixed-Use Zoning

Salt Lake City's mixed-use downtown zoning, which has long required residential projects to include street-level office or retail space, brought in so many businesses that the City Council has decided it can safely remove the requirement to add even more housing both downtown and in commercial districts, with Mayor Rocky Anderson's economic development advisor Alison McFarlane saying ahead of the council's unanimous vote, ''This gives us a chance, perhaps, to see some projects we might not otherwise see.''

Councilwoman Nancy Saxton said she has argued for six years ''that we shouldn't require retail on every single ground-floor level,'' hoping the change ''will spark some more interest in residential downtown.''

Councilman Soren Simonsen, an architect and urban consultant, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Heather May, would like to push even harder for downtown housing by requiring residential units in commercial projects. A housing project he is currently working on requires retail, even if the market for it is weak, he said, noting that ''a retail component is not critical to a residential project.''

Developers like the council's decision, although some won't be taking immediate advantage of the change. Excited developer Dan Lofgren stressed, ''The opportunity to put a residential presence on the street is what we're after.''

But developer Ken Milo will still augment his three housing projects near Pioneer Park with retail, because it adds vibrancy. And developer Richard Gordon will keep space for retail in his mixed-use Westgate Loft project, because he sees local demand. ''The market's changed so dramatically the last few years,'' he said. ''Everybody wants to come back to downtown.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   3/8/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Proposed Growth-Management Bill for Utah Cities Would Place Most Zoning Decisions in Hands of Municipal Staff, Eliminate Voter Referendums on Land Use

As if Utah municipalities trample on developer rights and livelihoods, real estate broker and state Republican Senator Al Mansell unveiled a detailed restrictive growth-management bill (SB 170), which would let city councils do just three things -- create a general plan, draw up a zoning map, and decide on rezoning, but only for areas larger than one-fourth of a given city.

Other land-use decisions, including those on rezoning areas smaller than a quarter of a city, would belong to mayors, city staffers or planning commissioners, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Jacob Santini, noting that the bill also would prevent local referendums on land use, since the Utah Supreme Court had ruled that administrative decisions cannot be reversed by voters.

''It essentially guts our ability to say no to any rezone,'' said Utah League of Cities and Towns legislative analyst Lincoln Shurtz about the proposed bill, with Sandy community development assistant director Nick Duerksen observing, ''It's a complete change of thought on how planning is done.''

Under the bill, the writer finds, municipalities couldn't zone for aesthetics or to control congestion. Neither they could deprive property owners ''of all economically viable uses'' nor reject zoning requests because of ''public clamor'' or ''whims'' from a legislative body, with judges obliged to rule for developers in such cases.

On the other hand, municipalities would be required to ''conform as reasonably as practicable to the request of the property owners'' during the rezoning process; complete application review by staff within 45 days, and vote on the request within the next 28 days; base impact fees on actual expenses for development, which could undercut hillside construction regulations; approve 600-foot-long cul-de-sacs; and observe many other state directives.

To fight the bill, activist Janalee Tobias is forming the Coalition to Protect Utah, the writer adds, quoting her as saying, ''This bill basically strips cities and towns and citizens of their rights to determine their future. At the very least, citizens have a right to be involved in their communities.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   1/25/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake City Mayor Outlines Plan to Complete Region's Rail System, Develop Northwest Quadrant Using Smart Growth Principles

With downtown revival a key plank in his 2003 reelection campaign, and 53 percent of residents now rating his performance as excellent or good, Salt Lake City Democratic Mayor Rocky Anderson told The Salt Lake Tribune that among his priorities for the rest of the term will be work to ensure ''completion of the commuter rail system all the way past Provo, with a good regional and heavy rail system,'' and to advance zoning and master-planning for development of the city's 19,000-acre northwest quadrant, ''without the destruction of valuable open spaces, without creating automobile dependence, without the further degradation of our air quality, and according to smart-growth principles.''

Pleased with his high approval rate, the mayor noted that tough decisions he made cost him some support, mentioning his steps to combat sprawl and strip malls, participation in a suit to redesign the Legacy Parkway, and a push to improve air quality.

''People are pretty attached to their automobiles,'' he observed, ''and I think that sometimes there is a backlash against my ideas about moving in a different direction with a more comprehensive transit system and eliminating the dependence on the automobile throughout this entire region.''

Proudest of ''bringing people together to make the university light rail line a reality,'' and of the city's internationally acclaimed environmental measures and its after-school and student summer programs, the mayor said he will stay the course in 2006 and 2007, hoping to spur more residential projects downtown and start bringing in student and faculty housing ''along with some classes, offices and perhaps even research facilities'' along the university light-rail corridor.

He also promised to step up anti-pollution efforts, pointing out that the city is already three quarters of the way to the Kyoto goal of 21-percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions below their 1990 level by 2012, an achievement not many cities in the world can claim.

Passionate about his environmental work, the mayor said: ''I consider climate change a major human right issue. I think we're going to see some of the worst, if not the worst, human rights problems result because of global warming. We'll see many millions of environmental refugees that will make what happened in New Orleans look like a picnic. You'll see major conflict over diminished resources, including water and food. We'll see massive diseases in areas that have never experienced them before. So I think that we all need to do what we can to help combat climate change. That has to be done on a governmental, business and individual level.'' -- The Salt Lake Tribune   1/16/2006

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Smart Growth Principles at Work in Land Company’s 75-Year Master Plan for 93,000 Acres Near Salt Lake City

In the greatest endeavor of this kind nationwide, closely watched by Envision Utah and the Sierra Club, the young and still small Kennecott Land company is working with Salt Lake County on a 75-year master plan for much of the 93,000 acres accumulated over the past century on the West Bench of the Salt Lake Valley by Kennecott Utah Copper -- both subsidiaries of the international Rio Tinto mining giant -- to prevent ''piecemeal'' development and enhance quality of life, with ''transit centers near homes, jobs for local residents, schools for our children and significant amounts of public open space, parks, trails and playgrounds.''

Formed by Rio Tinto in 2001, Kennecott Land decided against selling its land in chunks -- all of it within 20 miles south of downtown Salt Lake City, with 79,000 acres in Salt Lake County -- and launched its first project, the 4,000-acre Daybreak community in South Jordan as an initial model of what it would like to see countywide.

About 800 of its projected 13,000 homes already built, an 85-acre lake being filled, more than 30 percent of land kept as open space, a combined elementary school-community center open to some 1,100 children and their families, and efforts to bring in TRAX light rail under way, Daybreak will be an important part of the area's growth pattern.

Under the company's master plan, as drafted so far and extensively discussed by officials, conservationists, transportation professionals and others at four West Bench Planning Summits, reports Salt Lake City Desert Morning News writer Doug Smeath, most development -- from small neighborhoods to large mixed-use and high-density centers -- would lie along a transit ''spine'' from Daybreak to Magna, 15 miles northwest, with occasional low-density projects reaching into the western foothills.

''We've been able to paint a vision'' and capture imagination with Envision Utah's concepts of ''smartly planned'' growth, said Kennecott Land President Peter McMahon, crediting Rio Tinto's commitment to environmental sustainability for the wide public support and involvement in the planning process.

Utah Association of Realtors President Jaren Davis likes the approach. He praised the Daybreak master plan for the ability to ''anticipate what's coming, and build into their model an opportunity for walkability, for there to be parks, schools, churches, affordable housing and a variety of housing.''

Envision Utah Executive Director Alan Matheson and Sierra Club Regional Director Marc Heileson are cautiously optimistic. ''From our perspective there are still issues to be addressed,'' said Director Matheson, ''but we think it's admirable that a private landowner would go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that its project meets the long-term transportation and environmental needs of the region.''

And Director Heileson added, ''One thing we are pleased about is their decision to go with Peter Calthorpe. He has a long reputation of some very good smart-growth developments that have been built around access to mass transit and other things that make good growth. What we've seen so far of the layout plan does have a heavy transit focus.'' -- Desert Morning News   12/18/2005

Resource(s): http://deseretnews.com/dn/cit ; www.kennecottland.com/default.asp

Salt Lake City Ordinance Designed to Bring Pedestrians Back to the Streets

Always dismayed by the acres of parking lots in the city's shopping areas, Salt Lake city Democratic Mayor Rocky Anderson has pushed for more pedestrian-friendly development since he first took office in 2000, and now the City Council is finally ready to pass his so-called ''anti-strip mall'' ordinance, to enliven streets with walkers.

Under its guidelines, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Heather May, new commercial development and major expansion projects will be entitled to a speedy permitting process in exchange for placing the buildings near sidewalks, with front street entrances, 40 percent glass at ground level, and parking in the back.

But such a traditional design, typical for the city's older shopping districts and already required in downtown and Gateway zones, the writer notes, may still be difficult.

Developer Armand Johnson, who struggled to build his pedestrian-friendly Sugar House Commons with parking behind, says he ''had to talk like crazy'' to build the Barnes and Noble bookstore with an entrance from the street in addition to the usual one from the parking lot, because ''it's a lot of expense for a tenant to have security controls for two entrances.''

The ordinance's author, city planner Doug Dansie, stresses its flexibility, as long as a project doesn't clash with pedestrian-friendly zone goals. ''This does not wholesale prohibit someone from doing a strip mall,'' he says. ''It makes it a less easy choice.''

Still, some argue that Salt Lake City lacks the density necessary for business survival in pedestrian-friendly zones. Business Advisory Board Chairwoman Mary Corporon cautions the city ''not too quickly favor walking and mass transit options,'' because many businesses depend on customers coming by car. -- Salt Lake Tribune   12/8/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Development Heats Up in Southwest Utah's Washington County; Officials Eye Need for More Affordable Housing

Washington County, in Utah's southwestern corner, is becoming its new real-estate epicenter, with developers snatching land between St. George and Hurricane -- especially in the future 26-mile Southern Corridor -- at ''a fast and furious pace,'' some speculating, but others incorporating smart-growth ideas in several of the planned projects, reports the Associated Press, quoting Hurricane City Manager Clark Fawcet, who says the area has always had 5-acre and 10-acre parcels under development, but now sees 1,000-acre and 2,000-acre sites ''all over the place.''

Hurricane's population has tripled to about 13,000 since 1990 and may eventually multiply, as Idaho-based McNeil Development advances master planning for 1,400 homes and up to 40,000 lots within the town limits and others envisions similar scope projects throughout the area.

With the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve taking the north side of the county and state or federal land covering much of it elsewhere, most of its 85,000 developable acres lie on flats southeast of I-17 and are already pegged for future residential development, the agency points out, finding that the planned Southern Corridor loop across the area and a prospective St. George replacement airport add fuel to land speculation.

The county's average home price has recently exceeded $250,000 and St. George Mayor Dan McArthur is concerned about lower-income residents. Noting that the city approved more than 7,500 residential units this year, the mayor says his staff is working with developers and city council members on ways to increase affordable housing production. ''We're looking at density issues,'' he adds, ''and whether bonuses will work as incentives to build more of this type housing.''   11/28/2005

Resource(s): www.harktheherald.com/

Legislators Approve Legacy Parkway Compromise Agreement; Construction Could Resume in Spring 2006

Halted at the outset by a federal appeals court in November 2001, construction of the 14-mile Legacy Parkway north of Salt Lake City may finally resume next spring but in much more environmentally conscious form, under a settlement between the Utah Department of Transportation (UTAH) and the Sierra Club-led plaintiffs, just approved 22-5 at a special legislative session in the Utah Senate and 50-21 in the House.

Though not one lawmaker voted for the settlement with full conviction, report Salt Lake Tribune writers Patty Henetz and Glen Warchol, they all realized it was the best the two sides could forge and the only way to avert another round of costly litigation.

And while several lawmakers insisted the project's critics -- the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation, the League of Women Voters, the Friends of Great Salt Lake, the Future Moves Coalition and Great Salt Lake Audubon -- pursued an undemocratic strategy, usurping the legislature's authority over a state highway, others countered such charges.

In response to Republican Senator Bill Hickman, who said the plaintiffs ''could not get elected to anything, yet they are making public policy'' and costing the state ''a lot of money,'' Democratic Representative Carol Moss stressed that they are ''citizens who have the right to exercise their voice,'' a basic truth also seen by the settlement's most active opponent, Republican Representative David Ure. ''You know what?'' he observed, ''The Lord created them to have as equal an opportunity in the courts as anyone else.''

Under the settlement, the plaintiffs agreed to abstain from further legal action against Legacy Parkway, and the UDOT agreed to buy another 121 wetland acres for the Legacy Nature Preserve, earmark $2.5 million for a study of Davis County light rail, build just four parkway lanes until at least 2020, use low-noise rubberized asphalt, prohibit billboards, set a 55 mph speed limit, and ban semitrailer trucks except in an emergency -- the last provision detailed in an attached bill that passed 25-2 in the Senate and 49-21 in the House.

A unique escape clause spells out circumstances that would let both sides abandon the settlement. With construction cost estimates raised from some $450 million to $685 million, the settlement still has to be reviewed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration and the 10th U.S. District Court of Appeals, but no objection is expected.

Republican Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. applauded lawmakers for approval of the settlement, saying in a statement that Legacy Parkway will improve mobility in the region. -- Salt Lake Tribune   11/10/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Special Legislative Session Called for Vote on Utah's Legacy Parkway Compromise Agreement

Summoning a special legislative session on November 9, solely to vote on the formal agreement between the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and several Sierra Club-led groups to settle their four-year legal fight over the Legacy Parkway project out of court, Republican Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., who initiated the behind-the-scenes negotiation soon after taking office in January, voiced strong belief that lawmakers ''will choose to do what's best for their constituents'' -- which would let UDOT resume construction of the 14-mile road north of Salt Lake City in May and open it by 2008 -- but some of his party colleagues didn't see it that way.

Republican Representative David Ure called the settlement environmental ''blackmail,'' seeing ''so many holes in it you could drive a semi through it'' and vowing to vote against its approval. He zeroed in, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Patty Henetz, on an unusual escape clause in the settlement, while also criticizing it for banning semitrailers on the parkway except in emergencies and for its road design principles.

Demanded by UDOT, the writer finds, the escape clause protects the agency from being sued again over the parkway by the same plaintiffs and allows it to abandon the agreement in the face of a serious challenge from others, while spelling out withdrawal conditions for the other side -- the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation, the League of Women Voters, Friends of Great Salt Lake, Future Moves Coalition and Great Salt Lake Audubon.

''I don't think this is the end of lawsuits, but the start of lawsuits,'' announced Representative Ure, saying some, though unnamed, people are already considering legal action to make UDOT bolt. The writer notes that although a small Friends of Legacy group, formed by activist Dave Owen, claims in radio adds that ''a handful of environmentalists'' are setting Utah's road agenda, Utah Trucking Association president Dave Creer emphatically denied any intention to sue over the settlement.

However, he cautioned that in the context of the projected population and interstate traffic growth, the semitrailer ban on the future parkway will hamper deliveries in the Salt Lake region and that if conservationists try to ban trucks elsewhere, ''they're going to hear from an organized group'' that until now has been ''a sleeping giant.''

State Sierra Club spokesman Marc Heileson said the language of the final settlement -- first outlined on September 21, subject to legislative and court approval -- has captured its intent, adding, ''We're feeling pretty good about this.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   11/3/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Legacy Highway Ready to Move Forward; Out-of-Court Settlement Called ''Win-Win'' Solution

After four years of costly litigation over the 14-mile Legacy Parkway along the Great Salt Lake from Farmington south to Salt Lake City -- its construction launched in May 2001 and halted by an appellate injunction that November -- the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and the plaintiffs, led by the Sierra Club, decided last month to settle out of court, with the state agreeing to keep the divided parkway at four lanes until at least 2020; reduce its impact on the adjacent wetland bird sanctuary by using quiet rubberized asphalt pavement, lowering speed from 65 to 55 mph, and banning heavy trucks except in emergencies; expand the 2,100-acre Legacy Nature Preserve by 125 acres previously slated for big retail; construct parallel pedestrian, bike and equestrian trails; and provide $2.5 million for environmental studies on expanding TRAX light rail or bus rapid transit into southern Davis County.

UDOT officials expect to resume construction -- its estimated cost up from about $450 million in 2001 to some $685 million -- next May and complete it by the end of 2008. Both sides and the media called the agreement -- now being formally drawn up for submission to a special legislative session this month -- a ''win-win solution'' and a harbinger of further cooperation between the state and environmental groups.

''As a result of this agreement,'' said Republican Governor Jon M. Huntsman, ''the state of Utah and its citizens will be recognized as national leaders in productively addressing and resolving environmental and transportation issues.''

Regional Sierra Club Director Marc Heileson applauded the state's willingness to compromise, also stressing, ''It's a huge win for the environment and a big win for transportation.''

Utahns for Better Transportation leader Roger Borgenicht said, ''The agreement will move us to a more balanced transportation system by advancing transit and introducing true parkway design to Utah. Parkway features, slower speeds and prohibiting trucks will make the Legacy Parkway a model of civilized and context sensitive road building that will serve the public and environment well.''

And FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake Executive Director Lynn DeFreitas completed the assessment. ''With the addition of these 125 acres, which were proposed for commercial development, we have provided the missing link to protecting the integrity of the Legacy Nature Preserve,'' she said. ''Now we have a real line in the sand to protect the Great Salt Lake from development.'' –- Utah Department of Transporation, Salt Lake Tribune, New West, BYU NewsNet   9/29/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/ ; www.udot.utah.gov/index.php

Conservation Easement for 6,700-Acre Selman Ranch Means Open Space, Watershed, and Wildlife Value for Cache County

A prime target for developers because of its location 15 miles west from the Cache County seat of Logan and for the Nature Conservancy because of its numerous rare and at-risk species habitats, the 6,700-acre Selman family sheep ranch -- in business since the late 1880s -- may ultimately remain intact in perpetuity, with the conservancy working to secure a conservation easement deal and Brett Selman telling the broadly supportive county council, ''Somebody, sometime, somewhere has got to save a place for wildlife.''

Under the prospective deal, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Arrin Newton Brunson, the Selman family will continue sheep ranching and the conservancy will raise $900,000 and seek additional easement purchase money from the state's 1999 LeRay McAllister conservation fund.

''We feel like the Selmans are making a huge contribution in being willing to forgo any future development,'' said Nature Conservancy northern mountains regional director Joan Degiorgio at a recent Cache County Council meeting. ''This is an incredible advantage to the county that, at no cost to you, you keep the land in private ownership and contributing taxes, and also it has open space and watershed value.''

County Agriculture Advisory Board chairman Joe Fuhriman confirmed that preservation of this exceptional-size ranch is important for a primary groundwater recharge area, the Little Bear River Drainage. The council and the board, the writer reports, joined several other agencies in support of the Selman farm preservation, while noting that their immediate priority is preservation of the 50-acre Zollinger family apple farm in River Heights, just two miles southeast from downtown Logan, with the family contributing 25 percent of funding and seeking $620,000 from the state conservation fund. -- Salt Lake Tribune   9/14/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Statewide Forum Looks for Answers to Lead Utah's Youth Away from Childhood Obesity

Alarmed by increases in childhood overweight and obesity, which now affect 25 percent of Utah children, the state health department's Bureau of Health Promotion Director LaDene Larsen told a statewide forum, ''It's going to take the family, the village, the city, the state and the federal government and every nonprofit and every business to really solve this problem,'' with participants suggesting obesity treatment insurance, physical education class report cards, school breakfasts and ''walking school'' buses, and some 50 of them signing up to discuss further a concrete action plan the department hopes to draw up by December.

Some Utah school districts, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Tyler Peterson, have already introduced the walking bus, whereby parents drop off their children several blocks from school and adults walk with them the remaining way.

The forum keynote speaker, Atlanta-based Centers of Disease Control and Prevention director William Dietz, also stressed the need to get TV out of children's rooms and limit their watching time to two hours daily, and to improve their diet with more fruits and vegetables, smaller meal sizes and fewer soft drinks.

He put part of the blame on school vending machines containing no healthy snacks, stressing, ''Communities have a lot of power over how to negotiate those (vending machine) contracts.''

According to an Associated Press dispatch in the Tribune, the American Beverage Association (ABA) moved to cut soft drinks in schools nationwide. ''Childhood obesity is a real problem,'' said ABA President and CEO Susan Neely. ''The individual companies have been doing several things to be part of the solution and there was an agreement among all our leadership that we need to take another step and take it as an industry.''

High schools everywhere reap big money from soft drink contracts, from hundred of thousands to a few million dollars in multi-year deals, the agency notes, with the money paying for athletic uniforms, transportation to games, club events, drama performances and other items or events, now usually taken for granted. -- Salt Lake Tribune   8/18/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Negotiations Over Legacy Parkway Can Continue After Litigation-Limiting Rider Fails to Make It Into Federal Transportation Bill

In a standoff over the planned 14-mile Legacy Parkway through Davis County wetlands since a court injunction in November 2001, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and area conservationists were allowed by the congressional transportation conference committee to exhaust their judicial or settlement options; Utah Republican conferees -- Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, and Representative Rob Bishop -- failed to insert bill language that would have stopped any current or potential litigation against the project.

''(The language) didn't make it in for many of the same reasons the road isn't built yet: a small group was able to stop it, though the majority of Utahns want it,'' complained Representative Bishop. ''Some of the eastern senators from a party that will remain nameless put a hold on it.''

Since he didn't mean his party, he apparently referred to eastern Democratic Senators Lieberman, Carper, Rodham-Clinton, Lautenberg, Sarbanes and Reed, and perhaps Independent Senator Jeffords.

Stressing in a statement that he and Congressman Bishop ''did everything we could'' to get the anti-litigation language in the transportation bill, Senator Hatch said about conservationists: ''The people who have now cost the state of Utah, what some estimate to be over $300 million, made it impossible, with the help of a very few allies in Congress, to get it through.''

According to UDOT, reports Ogden Standard-Examiner writer Lisa Roskelley, the highway project's price tag jumped from $451 million to $684 million over the past for years. Although Senator Hatch made his goal ''to save our state millions and get this highway done,'' Sierra Club spokesman Marc Heileson called the Legacy Parkway project debate and suspension ''a shining example'' that ''the public process and the environmental laws are working.''

Optimistic about the confidential negotiations with UDOT on a compromise solution, he said his side is ''very proud of these good faith efforts by the state and we're really close to a win-win situation,'' adding, ''We're so grateful that this rider didn't go through and destroy this.'' -- Standard-Examiner   7/29/2005

Resource(s): www.standard.net/

Senators Hatch and Bennett Seek to Halt Negotiations Over Utah's Controversial Legacy Parkway Project

Although the controversial 14-mile Legacy Parkway project across Davis County wetlands -- halted by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2001 -- has recently become a subject of tightly guarded settlement negotiations between the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and conservation groups, Utah Republican Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett want to preclude further litigation by making the new environmental impact study (EIS) final, with Senator Hatch announcing such a provision for the practically finished federal transportation bill.

Calling the project critical for the county and vital for the entire state, he said the ''unnecessary delays have cost Utah $220 million ... and Utah officials have bent over backwards to address the environmental concerns.''

Ditto, Senator Bennett. ''The opponents are using this process to delay and delay and delay to the point that they hope that ultimately something will happen that will prevent the building of the highway,'' he argued. ''We're just going to say, 'OK, Congress (which wrote the environmental laws in question) finds all of the decisions are legitimate and therefore there's no lawsuit.''

The senator noted that Congress has recently used this method to allow construction of a highway segment in Hawaii and to secure the right-of-way for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

With no immediate comments from environmentalists, Salt Lake Tribune writer Thomas Burr quotes Utah Democratic Progressive Caucus co-chairman Craig Axford, who said, ''We don't like legislation that really denies Americans access to courts.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   7/28/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Pioneer Day Editorial Lauds Envision Utah for Visionary Work in Smart Growth

As they celebrated the annual July 24th Pioneer Day in honor of the region's 19th century settlers -- led by Mormon church visionary president and first Utah governor Brigham Young (1850-57) -- Utahns also should have considered ''what foundations they are laying for tomorrow,'' says a Salt Lake Tribune editorial, pointing out that today's visionaries, ''the Smart Growth pioneers of Envision Utah,'' are ''changing the face of urban Utah to meet the changing needs of a commuter society which has been transformed by the automobile.''

The religious leader and his Mormon brethren, the editorial observes, laid out their farming settlements and Salt Lake City on a compact grid pattern, while 21st century Utahns are struggling to stem the continuous suburban expansion along the Wasatch Front and encourage pedestrian-friendly communities and transit-oriented development.

Still unsure if ''the society as a whole'' will embrace these principles, the editorial cautions that ''the alternative of deteriorating air quality, ever longer commutes and greater dependence on imported oil is not a happy scenario.''

And noting local efforts to redevelop shopping malls and expand urban housing, the editorial adds, ''But concerns in the Legislature about eminent domain and tax-increment financing threaten to deprive cities of their major tools for government-sponsored redevelopment.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   7/24/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake City Approves 30-Day Ordinance Limiting Large Home Expansions in Older Neighborhoods

Uneasy about ''monster'' homes, or ''McMansions,'' in older neighborhoods, the Salt Lake City Council voted 4-3 for a quickly drafted ordinance to restrict such expansion, replacement or remodeling projects until planners propose permanent zoning changes, but reduced the restriction period from the intended six months to just 30 days, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Heather May, under pressure from architects and builders who objected to ''curtailing their livelihood in the middle of a booming construction season.''

Residents at the hearing were as divided as the council itself. Two neighbors of a 16,000-square-foot mansion under construction spoke in its defense, with next-door neighbor Ben Rogers calling his 1,300-square-foot home ''a chicken coop,'' out of place in the neighborhood, and adding that big nearby houses are increasing other property values.

But others urged the council to consider their interests, with resident Earl Miller saying, ''I would like a little protection for the existing neighbors so we're not pushed out by the mega developments.''

The one-month ordinance, the writer notes, makes it more difficult to get permits for adding stories or expanding homes by more than 50 percent; to demolish a house and replace it with a bigger one; to expand homes that don't comply with city zoning; and to build houses incompatible with the ''size and scale'' of surrounding homes. -- Salt Lake Tribune   6/10/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Harvest Park's 100-Acre Mixed-Use Project Receives Top Honors at Envision Utah Governor's Quality Growth Awards

In the fifth annual round of the Envision Utah Governor's Quality Growth Awards, Republican Governor Jon Huntsman Jr., a former Envision Utah chairman, presented the 2005 Grand Achievement Award to Harvest Park Development in Mapleton, Utah County, for its mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly blueprint of the 100-acre project, which in five years will offer residents 500 neo-traditional homes, an elementary school, several small parks and 35 acres of green space.

''It will be quite a bit more dense than the rest of the city,'' said Mapleton Mayor Dean Allan, with architect and developer Jerry W. Robinson pointing out that his objective was to make Harvest Park resemble old Mapleton and inspire ''a sense of community.''

Robinson stressed the importance of architectural styles, colors, materials and outside vistas. There will be no cul-de-sacs, reports Provo Daily Herald writer Chris Peterson, noting that all homes will have a large front porch and garages in the back. And small lots, added the developer, will give ''an alternative to people who didn't want to maintain a couple of acres, which is typical for Mapleton.''

The governor, adds Salt Lake Tribune writer Matt Canham, also presented three Awards of Excellence, four Awards of Merit and three Quality Growth Commission awards for land conservation. Awards of Excellence went to West Valley City's proposed walkable City Center Vision community near a future light rail stop; to Park City's Rail Central Master Plan Development, which will restore an old building to commercial and residential uses; and to Midvale City's Bingham Junction Master Planned Development, which will reclaim a formerly contaminated Superfund site for a mixed-use project.

''This really does represent the theoretical that has been turned into applied,'' said Governor Huntsman, addressing all award recipients. ''We really salute you for your projects.'' -- Daily Herald, Salt Lake Tribune   5/21/2005

Resource(s): www.harktheherald.com ; www.sltrib.com/

University of Utah Receives Commuter Vision Award for Efforts to Reduce Car Use on Campus

In recognition of its early and constant efforts to lessen car-dependency among staff, students and visitors through greater use of Salt Lake City buses since 1987 and light rail since 2001, the Utah Department of Transportation (UTA) presented the 2005 Rideshare Commuter Vision Award to the University of Utah, with University President Michael K. Young proud of his school's success in promoting mass transit.

''We have many more people who commute to and from the university than we did 18 years ago, but there are far fewer cars,'' the president said at the award ceremony. ''We expect these trends to continue.''

Since 1987, the number of university students, faculty, staff and visitors has increased from 25,000 to more than 39,000, but about a quarter of them take bus or light rail and the reduction of the school's 14,600 parking spaces by almost 900 still leaves many available at most times of the day.

Initiated in 1991, the free UTA Education Pass for university students and employees, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Andrew Weeks, is paid for through parking fees and valid for both bus and light rail. -- Salt Lake Tribune   4/21/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Utah DOT Considers Tolls for Lone Drivers Using HOV Lanes on I-15

''We want to move more people, not cars, and having managed lanes is one way to do this,'' pointed out Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Deputy Director Carlos Braceras, briefing lawmakers in the Transportation Interim Committee on the UDOT's almost-done Managed Lane Study, which examined the effectiveness of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, and reversible lanes in other states, and the prospects for toll roads in Utah.

Calling the HOV lanes in use along I-15 in Salt Lake and Utah counties since 2001 ''very successful,'' especially for carpooling, he stressed that HOT lanes would also generate revenue for road construction and maintenance.

HOT lanes require lone drivers to pay a toll, while others may drive free, notes Salt Lake Tribune writer Andrew Weeks, reporting that the state Senate is looking at legislation (SB 25) that would allow such lanes, with a pilot lane possible in summer 2006.

''We are painfully aware of Utah's transportation needs,'' commented Republican Senator Sheldon Killpack. ''The thing is, there are always naysayers when you mention something like toll roads, but I believe we need to look at every option available to us, otherwise we're being very foolish.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   4/21/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake City Envisions Pedestrian-Friendly District for Former Industrial Area

Having envisioned its south downtown transit hub as the anchor of a busy 24-hour neighborhood after 2008, Salt Lake City commissioned a transit-oriented development (TOD) study for the 19 adjacent blocks, and now will be gathering public input on the initial plan to transform the old industrial area into one of its most dense and pedestrian-friendly districts, with TRAX light rail, commuter train and extensive bus links.

''It's reorienting our thinking away from such reliance on the automobile to public transportation,'' says Mayor Rocky Anderson's hub project manager Mary Guy-Sell, glad that nearby property owners want to know all the development details in advance.

City residents are already familiar with some TOD features, the writer observes, mentioning street-level store fronts, parking lots behind buildings, and 10-acre blocks broken up with new streets. But the hub plan also includes new ideas, such as making the station a gathering place, with food, meeting rooms for business and perhaps a bowling alley.

What's more, the neighborhood could be better connected to residential areas west of Interstate 15, its old underpass enhanced with outdoor furniture, artwork and retail catering to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Downtown city planner Doug Dansie notes that developers are already advancing some TOD goals nearby. He points to the big mixed-use Gateway center, the remake of a paint warehouse into a development company headquarters, ongoing conversion of warehouses into lofts, and a hotel-office-retail project under way.

''I've heard comments, 'If you were looking to get in on the ground floor to make money (here), you're too late','' he tells the writer. ''Twenty years from now people will look at it and say, 'I'm surprised it was ever an industrial neighborhood.''   4/8/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

No Certain Future for Utah's Legacy Parkway as Both Highway and Alternative Route Proponents See Value to Opposing Plans

The end of a three-month period of public input on the new draft of an environmental impact study for the 14-mile Legacy Parkway, blocked by a federal appeals court in November 2001, finds litigants firm on their different solutions for gridlocked Davis County north of Salt Lake City, with Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Executive Director John Njord buoyed by the U.S. EPA's latest grade ''B plus'' for the highway project, and the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation representatives equally confident in their just-unveiled transit-focused ''Citizens' Smart Growth Alternative.''

EPA experts went through the new study ''with a fine-tooth comb'' and recognized ''substantial improvements,'' said Director Njord at UDOT's press conference. ''The folks who have opposed this project and are a small minority, have had their day,'' he added. ''It's time to move on.''

But both he and project manager John Thomas understand, report Desert Morning News and Salt Lake Tribune writers Nicole Warburton and Matt Canham, that moving on may not be easy. UDOT must address the Citizens' Smart Growth Alternative in its final environmental study this fall, and if unchallenged, could restart construction early next year. But another round of litigation could last till 2007 or 2008, with the outcome far from certain.

Opponents are ''in control of what happens from here on out,'' manager Thomas admitted. ''It is their choice to find a way to move forward or stall the project, which they can easily do.''

And they, during a separate press conference, gave several reasons for confidence in their alternative. Sierra Club regional representative Marc Heileson called UDOT officials ''very, very vulnerable,'' pointing out that they hadn't fully answered EPA why other-than-road options were rejected four years ago.

''They did well on attendance and citizenship,'' or public involvement in the new study process, he added, ''but when it came to the real grade, they did poorly.''

The Smart Growth alternative, he and others said, allows local road extension and improvement; speeds up expansion of light rail and bus rapid transit; alleviates rush-hour traffic by the use of reversible lanes; minimizes the harm to wetlands; and costs hundreds of millions less than Legacy.

''Over the past several month, with the help of UDOT and its consultants, the travel modes we've run on our alternative,'' said University of Utah environmental law professor Bob Adler, ''show the Citizens' Smart Growth Alternative meets the travel needs in the corridor fully.''

And since the federal Clean Water Act requires jurisdictions to select the least damaging option to meet a project's ''purpose and need,'' he stressed, UDOT must accept the Smart Growth alternative, because it eases congestion, while reducing wetland damage from more than 100 to about 30 acres. -- Desert Morning News, Salt Lake Tribune   3/22/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/ ; www.desertnews.com/

Salt Lake City Officials Believe the Time Is Now for Transit Developments at TRAX Line Stations

In the five years since the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) launched the TRAX light rail, the popularity of the first line from downtown Salt Lake City south to Sandy and the later University spur has exceeded all expectations, with a current average of more than 43,000 passengers each day, but the bad economy and old habits have undercut hopes for mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly transit-oriented development (TOD) near stations and only now are state and metro area officials getting ready for a breakthrough.

''It's never easy to change 40 years of inertia,'' says UTA deputy chief of business development Jeffrey Harris, expecting TOD really to take off this year. Like most metro municipal leaders, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Jacob Santini, he cites the recent economic upturn, the Wasatch Front's land scarcity, and the evident discontent among many residents over their suburban lifestyles and long commutes.

''There's demand for transit-oriented developments,'' asserts Envision Utah planning director Ted Knowlton, and Murray Mayor Dan Snarr adds, ''When you're 98 percent built out as a city, whatever development or redevelopment you do had better serve the city in the best way.''

Whether their cities already have TRAX or are included in its extension plans or lay along the future Salt Lake City-Farmington commuter-rail line, slated to open in late 2007, just about everywhere the writer finds officials envisioning high-density housing, retail, offices, restaurants, movie theaters and other entertainment offerings near stations. They expect TODs to attract ''affluent'' residents, ensure city fiscal stability, and reduce the area's car dependency.

First on the move is Farmington, where Stonehenge Development Partners managing partner Rich Hawks plans to break ground for a $250-million TOD project in a few months. The project will include single-family homes, condos, retail stores and commercial space, all within walking distance of the future commuter-rail station. The only problem, Haws notes, is lenders' hesitance. ''We've had to invest a lot of our own company money and (other) investment capital,'' he says. ''Lenders are not there yet.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   2/6/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Legacy Highway Becoming a Hot Topic for Salt Lake City -- Again

Halted by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in November 2001, construction of the 14-mile Legacy Highway from Farmington through Davis County wetlands south to Salt Lake City is again becoming a hot policy issue, with the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) confident of their new environmental impact study, but the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation about ready to counterpose a ''smart growth alternative.''

The injunction, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Matt Canham, cost the state $17 million in work delays before UDOT cancelled the $541 million contract and should the court find that the new environmental study warrants the highway, its price would be much higher.

Noting increased steel and concrete costs, and builder's fears of more legal obstacles, UDOT Executive Director John Njord told the state House's transportation appropriations committee he thinks the new construction bids would be around $685 million, with ''a 75 percent chance of us getting sued'' again. The Sierra Club, he said, ''has made a statement with this project and I don't think they are going to back away from it.''

Such a second lawsuit would cause a two-year delay and should the state ultimately win, he noted, it would require another $75 million to build the highway. This provoked an outburst from Republican Representative David Cox, who accused the Sierra Club of ''financial terrorism.''

Sierra Club spokesman Marc Hilson told reporters that UDOT officials and some lawmakers are jumping the gun. He pointed out that the Club's forthcoming proposal to extend Redwood Road and connect U.S. 89 in Farmington with I-215 in Salt Lake city meets the transportation need and protects the environment.

''It's always a last resort to have to go to the court system,'' Hilson said. ''That's something the Sierra Club never wants to do, but the smart growth alternative is a way we see to stay out of court.'' -- KSL News, Salt Lake Tribune   2/3/2005

Resource(s): http://tv.ksl.com/index.php ; www.sltrib.com/

Centerville's Village Center Plan Undergoes Drastic Change from Walkable Community to Sprawling Suburb

With one of Centerville's last open tracts included by Envision Utah in a pilot project for the 1999 Quality Growth Act, city officials used their $10,000 state grant to plan a 60-acre Village Center, ''a walkable wonderland of tree-lined streets, shops, offices, theaters and townhomes,'' reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Lori Buttars, but their successors rewrote the zoning code, giving the site a ''commercial, very high'' designation in 2003, and now it is slated for ''a Wal-Mart with a sea of parking stalls on one end and an Ivory Homes subdivision on the other.''

The Envision Utah intention, says former executive director Stephen Holbrook, ''was to give people an opportunity to have input.'' Surprised by the turn of events, he notes that ''with local politics, you never know,'' but also that it is the only instance he can think of ''where something (from Envision Utah) took on a life of its own.''

University of Utah student Thomas Irvin, who has reviewed the case for a public consensus-building class, tells the writer public apathy and ''fear of the unknown'' opened the road for Wal-Mart. Former Centerville resident and Village Center steering committee member Steve Blackham agrees. ''We had those meetings with the 55 people, but it wasn't a real cross section of the community,'' he says. ''We had other open houses later and no one showed up.''

When word spread that city officials went to see urban villages, with apartments and cafes, in Northern California and Boise, Idaho, the writer notes, a letter-writing campaign against high-density housing prompted the reshuffled City Council to fire longtime City Planner Paul Allred, and to change the site's zoning. Current Mayor Michael Deamer, who ran on a low-density platform, says, ''There's a reason why there isn't anything like (an urban village) in Utah and it's because it is not conducive to our culture.''

In Centerville, ''families can prosper and our gathering places are our soccer fields and our high school auditoriums,'' Mayor Deamer adds, pointing out that the new code enables the City Council and the Planning Commission to issue conditional-use permits, with higher design standards.

Currently, the writer finds, officials are awaiting Wal-Mart's response to their building-permit conditions, including ''reduced noise, curtailed storage, lighting and landscaping.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   1/16/2005

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Land Preservation Initiative Falls in Utah Elections

Adding just a penny sales-tax to each $20 of purchases -- an increase of $14 a year for the average Utah family -- an initiative to issue a $150 million bond for preservation of watersheds, wildlife habitat, ranchland and farmland had big-name endorsement and over $1 million in its campaign chest, but lost by 55 percent on Election Day, with Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth vice president Maura Carabello stressing, ''This wasn't what our tracking polls were telling us and it's not what the exit polls were saying.''

Only the Valley Research firm, used by The Salt Lake Tribune, predicted the result, reports Tribune writer Joe Baird, quoting pollster Dennis Guiver, who points out that ''ballot items are more volatile than partisan races.''

Winning in Summit County west of the city and in more distant Grand County, the initiative failed everywhere else, especially in rural counties.

Opponents, like state Republican Representative Curtis Bramble, the writer notes, claimed the $150 million conservation commitment would have threatened the state's bond rating and its ability to borrow for future capital projects.

Nature Conservancy Utah Chapter director Dave Livermore called the claims deceptive. The tax increase was so minuscule that it really was a false choice presented by opponents, who said it came down to roads, schools or the initiative.'' he pointed out. ''This was a hold-harmless measure.'' -- The Salt Lake Tribune   11/5/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

$14 Annual Tax for Utah Land and Water Protection Too Much for Outgoing Gov. Walker

It's only one cent for each $20 over a maximum of 13 years, or about $14 a year in additional sales taxes for the average family of four, to back up a proposed $150 million state bond for land and water protection, but this modest Initiative One, put on the November ballot by the Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth group as a last resort remedy for legislative inaction, is opposed by outgoing Republican Governor Olene Walker, legislature leaders, the Utah Taxpayers' Association and the Utah Farm Bureau.

The initiative, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird, would help preserve watersheds, rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, key wildlife and endangered species habitat, farms and ranches, while putting some $30 million into community athletic fields, pools, recreation and convention centers, and museums of natural history -- all this funding overseen by the state's Quality Growth Commission.

Opponents consider it a fiscally irresponsible California-style ''pathetic'' precedent-setting move. Taxpayers' association president, state Republican Senator Howard Stephenson, sums up their arguments, saying, ''It takes budget and policy out of the hands of elected official, who must weigh and value different proposals with resources.''

Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth president Amanda Smith agrees that the initiative ''is creating tax policy.'' But she also stresses its positive aspect. ''It enables people to tax themselves and address some of these issues that the Legislature has refused to,'' she points out. ''Maybe the Legislature should be more responsive to the people's needs and desires.''

This view, the writer notes, is shared by 2004 gubernatorial candidates Republican Jon Huntsman Jr. and Democrat Scott Matheson Jr., hunting and fishing groups, environmentalists and many farmers and ranchers.

Without sufficient information, the public remains hesitant, with a recent Tribune poll finding 31 percent of voters for the initiative, 33 percent against, and 35 percent undecided. Still, proponents are optimistic, pointing out that the better voters understand the stakes, the more they favor the proposed bond financing mechanism. -- Salt Lake Tribune   10/11/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

South Mountain Residents Fear Projects Will Block Views, Increase Neighborhood Traffic

As one group of South Mountain residents intends to appeal an initial Draper City Council nod for the high-density Traverse Chateaux upscale complex of homes and town houses on the scenic but increasingly congested slopes, another group promises to continue its fight against the Montclair Village project of 200 rental units and 18,000 square feet of commercial space considered by the Planning Commission for their affluent neighborhood, with resident Autumn Jennings telling commissioners, ''We're not saying no to diversity, but we are saying no to density.''

Having 325 homeowners' signatures against the project, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Derek P. Jensen, other argued that the 200 apartments and townhouses near a local school would block their views, increase traffic too much and make it impossible to walk around the neighborhood. They asked city planners to honor the 1999 settlement agreement with the site's former owner, South Mountain LLC, envisioning its eventual commercial development. ''We're looking for the shops,'' said resident Brad Wallin, ''and for the walkable community that we anticipated we'd receive.'' Further decisions on both projects, the writer adds, will be taken in early September. -- Salt Lake Tribune   8/27/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Open Space Preservation Plan Certified for November Ballot

Spearheaded by Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth, and just certified by the Lieutenant Governor's Office for the November ballot, the $150 million bond initiative to fund open space preservation over 10 years faces at least two hostile groups, the Utah Taxpayer's Association and the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, both ready to intensify their campaign against the measure.

The fate of the proposal to seek a public vote on the preservation bond, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird, was uncertain until mid-August. Although proponents collected many more than the 76,000 signatures required to qualify the proposal for the ballot, the state told them they failed to reach the secondary threshold of getting signatures from 10 percent of registered voters in 26 of the 29 senate districts.

Proponents went to the Utah Supreme Court, pointing out that they fell short in two districts by a total of a couple hundred signatures, only because Utah and Cache counties rejected some as unconfirmed in registration records. Finally, an August 13 court-ordered recount in both counties made the certification possible.

Now, Utah Taxpayer's Association vice president Mike Jerman argues that the one-twentieth of a cent sales tax increase sought to finance the bond -- a cent for each $200, which would mean about $14 a year for an average family over 10 years -- is too much and also shouldn't be imposed statewide. ''We're not opposed to open space preservation,'' he says, but since communities ''have different priorities, ''(i)t only make sense to have these matters voted on and funded locally.''

Utah Farm Bureau Federation chief executive Randy Parker also sees a constitutional issue, saying the initiative process, often ''based on emotion'' and dependent on ''the largest bankroll,'' is ''not the best way to establish priorities and policy.'' The initiative process, he adds, ''should only be last resort.''

And that's what it is for Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth president Amanda Smith. State lawmakers who rejected several open space funding proposals in the past years aren't likely to address the issue ''at this or any time in the future,'' she points out, and ''they would be the first to admit it.'' Besides, all Utahns have a stake in open space, she says, stressing that since rural counties lack the tax base to save the natural amenities enjoyed by so many visitors from around the state, a ''statewide tax is the only equitable way to meet the needs of rural areas.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   8/24/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Provo Uses Regional Partnership Agreement to Fund Citywide Neighborhood Revival Through Home Renovations

Under its regional partnership agreement the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, Washington Mutual Inc., the Enterprise Foundation and Utah's Bank of American Fork, the Provo Housing Authority and the City Center Affordable Housing Coalition received $1.29 million to turn the city's historic Maeser School into 32 senior apartments and build on the site 12 homeownership units for first-time buyers, while spurring citywide neighborhood revival through rehabilitation or construction of another 31 homes, with Enterprise Foundation Vice President and Western Regional Director Doris Koo saying the partnership is looking forward to help Provo and provide ''a blueprint for other cities in America regarding smart growth initiatives.''

Launching the program at a school grounds event, Utah Republican Senator Bob Bennett said, ''Providing high quality and affordable housing in our communities must be one of our top priorities.'' But the task ''can't be left to just one city or one organization,'' he stressed, urging creation of business partnerships across the country to fund similar urban redevelopment efforts and calling the Provo project ''a model for community revitalization.''

Pleased by the funding, Provo Mayor Lewis K. Billings said, ''this $1.29 million will bring new vigor and vitality into this important Provo neighborhood, provide critically needed affordable housing, and preserve an important piece of Provo's historic landscape.'' -- Businesswire.com   8/19/2004

Resource(s): http://home.businesswire.com/

Population Projections Put Pressure on Utah's Legislature to Speed Up Transit, Road Expansion Plans

With another million residents expected along the Wasatch Front by 2030, the region must speed up its transit and road expansion plans at least 10 or more years, argued Utah Transit Authority (UTA) general manager John English and Salt Lake Chambers of Commerce president Lane Beattie at a meeting of the Legislative Transportation Interim Committee, the latter urging lawmakers to raise taxes for transportation and stressing, ''We cannot wait until 2030. It will cripple economics in the state.''

His call for across-the-spectrum cooperation and new transportation funds found lawmakers receptive, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Nicole Warburton, quoting state Republican Representative Marda Dillree, who saw increases of some taxes for an integrated statewide transportation system necessary.

''It's not like economic development where if we build it, they'll come,'' Representative Dillree said. ''If we don't build it (the system), they'll leave.''

UTA officials, the writer notes, want to extend light rail from Salt Lake City 14 miles south through West Jordan to South Jordan, build a commuter rail line 30 miles north to Ogden, and establish a bus rapid-transit system. The Utah Department of Transportation plans to resume construction of Legacy Highway -- still blocked by a court order -- and expand or improve other roads, highways and bridges. -- Salt Lake Tribune   8/18/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Ogden City Council Votes to Buy 22 Acres of Downtown Land, Relocate Residents and Owners for Wal-Mart

Despite protests by many residents and small-business owners from a downtown neighborhood declared ''blighted,'' the Ogden City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency Board, voted 5-2 to buy 63 area properties and relocate their owners, to make room for a Wal-Mart Superstore.

Mayor Matthew Godfrey said the city will get more than the $2.5 million it spends, because Wal-Mart agreed to buy the 22 acres at the going price for downtown land. He argued that the city will benefit from the store's sales tax revenue, and that local merchants should expect increased business, because ''Wal-Mart will bring thousands of shoppers downtown every day.''

Two area residents, Dan and Tom Dixon, thought it's time for a change, but many among the more than 150 hearing attendees decried the action, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Kristen Moulton, noting that resident Jason Rush collected 3,000 signatures on a petition against tearing up the neighborhood to accommodate Wal-Mart.

The speakers drove home several points. Cristina Rodriguez said she ''planned on living the rest of my life'' in the neighborhood. Hal LeFluer protested this ''gross violation'' of private property rights. John Savage asked why the city aids Wal-Mart by assembling the land and relocating the owners while it's the company that should bear the full cost of coming to Ogden. And Robert Cato pointed out that some longtime neighborhood residents are Latinos and called the city's move ''discrimination fueled by bigotry and greed.''

Councilors and board members Jesse Garcia and Amy Wicks cast their votes against the plan, the latter saying, ''I want development downtown as much as anyone else, but I don't think this project is the answer. I hope we're not here 25 years from now dealing with an eyesore.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   6/23/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

TRAX Line Extension Helps Utah Transit Authority Win Quality Growth Grand Achievement Award

The new 1.5-mile of Salt Lake City's light-rail TRAX line from the Rice-Eccles Stadium to the Medical Center, made the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) a winner of a 2004 Governor's Quality Growth Grand Achievement Award for Implementation from Envision Utah, whose selection committee honored UTA for providing ''immediate access to the light-rail system for thousands of students, faculty and many large employers.''

The other two Grand Achievement Awards, for Design and Planning, and for Regional Planning, went to Parley's Rails, Trails & Tunnels Coalition, which envisioned a pedestrian-cyclist tunnel under a busy street, to link two parks, and which inspired the 8-mile Parley's Creek Corridor Trail across the Salt Lake Valley, to connect the 140-mile Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the 100-mile Provo-Jordan River Parkway Trail.

Envision Utah also presented eight Quality Growth Awards for Excellence and six Awards of Merit, all for imaginative design and planning or implementation projects, including road and transit expansion, cluster development to protect wetlands, open space funding initiatives, mixed uses and affordable housing, water conservation, new zoning ordinances, and Main Street enhancements.

See the list at www.envisionutah.org   6/4/2004

Resource(s): www.envisionutah.org ; www.sltrib.com/

Sandy Planning Commission Delays Decision on Converting Gravel Pit to Big Box Supercenter

''I'm not a crusader; I just don't like to be bullied,'' said the Massachusetts-based ''Sprawl-Buster'' and ''guru of the anti-Wal-Mart movement,'' former journalist Al Norman in a news release before his speech to Sandy's grassroots Save Our Communities group, which tapped his national expertise in protecting local style and identity from ''big-box'' retailers.

A day later, concerned residents rallied at the Sandy Planning Commission's meeting -- many wearing ''Parks Not Parking Lots'' buttons -- to oppose rezoning of a 100-acre gravel pit for a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Lowe's home improvement store and some high-density housing, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Derek P. Jensen, quoting resident Cliff Thompson, who expects ''empty storefronts and the displacement (because) of lost jobs and lost dreams'' if the project is approved.

Boyer Co. director of retail development Wade Williams called the site between a golf course, a mall and a hospital, ''ideal'' for this ''true mixed-use project,'' which would also include smaller shops, restaurants, trails and a tree buffer. Some in the audience agreed, but resident Jane Perkins responded, ''This is ludicrous to me and speaks of market greed and the almighty buck.''

After three hours, the Planning Commission decided to delay its recommendation until more study. -- Salt Lake Tribune   5/21/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake City Set to Invest More in Area's Popular Pedestrian Paths

Its 48 miles of dedicated bike lanes and paths increasingly popular and another 100 miles planned, Salt Lake City has become the valley's ''pacesetter'' in creating a bicycle-friendly transportation network, but the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and several nearby municipalities are also increasing their efforts despite budgetary constraints, with UDOT bicycle and pedestrian coordinator Shannon Briggs asserting, ''We're making great strides in working with the cities and bike advocacy groups.''

The UDOT, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird, has earmarked half of its $8.7 million in enhancement project money for bike lanes and paths, and included a cycling element in its current environmental impact studies for larger road projects.

Similarly, transportation and recreation master plans of major area municipalities call for bike lanes to be set aside, when designated bike-friendly streets are resurfaced.

''We see a real need for alternate forms of transportation that are environmentally friendly,'' says West Valley City parks and recreation director Kevin Astill. ''We want to see people out on their bikes and roller blades, or just to walk.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   5/12/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Downtown Streetcar Could Return to Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's office and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) want to revive the city's streetcar from the first half of the past century, expecting its loop -- or downtown ''circulator'' -- to augment light-rail and bus service and become especially useful for downtown residents and visitors, and to jump-start area residential development.

The proposed streetcar would use the current and future TRAX light-rail lines and require only its relatively low-cost track construction along seven blocks to complete the downtown loop, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird, quoting UTA director of rail operations Mike Allegra, who says, ''Light rail is designed to bring passengers into the city from the outskirts. The streetcar is for urban residents, with stops every block or so.''

As for its other importance for the city, mayoral transportation adviser D.J. Baxter explains, ''Unlike buses, rail transit can have tremendous land-use impacts. Since a bus can be rerouted at the drop of a hat, no savvy investor is going to make development decisions based on bus routes. But streetcars are fixed, permanent. And a streetcar, combined with the right kind of land-use policies and zoning, can lead to very aggressive private investment in urban development -- particularly in terms of housing.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   5/5/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

New Challenges Considered to Reverse Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Decision

Established by President Clinton in 1996 under the 1906 Antiquities Act, the 1.9-million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in central southern Utah survived a 1997 challenge by the Utah Association of Counties (UAC) and the Colorado-based Mountain States Legal Foundation, which represents driving, grazing and mining interests, with U.S. District Judge Dee Benson rejecting their ''myriad claims'' as without legal merit.

The ''president's designations pursuant to the (Antiquities Act) are not inconsistent with the Constitution's property clause, spending clause or the delegation doctrine,'' the judge wrote. ''Nor is the president's proclamation in violation of the Wilderness Act or any other statute.'' He added, ''Only Congress has the power to change or revoke the (act's) grant of virtually unlimited discretion to the president.''

Noting that one of the initial plaintiffs, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) dropped out of the suit in 1999, after Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Governor Mike Leavitt arranged a huge land trade to secure SITLA's revenue, Salt Lake Tribune writer Brent Israelsen quotes Mountain States foundation president William Perry Pendley, who promises, ''We are definitely appealing.''

As counties have already spent $185,000 on the lawsuit, the UAC isn't sure about an appeal and may rather approach Congress to amend the Antiquities Act, its associate director Mark Walsh saying, ''The president overstepped his bounds.''

With the monument taking some two-thirds of Kane County and a third of Garfield County, while barring a proposed Kaiparovits Plateau coal mine that would give rural counties hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties, 24 of 29 Utah counties put $224,000 into the UAC fund to pursue the suit.

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance attorney Steve Bloch, who led the defense, says, ''The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is an absolutely stunning and beautiful place that deserves this type of protection and recognition.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   4/20/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Developer Envisions Vibrant Mixed-Use District for Park City Industrial Corridor

Calling himself a ''diamond-in-the-rough pursuer,'' ex-Texan and Centura Development partner Rodman Jordan wants to transform Park City's haphazard Bonanza Drive light-industrial corridor into a vibrant retail and residential district, worthy of this premier ski resort and its tourist-oriented Main Street.

During the 1980s and 1990s, older Main Street businesses that served local residents ''were pushed out'' to Bonanza Drive, with its warehouses, vehicle depots and property-management firms, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Christopher Smart, noting that Jordan calls his future mixed-use district ''NoMa,'' short for North of Main Street.

Having bought several properties along Bonanza Drive, he and his partner Mark J. Fisher already renovated an old building and built one with a restaurant, a laundry and affordable apartments, the writer observes, with Jordan telling him, ''We want to create a character that might serve as a blueprint. Imagine: nice shady pocket parks, cafes and bars. Rather than a commuter route, it becomes a destination for locals.''

Glad about the prospects, Park City Mayor Dana Williams comments, ''This is private enterprise coming in and not asking for any government subsidies. It's taking progressive thinking for an area that needs redevelopment.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   4/19/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Long-Range Land Use Plan Maps Transit and Town Centers for 30-Mile Stretch from Salt Lake City to Utah Lake

After year-long work and a series of public workshops on ''Growth Choices'' in the Mountain View Corridor, its stakeholders' committee of west-side Salt Lake Valley and northern Utah County officials, business leaders and major landowners unanimously approved a long-range conceptual land use plan for the 30-mile valley stretch from Salt Lake City south to the Utah Lake shore, mapping future mixed-use town centers and transit-oriented developments, along with route options for a new highway, bus rapid transit, commuter rail, a streetcar, and new light-rail lines or extensions.

Overseen by Envision Utah, the ''Growth Choices'' process let the committee outline the best corridor options even though the Department of Transportation is still working on environmental impact study (EIS), reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird. He quotes both Envision Utah executive director Stephen Holbrook, who said, ''If it isn't the only one, it's one of the first processes in the country where a land use plan has come in advance of an EIS,'' and Utah Transit Authority General Manager John English, who added, ''The real key is land use, because land use is a reflection of the transportation choices we'll make in the coming years.''

What's more, stressed Utahns for Better Transportation spokesman Roger Borgenicht and Sierra Club representative Marc Heileson, the committee accepted their argument for ''sequencing'' road and transit projects. ''The fact is, this (proposed) freeway may never be needed,'' explained Heileson. ''If you build the freeway first, you'll get automobile-oriented development and an increase in vehicle miles traveled. Let's build transit first and develop around that.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   3/11/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Ballot Initiative for Open Space Preservation Not a Priority in Utah Senate

Utah voters may lose the chance for any decision on open space preservation this November, since Democratic-led House Joint Resolution 15, which would put a .05 percent sales tax increase for land purchases on a statewide ballot, doesn't seem urgent enough so late in the session to Senate Republican President Al Mansell, who said, ''We have a lot of open space as it is. About 64 percent of the land is owned by the federal government and most of that is open. Big chunks owned by the state are also undeveloped.''

Sponsored by Democratic Representative Ralph Becker, the resolution seeks voter approval for a $150 million land conservation bond issuance, at an estimated cost of about $7 a year per resident over 10 years, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird, with bond supporters stressing an aspect missed by the Senate president, himself a Realtor. ''While we have a lot of public land, it doesn't mean it's all protected,'' Nature Conservancy state director Dave Livermore told the daily's editorial board. ''This is a race against time. But it's something that state leaders are paying no attention to.''

The view is shared by former Utah Republican Senator, Conservancy board member Jake Garn, who considers land preservation a bedrock conservative issue, stressing, ''The Legislature needs to realize that if they don't seize the opportunity now, they won't be able to later because those lands won't be there.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   2/17/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Quality Growth Communities Program Combines Smart Growth Strategies With Financial and Technical Help from Utah State Agencies

''When city, county and other local planners do their jobs with quality growth in mind, the state as a whole benefits immensely,'' said Utah Republican Governor Olene Walker at a news conference, as she signed an executive order that launched the long-readied Quality Growth Communities Program, with Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird summing up its challenge to counties, municipalities, special districts, transit authorities and other service providers in words: ''Embrace smart growth strategies and gain access to financial help and technical know-how from a host of state agencies.''

The agencies include the Department of Transportation, the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Environmental Quality, all of which will offer planning assistance and funding priority to jurisdictions and other entities that enact smart growth measures focused on economic expansion, infrastructure improvements, cluster-type development, multi-modal transportation, diversified housing, and land conservation.

''The purpose of this initiative is to embrace the Quality Growth Commission's Quality Growth Principles, which speak plainly about local control, but also about state leadership,'' said Commission Chairman Dan Lofgren. ''By creating incentives for sound planning this program will encourage more efficient use of state resources, and more efficient delivery of services at the local level.''

The writer notes that the program's test city, Draper, will likely be first to win the gubernatorial designation as a ''Quality Growth Community.'' Details at www.qualitygrowth.utah.gov -- Salt Lake Tribune   1/22/2004

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Envision Utah Looks at Housing Solutions for Expected Growth Boom in Wasatch Region

Expecting the Wasatch region's population to jump from 1.7 million to 2.7 million by 2020 and to 5 million by 2050, the nonprofit Envision Utah (EU) partnership of politicians, business leaders, conservationists, builders, scholars and concerned residents will soon enter its eighth year of gathering public input and promoting land preservation, housing choices, anti-pollution measures, water use reduction, and more efficient transportation solutions, with EU executive director Stephen Holbrook saying its last two meetings focused on affordable housing for police, firefighters, teachers and other service employees who should live in communities where they work.

Holbrook also points out, reports Salt Lake City Weekly writer Ann Poore, that since people need varied housing choices during their lives, EU wants neighborhoods that offer apartments for singles, starter homes for young couples, condos for empty nesters and larger homes for families with children.

As Salt Lake City Democratic Mayor Rocky Anderson applies these principles in downtown development, his senior adviser, former EU strategist D.J. Baxter, says many people live in big suburban homes because they have no other options, but a demand for smaller houses will increase because families ''are shrinking,'' marriages ''are breaking up at a higher rate'' and ''(i)nstead of one family with two incomes, you have two single-income parents who share the kids.'' Utah Senate Republican President Al Mansell, a Realtor and UE partner, echoes the view, hailing the walkable neighborhood option as advantageous to everyone, yet one ''we've never given people'' as ''(w)e've always designed around cars.'' He says what Realtors ''really want is high-quality livable communities in which we can sell houses,'' but the problem is making them possible as ''(m)ost of our cities are opposed to high-rise condos and small-family units.''

Convinced that smart growth is the future for development, Mansell thinks 50 acres ''isn't enough to do a large variation in pricing,'' but 200 acres ''would work,'' suggesting low-end multiple units and smaller houses in one section and costly large homes and a small commercial area in the middle, separated by a park. Since everyone would use the park, it wouldn't divide people, just protect property value, he says, stressing that people ''have to see the concept in a couple of communities and then they will be believers.''

One such endeavor, the writer reports, is the Kennecott mining company's New Urbanist project in South Jordan's community of Sunrise, renamed Daybreak six months ago. Company official Jonathan Callender says several compact diverse neighborhoods, linked by trails, will have ''(n)arrow streets, and plenty of sidewalks with shops restaurants and schools, all within walking distance.'' Highlighted in Time magazine, the writer adds, the project won the company and the city the 2002 Grand Achievement in Design/Planning Award from Envision Utah and former Governor Michael O. Leavitt. -- Salt Lake City Weekly   12/4/2003

Resource(s): www.slweekly.com/index.cfm

Funding Uncertainties Cause Transit Authority to Reschedule Salt Lake City Light Rail Expansion Spurs

Although buoyed by the popularity of its light rail TRAX system, which boosted the overall transit use to almost 32 million weekday trips last year, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) -- uncertain about federal and other transportation funds -- had to reschedule the planned three-spur southwest TRAX extensions from 2008-10 to at least 2012 and focus meantime on the $350 million to $400 million construction of a 40-mile-plus northern commuter line between Salt Lake City and Pleasant View in Weber County, the federal government paying half the cost. The TRAX ridership increased from 6 million weekday trips in 2001, to 10.2 million in 2002 -- about a million switching from bus service -- and 6.3 million through this past August, reports Salt Lake City Desert Morning News writer Stephen Speckman. But the first 15-mile north-south TRAX line opened in 2000 cost $312 million; the 2.5-mile University extension, $118.5 million; and the just-inaugurated 1.5-mile Medical Center spur, $89.4 million; with the federal government contribution dropping from 80 to 70 and 60 percent, respectively. Expecting the total TRAX trips to jump still higher this year, UTA transit development director Mike Allegra will be adding more light-rail cars, new at $2.6 million each and used for almost $600,000 each. He will also introduce bus rapid transit in four areas at first and increase bus service frequency on some routes, while making vehicles safer and more comfortable, to give them an edge over private cars. -- Desert Morning News   10/5/2003

Resource(s): www.desertnews.com/

Transit Association Conference Focuses on Improving Ridership and Services

Its background the still-scrutinized 2000 Census finding that commuter transit use slid from 5.3 to 4.7 percent last decade, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) annual conference in Salt Lake City focused on the need to increase transit ridership, improve services, secure funding and create partnerships, while the hosting Utah Transit Authority (UTA) timed the inauguration of the third extension of the TRAX network with the presence of some 1,700 guests from around the country, Canada and Europe, the agency's spokeswoman Andrea Packer saying ''people want to know how we have been able to grow a light rail system that has been delivered on budget and on time.'' Noting that the census account of commuters quitting transit energized groups opposed to increased outlays on mass transit projects and infrastructure, Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird quotes the president of the capital-based Trans-Management consulting firm, Sara Campbell, who told the audience that the current national data ''hides a tremendous amount of variation at the regional level, which in turn affects perceptions about funding allocations.'' As other national surveys, especially from the late 1990s, show transit ridership up sometimes by 20 percent, she suspects the census has missed many lower-income residents, including the immigrants, minorities and single parents most dependent on bus and rail service. And since the surveys also found a correlation between service efficiency and use rates, the director of the Tampa-based Urban Center for Transportation Research at the University of South Florida, Steve Polzin, said, ''The (travel) speed element is crucial as transit competes for riders.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   9/30/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake Area Officials Agree to Fund Study of Davis County Transit Options

After their clash over the proposed 14-mile Legacy Highway along the Great Salt Lake shore and some of its wetlands in south Davis County, local officials and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson came together to fund a $100,000 feasibility study of the county's transit options, with Bountiful Mayor Joe Johnson expecting the study to suggest bus rapid transit or a light-rail line, but saying neither would negate the need for the highway. A recent survey found that 70 percent of Davis County residents want expanded transit and 70 percent want the new road, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer John Keahey. Mayor Anderson, who joined the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation in their successful lawsuit to block the Legacy project until a new environmental study is concluded and all route alternatives fully analyzed, agreed that the county needs a road, but not one through wetlands or likely to bring sprawl into the fragile area. He also stressed the importance of transit, saying, ''Just for the public health, we need to get away from the kind of dependence we've seen on the automobile throughout this region.'' Recalling disagreements with Mayor Anderson, Mayor Johnson said of the joint transit study funding, ''When you can partner, you ought to partner. Maybe it was as hard for him to come as it was for us.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   9/12/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake City Light Rail Success Has Officials Scrambling for Priority on Future Extensions

Having greatly surpassed the Wasatch Front Regional Council's (WFRC) projections of 18,700 daily riders, TRAX light rail carries 31,000 passengers along the 15-mile Sandy-downtown Salt Lake City main line and its first University of Utah spur, making former TRAX foes among area officials scramble to put their communities on a priority list for future extensions, with West Valley City Councilwoman Barbara Thomas now saying TRAX's popularity and west-side growth pressures have ''taught us that we must rely on forms of transportation other than automobiles.'' With the university spur's extension scheduled for September 29 and also likely to attract more riders than previously thought, Utah Transit Authority (UTA) rail program director Mike Allegra recalls he ''could hardly breathe'' at a WFRC session in the mid-1990s as mayors and county commissioners squeezed light rail into a regional transportation plan by just one vote, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer John Keahey, stressing that now public support for transit is growing and the only question is when the four planned TRAX extensions through Salt Lake Valley will get built. They include routes from South Lake City to West Valley City; from Midvale both to West Jordan and South Jordan; from Sandy to Draper; and from downtown Salt Lake City to the International Airport. Noting that since the TRAX inauguration in late 1999, Salt Lake County's bus ridership declined from about 63,000 to an average of 55,000 a day, the writer quotes director Allegra, who says this let the UTA reorganize the bus system, by combining or eliminating some least used routes and increasing service for TRAX stations. -- Salt Lake Tribune   8/18/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Editorial: Rural Utah at Risk for Unplanned Sprawl

Although long talked about, ''smart growth'' hasn't helped rural Utah much and ''(t)he fear today is that rural Utah will repeat urban mistakes and allow unplanned sprawl to erode its quality of life,'' observes a Salt Lake Tribune editorial on Governor Mike Leavitt's new ''Quality Growth Communities Initiative,'' which encourages small cities and towns to plan together for open space, water, housing and transportation, an ''essential first step toward 'smart growth','' but like all previous efforts badly ''underfunded.'' In the early 1970s, the editorial recalls, Governor Calvin Rampton's proposal to follow Oregon's success and overhaul land-use planning was trashed by adversaries, claiming the state wanted ''to dictate the color of house paint.'' In December 1995, Governor Leavitt ''shifted growth-management talk into high gear'' with a three-day series of televised ''growth summits'' that showed consensus on the need for ''open space, better transportation and a stable water supply,'' but the legislature did nothing. In early 1999, the nonprofit Envision Utah group found two-thirds of Utahns ''favored urban zoning to reduce sprawl,'' after which the legislature ''paid lip service'' to the problem by passing the 1999 Quality Growth Act and creating the Quality Growth Commission without sufficient funds and authority. Envision Utah stresses that localities must decide for themselves how to implement smart growth, but they ''can't do it alone,'' the editorial say, noting that the state's open space fund received only $480,000 this year. Pointing out that communities with growth plans can apply for other agency funds, the editorial concludes, ''After 30 years of discouraging fits and starts on and around the Wasatch Front, it is rural Utah's chance to do it right.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   8/10/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Envision Utah Presents Grand Achievement Award for Regional Planning to State Transit Authority

For the second straight year, Envision Utah's Grand Achievement Award in regional planning -- the top annual Quality Growth Award presented jointly by the partnership and Governor Mike Leavitt -- went to the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), which foresightedly invested $185 million in land acquisitions to secure 175 miles of right of way for nine future TRAX light-rail corridors, along with substantial Union Pacific Rail and adjacent acreage. ''We recognize communities and organizations that are working to protect and enhance our quality of life -- one lot, block and community at a time,'' said Envision Utah Chairman Greg Bell at the award ceremony in Salt Lake City. Among the largest of their kind in the nation, states Envision Utah on its web site, UTA acquisitions ''preserved all existing rights-of-way, giving the public ultimate power and control to implement a regional transportation plan for the next 20 years and well into this century.'' This year's Quality Growth Award of Excellence went to South Salt Lake for two TRAX station area plans and a transit-oriented development zoning ordinance, with density bonuses; Provo and Orem for their seven-mile multi-use college connector trail; the Tooele Valley regional plan for a strategy to protect open space, improve transportation, expand housing and spur economic development; the Park City Trails master plan for creating an extensive trail system; Ogden's mixed-use, high-density Riverfront neighborhood near downtown, with housing for almost 1,500 residents; Sandy for its downtown master plan and a multi-use trail along light rail; Kennecott's Daybreak development for a plant program; West Point for its general city plan; Midvale Junction for mixed-use development of a TRAX station area; and Emigration Court for an exemplary residential and retail infill near downtown Salt Lake City. -- Salt Lake Tribune, Envision Utah   6/23/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Greater Wasatch Using Smart Growth Principles to Offset Impact of Rapid Population Growth

''If you don't like growth, look in the mirror, because it's primarily us and our children,'' said Envision Utah founding chairman Robert J. Grow at his group's ''Renewal and Assessment'' forum on the just-completed 2003 Baseline Scenario, which projects accelerated growth for the ten-county greater Wasatch area from 1.9 million to 3.1 million by 2030, its silver lining in already achieved smarter land use, water conservation and investment in transit. This fast growth rate, twice the national average, comes at a time of economic doubts about the near future at least, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird, quoting Governor Mike Leavitt, who foresees stiff competition for state money for education, infrastructure and community services. ''Things came together in the '90s in ways that were providential,'' he said. ''But going forward, it seems likely we won't have a sizzling economy and there will be more needs than we have the capacity to fund.'' Still, the 2003 Baseline Scenario, compiled by the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, warrants a degree of optimism. Thanks to denser residential and commercial development, which slowed down the land consumption rate, the current 389-square-mile urban area will reach 697 square miles ten years later than previously projected, that is by 2030. Water use has dropped 16 percent in the past three years and the trend will continue due to an expected 100 percent water cost increase over 30 years. Vehicle miles traveled will outpace population growth, but thanks to a recent and larger than projected investment in transit, rush-hour road congestion will be lesser than anticipated. And air quality shouldn't worsen, due to tougher federal auto emission standards and industrial source controls. ''We're providing more housing choices and more transit-oriented development,'' summed up chairman Grow, stressing his belief that ''one of the most remembered events in the history of these valleys was when we purchased the (commuter rail) right- of-ways between Brigham City and Payson.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   5/22/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Poll Finds Strong Support for Funding Utah County Commuter Rail, Street Upgrades Through Tax Hike

Planning a Utah County referendum next year on a quarter-cent sales tax increase to fund commuter rail and other gridlock remedies, state and area officials are heartened by a Dan Jones poll for the Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG), which found 70 percent of residents backing such a tax hike, especially for mass transit, while also seeing local road and street upgrades as more important than I-15 improvements. County Commissioner Gary Herbert told Salt Lake Tribune writer Mark Eddington that the surprisingly high support for transit funding confirms a wide awareness of the transportation problem as looming like a ''gorilla threatening to conk us on the head.'' Still, he doesn't think the county can ask voters for the sales tax increase sooner than November 2004, because some ''don't know the difference between heavy rail, commuter rail and light rail'' -- issues that must be addressed in ''an education program'' first. The writer adds that Davis and Weber counties, where voters passed a sales tax increase in 2000, expect their commuter rail from Ogden south to Salt Lake City to be in service by 2007. Should Utah County voters pass the increase next year, its commuter rail north to Salt Lake City could run by 2010 or 2011. -- Salt Lake Tribune   5/6/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Fast-Growing West Jordan Seeks to Balance Residential Growth, Commercial Development, and Public Services

Its population almost doubled since 1990 to about 85,000 now, West Jordan expects to overtake West Valley City, 109,000 residents strong today, as Utah's second-largest urban center within perhaps three years and to reach 150,000 by 2013, while already launching across-the-board discussions about how to work together and ensure balance between residential growth, commercial development and public services. Exchanging views at a recent meeting held by Mayor Bryan Holladay, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Karyn Hsiao, city and business leaders, real estate experts, scholars and health professionals found the trends auspicious. The city is the only one with double-digit sales tax revenue this year; its home prices range from $115,000 to over $500,000; the Jordan Landing commercial center will soon get several large stores and three car dealerships; fire, police and health services will guarantee full protection; and a civic center around City Hall will have several new public buildings and a 100-acre park, all likely served by a TRAX light-rail line. In addition, a Salt Lake Community College 1,800-student campus will expand to host more than 15,000 students by 2020. -- Salt Lake Tribune   4/17/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

University of Utah Light-Rail Extension Project to Open in September 2003

The eagerly-awaited 1.5-mile extension of the TRAX light-rail line from Rice-Eccles Stadium through the congested University of Utah campus to its health sciences complex -- together with three stations -- will be completed and operational by the end of this September instead of November 2004, announced Utah Transit Authority rail-development director Mike Allegra. Launched last May, the $89.4 million line extension work is a year ahead of schedule, he said, thanks to a mild winter, few underground problems and a contract award to Salt Lake Rail Constructors, who built the light-rail line downtown-stadium segment and had everything ready to continue construction. He also credited the university with close cooperation in placing the line deep in the campus, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer John Keahey, noting that 11,000 of the university's 48,400 students, faculty and staff are located in the health sciences complex, whose parking space is further cramped by a nearby children's hospital with 2,500 employees. Health Sciences associate vice president Linda Amos said, ''People will welcome the opportunity to have an alternative (to driving) -- and that includes patients.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   3/27/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Editorial: Mass Transit Must Be Key Part of South Salt Lake County Development

Even if Utah had millions of dollars for major upgrades of I-15 in Utah County, whose population grew by 40 percent to 370,000 last decade and may double by 2030, the gridlock would worsen only a little less, argues a Salt Lake Tribune editorial, stressing that ''there is not enough concrete in the world to really take care of this problem if all we do is build more roads'' and that ''mass transit must be a key part of any plan for the mushrooming communities south of Salt Lake County.'' The area should also reconsider its development rules and think seriously about developer impact fees to help deal with the increased traffic burden, the editorial suggests, describing Utah County traffic as often ''a time- and fuel-wasting quagmire that does a lot to take the charm away from living there.'' The long-term solution ''is 21st century mass transit,'' not only buses and TRAX light rail, but ''real, East-Coast-style'' diesel commuter trains, the editorial says. It concludes: ''More than laying more concrete, county and state leaders must learn to look at the situation in a new way, before the Utah County that so many people love is swallowed by concrete and choked by auto exhausts.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   3/24/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Utah's Tooele County Brings Landowners, Environmentalists on Board to Help Craft Development and Preservation Plans

In anticipation of Tooele County's continued growth -- its population increased by 53 percent to more than 40,000 in the 1990s -- county officials moved last year to bridge the usual divide between landowners and environmentalists by bringing them onto a committee of state regulators, water experts, local leaders and others, and hiring consultants to study a 70,000-acre area south of the Great Salt Lake, two-thirds of it wetlands, for a prospective development-and-preservation plan fair for all, with County Engineer Raymond Johnson saying, ''We want to do this right by setting aside some land for wildlife and recognizing property rights at the same time.'' Committee members, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Leo Tyson Dirr, ''huddle several times a year over punch and cookies to discus how to protect the wetlands and develop around them,'' expecting to present their ideas at an open house in April and start the decision-making process by late summer. Concerns that the process may result in new land restrictions are unwarranted, says U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official Brooks Carter. He points out that wetland sites are already covered by regulations and that the process may help owners develop their property while reducing wetland damage. The president of Friends of Great Salt Lake, Lynn de Freitas, is glad to sit on the committee even though she expects some problematic trade-offs. ''In my heart,'' she says, ''I would always like to avoid impacts to wetlands, but I know that's not always possible.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   2/24/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Utah Gov. Leavitt Seeks to Halt Use of Sales Tax Funds for Road Projects

His earlier push for Quality Growth overshadowed by the ''historic drop in state revenues,'' Utah Republican Governor Michael O. Leavitt asked lawmakers in his State of the State speech to revamp state funding mechanisms in key areas, stressing the need ''to discontinue the practice of funding road construction with sales tax dollars'' and to ''create a permanent, adequate, reliable, and conservation-oriented means to assure our water future.'' The governor pointed out that the 1997 Centennial Highway Fund, created on the state's hundred-year anniversary to pay for 41 road projects, reflected a time of abundant revenue, smaller welfare rolls, flat school enrolment and lower health care prices -- all trends now reversed. ''This is not 1997,'' the governor said. ''We have limited options. We can slow down road construction and complete projects as we have the money to do so'' or ''if you are determined to move ahead on the current construction schedule, new revenues will have to be found because it would be wrongheaded to support cuts to education, release prisoners, and reduce law enforcement while we continue spending sales tax dollars on roads.'' The same goes for water supply projects, the governor said, calling the state's current method of subsidizing them with sales tax ''neither adequate, nor reliable, nor conservation-minded.'' As to the good news, the governor announced a deal with national health care companies to create 500 to 1,000 high-skill ''medical informatics'' jobs within three years, most of them at the state's 18 rural Smart Sites created last year. ''In just 352 days,'' he said, ''Smart Sites have become one of the largest single sources of employment in rural Utah.''   1/21/2003

Resource(s): www.utah.gov/governor/stateofstate.html

Salt Lake City's Future Light-Rail Extensions Linked to Mixed-Use, High-Density Development Commitments

As several Salt Lake City metro municipalities vie for planned extensions of the downtown-university light-rail TRAX line, Mayor Rocky Anderson's aide D. J. Bacter links their chances not only to such objective criteria ''as projected ridership, cost, availability of funds, (and) environmental readiness,'' but also to their commitment to mixed-use, high-density development around future stations, saying, ''If cities are unwilling to do that then they don't have any place in the queue for light-rail extension.'' All planned extensions depend heavily on federal funds, notes Salt Lake Tribune writer John Keahey, reporting the aide's trip to Washington to lobby for light-rail appropriations under the upcoming six-year transportation bill. Salt Lake City leaders would like to give priority to an extension of the light-rail downtown line west to the international airport, while regional planners and Utah Transit Authority (UTA) officials lean toward southwestern extensions -- between South Salt Lake and West Valley City and between Midvale and South Jordan, at a cost of more than $200 million each, with a likely completion date in 2009. The airport line and a Sandy-Draper segment, the writer finds, would be built in the next phase, at a cost as yet unknown. -- Salt Lake Tribune   1/21/2003

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Voters Defeat Utah Governor's National Monument Initiative

Inflamed by Governor Mike Leavitt's January initiative to designate the 621,000 most ecologically precious acres of the million-acre San Rafael Swell as a national monument, Emery County resident and Southeastern Utah OHV (off-highway vehicle) Club president Mark Williams succeeded in putting the issue on the November ballot and defeating it by a 2,151 to 1,883 county vote, forcing the governor to ask President Bush to terminate the federal designation process. OHV enthusiasts, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Brent Israelson, blasted the initiative -- comparing it to the sudden designation of the 1.9 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah by President Clinton in 1996 -- and used the nonbinding ballot, aware that the governor and President Bush ''are strong advocates of local control of federal lands.'' Describing the governor as ''saddened by the whole deal,'' his spokeswoman Natalie Gochnour said he thought a San Rafael National Monument ''was the right way to proceed. It gave the local people relevancy at the table.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   12/5/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

New Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Underway for Utah's Legacy Highway

As ordered by the 10th U.S. District Court of Appeals in Denver three months earlier, the Utah Department of Transportation began preparatory work on a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the proposed 14-mile, four-lane Legacy Highway, which would destroy 144 acres of wetlands in southern Davis County. Salt Lake Tribune writer John Keahey reminds readers that the original Environmental Impact Statement, conducted over three years and completed in 2000 at the cost $15.5 million, was challenged in court by the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson as insufficient, with appeals court justices agreeing it glossed over other route options, likely effects of commuter rail slated for the area by 2007, and the possibility of adding lanes to I-15. SEIS Project Manager Andrew Gemperline said the court-ordered study will take at least a year, asserting, ''We want to continue to maintain an open mind through this new process'' of evaluating options and their environmental impact. Utahns for Better Transportation spokesman Rober Borgenicht commented, ''If they are going to do as the court demanded, and have an objective process without pre-conceived solutions, then we will have faith in the process.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   11/22/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Partnership Hopes to Preserve Portions of Southern Jordan River Corridor

A partnership of Utah agencies, Salt Lake County, the Great Salt Lake Audubon Society and the cities of Draper and Riverton launched the South Valley Open Space project to protect the southern part of the Jordan River corridor from looming development pressures, with an initial goal of preserving at least 370 acres on both sides of a two-mile stretch of the river between State Route 71 and Bangerter Highway. In 2000, the Jordan River Natural Areas Forum, created by more than two dozens public and private agencies and groups, identified about 1,500 acres of wetlands and uplands along the river for preservation, most of them south of SR 71 down to Lake Utah. The new project's managers, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Karyn Hsiao, will work with the forum and the Jordan River Parkway Committee to align recreational trails and find ways to preserve local wildlife habitat areas. Riverton Mayor Mont Evans, who sees open space and riverfront preservation as a priority for the fast-growing city, said the task is difficult because there are ''multiple land owners, multiple jurisdictions and multiple purposes for land,'' adding, ''That's why it's important to bring all the stakeholders together.'' The writer notes that the project partners also met with area residents to get their input on land and wildlife preservation. -- Salt Lake Tribune   11/21/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Details Emerging for Salt Lake City-Ogden Commuter Rail Line

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is fleshing out a five-year plan for a 35-mile commuter rail between Salt Lake City and Ogden, with the current environmental study reaching another 25 miles toward Weber County's northern edge, to have the results ready for a possible extension of the line to Brigham City and beyond. Salt Lake Tribune writer John Keahey reports that UTA construction and engineering manager Steve Meyer expects the commuter train to run by the end of 2007 if the federal government covers about half of the projected $450 million construction cost. UTA has already spent $120 million for access to Union Pacific's freight corridor, counts on a $20 million state contribution and hopes to get the rest from bond sales and from sales tax revenue, which is growing thanks to a half-cent hike passed by voters in 2000. Former Layton City Councilman Stuart Adams, newly elected to the state legislature, says the northern Wasatch Front commuter rail ''is badly needed,'' especially since the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld the suspension of the 14-mile, $451 million Legacy Highway project in southern Davis County until the state completes a more thorough environmental study. The writer notes that UTA also hopes to extend the future commuter rail line south of Salt Lake City within 10 years, provided that Utah County residents approve a tax-for-transit increase, perhaps in 2004.   11/13/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/11132002/utah/16042.htm

Salt Lake's Growing Downtown Population Has Officials Hopeful for Faster Main Street Revival

The increase in condos and apartments from 1,900 to 3,300 since 1997 has boosted Salt Lake City's downtown population to more than 4,500 -- still far behind Portland's 12,000 and Seattle's 16,000 plus, but enough to make officials hope for faster reinvigoration of the struggling Main Street corridor and step up their efforts to encourage more housing throughout the city. Salt Lake Tribune writers Joe Baird and Heather May quote Mayor Rocky Anderson's chief of staff, David Nimkin, who says the city is identifying sites for eventual purchase and resale to builders of mixed-use projects, while being ready to assist nonprofit developers financially. But many think the city should also put more money directly into downtown housing. Sam Weller's Books owner Tony Weller says he can't convert his Main Street store's upper floors into condos because seismic upgrades would cost him up to $2 million. A resident of the affordable New Grand Hotel, Darla Ball, worries, ''We can't afford condos. We're all on fixed incomes, but the rent keeps getting raised; costs keep going up.'' Real estate agent Babs De Lay stresses that any two-bedroom downtown units in an $80,000 to $150,000 range would ''go so fast you wouldn't believe it.'' Like other downtown residents, she enjoys urban living. ''I like the fact that in my own neighborhood there's a Russian population, an Asian population and a Hispanic population,'' she tells the writers. ''It makes me more culturally aware every time I drive down the road or talk to another human being.'' So do others. Young couples like Paul and Stacey Richards, who are having ''such a great time that we kind of have to force ourselves to stay home;'' empty-nesters like Sandra Lee and Bill Sterns, who can do anything they want ''on short notice with ease and convenience'' and like ''not having to maintain a yard;'' retirees like Dan Livingston, who likes ''being where the action is;'' and professionals like KTVX anchor Randall Carlisle, who sums it all up, saying, ''I have the best of all worlds. I can't say there's a downside to living here, unless you're threatened by people who are different than you.''   10/21/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Strong Support for Foothills Development Restrictions in Eastern Davis County

With rooftops creeping up ever higher in Davis County's eastern foothills, 92 percent of county residents wish to preserve much of them as open space, 73 percent want to limit how high development can reach and 67 percent think those living farther on the slopes should pay more for such services as fire protection, waste collection and snow removal. A poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates for the Davis Council of Governments also found, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Lori Buttars, only 36 percent of respondents seeing present foothills development as about right, but 55 percent considering it already excessive and almost 70 percent willing to pay up to $20 a household for a foothills open space and trail program. In a series of three workshops this month, county officials are gathering more detailed public input on hillside preservation and development, hoping to devise a plan resembling the one crafted a few ago to preserve the Great Salt Lake shores. One of their goals, the writer adds, is to link sections of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail into a 25-mile long cross-county recreational area. -- The Salt Lake Tribune   10/4/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake Valley Communities Investing in Downtowns, City Centers

Like many cities across the nation, 13 large and small Salt Lake Valley suburban communities, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Karyn Hsiao, ''are putting their money where their main streets are, creating quasi-downtowns or re-creating historic city centers.'' Here is what they plan, what they do and what they have already accomplished. Bluffdale Councilman Morris Clark says the city wants to preserve its character and beauty, but needs to create ''a mini-downtown,'' focused on quality commercial development. The state's fastest-growing city, Draper, began construction of a $4.8 million City Hall, seen as the heart of a 15-block city center, with private investors promising to boost further public investment by commercial redevelopment of 30 adjacent acres and with Mayor Darrell Smith hoping for light rail. The valley's smallest city, Herriman, is ''growing daily, almost by the minute,'' says Mayor J. Lynn Crane, and after securing more stores, officials will be deciding where to build its center. Holladay is negotiating a contract for a mixed-use, pedestrian- friendly village center, with Community Development Director Ken Millard saying, ''we want it to be small and pleasant, not big and boxy.'' The former mining post, Midvale, already has a bustling historic Main Street, with several mom-and-pop stores, and City Administrator Lee King wants to encourage the recent expansion of small Latino-oriented businesses, renovate City Hall and reclaim two former waste sites near downtown for mixed-use projects. Murray will see ''a complete community renaissance'' at its historic downtown, promises Economic Development Director Keith Snarr, mentioning its performing arts and music business, but also the recently opened Best Buy, along with the planned Costco and IHC medical campus for an old factory site cleared two years ago. Riverton is responding to its rapid growth by envisioning a new city center and enhancing the historic downtown area, with senior planner Jason Lethbridge hoping to make it more pedestrian-friendly and spur ''smart retail growth.'' Sandy, proud of its vibrant downtown with about 10,000 jobs, has adopted a master plan to integrate key city sections and fine-tune its civic center, while Community and Economic Development Assistant Director Nick Duerksen pledges walkable office plazas, restaurants and high-density housing for the remaining 250 acres downtown. South Jordan is building a $4.8 million City Hall as the focal point for a 19-acre commercial development, described by its manager, Rob Cottle, as an old-time main street reflecting public demands for ''local shopping and gathering places.'' South Salt Lake, says Community and Economic Development Director Bruce Talbot, is seeking investors to launch the planned renovation of its government and commercial districts and utilize a 2.5-acre site near City Hall. Taylorsville is building a $4.2 City Hall and reserving the 20 surrounding acres for ''an old-fashioned Main Street USA,'' with cafes, specialty stores and pedestrian paths, says Community Development Director Mark McGrath, adding, ''We are trying to avoid the look of an asphalt jungle.'' West Jordan hopes to transform its downtown area into a neo-traditional retail district within two years, says Economic Development Director Wayne Harper, envisioning buildings with first-floor retail, second-floor offices and perhaps third- floor apartments, all near a future TRAX station. West Valley City expects to revamp its car-dependent government and commercial district as a more pedestrian-friendly civic and cultural center, with Community and Economic Development Director Joseph Moore promising residents other gathering places ''besides the mall.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   9/17/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Court Calls Utah's Legacy Highway Study ''Arbitrary and Capricious''

In a decision gratifying the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver found the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the proposed 14-mile, $451 million Legacy Highway through 144 acres of wetlands in Davis County inadequate, called the study's approval by the Utah Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Corps of Engineers ''arbitrary and capricious,'' and ordered them to address the shortcomings, but it also left defendants some hope by noting that the region will need ''a range of multimodal transportation solutions'' by 2020 and that the controversial parkway ''will provide a portion of the transportation facilities needed.'' While the three-judge panel's decision -- issued exactly 10 months after the court halted the project and the state's unforeseen suspension costs reached $17 million -- has yet to be studied for all its implications, Salt Lake Tribune writer John Kaehey reports varied and somewhat emotional first reactions. Plaintiffs consider the decision ''a victory for everyone.'' Mayor Anderson feels especially vindicated, having been threatened by state lawmakers and local officials with fiscal retribution for his part in the suit. Davis County Commissioner Carol Page voices disbelief and extreme disappointment because traffic ''will continue to get worse.'' Former state House Republican Majority Leader Kevin Garn has no confidence that a new impact study will help the project, since ''Extreme environmentalists simply don't want roads built.'' But ''combative'' Governor Mike Leavitt, who announced the project six years ago as part of a 120-mile north-south highway from Brigham City to Nephi, attributes the decision to the project's ''technical deficiencies,'' adding ''We will fix them and move forward.'' -- The Salt Lake Tribune   9/17/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Salt Lake City Council Approves Joint Road and Transit Study with State

Just days before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled that Utah can't proceed with the $451 million, 14-mile Legacy Highway in Davis County until it addresses legitimate concerns of the opponents, the Salt Lake County Council voted 5-to-4 to help the state with $4 million for a three-year study of road and transit needs and possible environmental impact risks in the 120-mile Western Transportation Corridor between Brigham City and Nephi, an integral part of which was to be the stalled Legacy project. Salt Lake Tribune writer Thomas Burr reminds readers that the state earlier secured $1 million from the Mountainland Association of Governments -- a planning agency of Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties -- but ten months ago, the Salt Lake County Council unanimously refused to finance anything linked with the contested highway. One of the four maintaining that stance, Councilman Joe Hatch, said whether one supports or opposes the highway, ''it's not a Salt Lake County project,'' adding that the county has more critical needs and that the five council members who voted for the funding have yielded to ''a bullying, strong-arm tactic'' of the state. One of those five, Councilman Michael Jensen, responds that the county owes its participation in study funding to the state legislature. The writer notes that the Wasatch Front Regional Council has for decades envisioned a western corridor road, but he also quotes Utah Department of Transportation deputy director Carlos Braceras, who says, ''There is not a predetermined outcome. We are not sold on this being a road.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   9/12/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Utah DOT Continues Land Purchases for Proposed Preserve, Despite Legacy Highway Project Delays

While the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver takes its time to decide the fate of the $451 million, 14-mile Legacy Highway -- blocked since November by the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson -- the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has already spent $14 million of that money to buy most of the 2,100 acres of the Great Salt Lake shoreline for the future Legacy Nature Preserve as compensation for the prospective destruction of 114 wetland acres by the highway project. If the court allows the project, writes John Keahey of The Salt Lake Tribune, the $23-million preserve -- a land of construction debris, junked cars and used tires until cleared recently by UDOT -- will become a heaven of restored wetlands for 300 species of birds; but if the court rules against the highway, UDOT plans are unclear. Sierra Club spokesman Marc Heileson insist the preserve should be created regardless of the court's decision, saying the state shouldn't need a freeway as a reason ''to protect an internationally recognized ecosystem for millions and millions of birds.'' UDOT's project direct Byron Parker fears ''for the future of a large portion'' of the preserve should the highway lose in court, although he doesn't preclude its completion and use as a bank ''for mitigating wetlands lost to other UDOT projects.'' U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official Brooks Carter, who approved the highway's controversial route along the eastern lakeshore, says the state is committed to a road through the area and since the only alternative not affecting wetlands would be the rather unlikely double-decking of I-15, UDOT will be going ''right on ahead with the preserve no matter what the (court) ruling is.'' -- The Salt Lake Tribune   7/29/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Davis County Mayors Want Light Rail as Part of Transit Solution

A quarter-cent sales tax increase passed by Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties two years ago to expand transit throughout their congested I-15 corridor, improved both bus service and prospects for commuter train between Salt Lake City and Ogden, but mayors of six southern Davis County cities along the 35-mile route's first half -- North Salt Lake, Woods Cross, Bountiful, West Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington -- definitely want TRAX light rail. Concerned that the 30-year transport plan prepared by the Wasatch Front Regional Council and the Utah Department of Transportation envisions four possible extensions of TRAX in Salt Lake County, but none in Davis County, the mayors seek immediate reconsideration, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Lori Buttars. Noting their support for the commuter train and the Legacy Highway project, still stalled in court, the writer quotes Bountiful Mayor Joe Johnson, who says: ''There are many pieces to the transportation puzzle out here. Commuter rail probably services the north end of the county a little more than it does us but you've got to have it and you've got to have Legacy. But for us here in the south, it just seems like light rail would be that alternative.'' -- Salt Lake Tribune   7/8/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Water Conservation Needed to Maintain Utah's Quality of Life

As Utah's population continues to grow, the state's greatest economic asset, its quality of life, could be diminished by water shortages, cautioned Governor Mike Leavitt at an Envision Utah event for recipients of his Quality Growth Awards, stressing that the state must put water conservation and pricing on the public agenda to remain prosperous. ''We haven't done it yet, but we have to wrestle with this area,'' the governor said, while rewarding 16 groups and individuals for their efforts to ensure quality growth so far. The Grand Achievement Award in regional planning went to the Utah Transit Authority for its light-rail system and projected improvements of public transportation regionwide; the same top award in design and planning went jointly to the city of South Jordan and the Kennecott Development company for their 4,200-acre mixed-use Sunrise project, which will include office, retail and residential space. The Award of Excellence winners, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Joe Baird, were the city of Midvale for a code encouraging high-density development around its two light-rail stations; the city of Ogden's mixed-use Union Square infill project on its historic 25th Street; and the city of Sandy for its water audit and conservation program. -- The Salt Lake Tribune   6/6/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Report Outlines Health of Salt Lake City's Downtown

As Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and city council members talk with downtown business leaders and consultants to prevent further retail closures, sales drops and commercial vacancies, a Downtown Alliance economic study shows that the Central Business District has enjoyed a great decade and is in a much better overall shape than its slowdown over the past few years suggests. Alliance director Bob Farrington tells Salt Lake Tribune writer Rebecca Walsh that the ''impression people seem to have is that the wheels are falling off,'' which ''doesn't really mesh with the facts.'' The writer looks at both sides. The area's retail sales rose from $352 million in 1990 to $473 million in 1996 and slid to $273 million in 2000. At the same time, another 25 eateries and 15 private clubs opened, and restaurant food and beverages sales doubled, exceeding downtown clothing sales. The area lost several corporate headquarters while its hotels, which reached an 81 percent occupancy rate in 1996, saw only 65 percent occupancy last year. But the number of downtown housing units grew from about 2,000 in 1990 to more than 3,300 last year; the number of jobs increased from under 50,000 in 1990 to more than 3,300, and wages from $1.3 billion to $2 billion. Main Street still hosts 25 percent of downtown office space and 60 percent of employment. The study's author, James Wood from the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, thinks housing and entertainment growth, along with an apparent residential and restaurateurs' shift west, may change the downtown economic structure, but the area will adjust. He says: ''It's going to take awhile for excess capacity in the retail, office and hotel sectors to work itself off. It's going to take a few years for the market to stabilize. But downtown is healthy.'' -- The Salt Lake Tribune   5/23/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Legacy Highway Opponents Won't Have to Pay Utah for Construction Delays

Utah's losses from the Legacy Highway work suspension, ordered by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver last November, will continue to decrease from an initial $119,000 to an expected $46,000 a day by the contractor's June billing, but the state will recover no damages from the plaintiffs even should it win the case, because Republican Governor Mike Leavitt vetoed the Republican restitution bill as unconstitutional, and because it couldn't apply retroactively. The plaintiffs, the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson argued in the appeals court last month that state and federal agencies had skirted environmental laws in choosing the $451-million, 14-mile highway's route through 114 acres of Great Salt Lake wetlands and had downplayed the chance of easing congestion with transit solutions. In response to the judges' inquiries, plaintiffs' attorney Craig Galli countered defendants' assertion that the four- lane highway requires a 330-foot-wide corridor through wetlands for its planned sound-absorbing berm, pedestrian-equestrian trails and a 66-foot-wide safety median. Noting that the Utah Department of Transportation initially proposed to lay the highway and the trails in a 110-foot-wide corridor, he expressed his belief that the department increased the corridor's width not because of safety considerations, but because it wants to widen the highway to six lanes in the future.   4/4/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Envision Utah Offers Resources, Workshops for Smart Growth Solutions

Although the legislature slashed state funds for local planning and open space preservation, the public-private Envision Utah group says resources are still available for municipalities and organizations seeking smart-growth solutions. Having released an advanced version of its ''Urban Tools for Quality Growth'' earlier this month, Envision Utah is launching a week-long series of workshops in Utah, Weber, Wasatch and Salt Lake Counties, to familiarize residents with this toolbox and help them chose the best solutions for their particular community needs. The toolbox includes examples of local and national zoning codes, design standards and growth planning strategies. The workshops will focus on ways to protect environmentally-fragile land, meet housing needs and create pedestrian-friendly residential and commercial projects. For information, contact Jarret Whicker at 801-303-1456.   3/22/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Legacy Highway Appeal Slated for March 20; Utah Lawmakers Draft Bill Seeking Reimbursement for Delay Expenses

Weeks-long talks between proponents and opponents of the Legacy Highway project -- stalled in court since November -- unblocked work near two intersections, but failed on key issues, prompting Republican majority leaders in both houses to push through a last-minute bill to seek reimbursement from the plaintiffs for any delay-incurred state expenses should they ultimately lose in court. The bill passed by mostly partisan votes, 21-7 in the Senate and 52-18 in the House, with lawmakers removing ''a constitutionally suspect provision,'' writes Dan Harrie of The Salt Lake Tribune, which would make it applicable retroactively. ''This isn't going to help Legacy, but it is going to help future projects like Legacy,'' said House Majority Leader Kevin Garn, differing from the bill's sponsor, Senator Terry Spencer, who still hopes to apply it to the project. The legal delay of the project by the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson costs the state about $100,000 a day. The mayor promised to challenge the bill in court if Governor Mike Leavit signs it into law. Gubernatorial spokeswoman Natalie Gochnour said the governor ''certainly understands the sentiments of the legislation,'' but will take all 20 days he has for his decision to ''assess the constitutionality of the bill.'' The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has scheduled its hearing on the Legacy Highway project for March 20.   3/5/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Online Courses Considered for Solving Environmental Problems

In cooperation with the virtual Western Governors University, Governor Mike Leavitt's new Institute for State Studies may offer online courses in solving environmental problems under his doctrine of ''Enlibra,'' which means ''to move toward balance.'' Noting that Republican Leavitt culled the word Enlibra from Latin roots several years ago, together with Oregon Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber, Salt Lake Tribune writer Dan Harrie quotes the governor as saying, ''We'll begin developing a set of certifications for those who work in environmentally important areas -- the corporate sector, the public sector, federal agencies and state agencies.'' Course participants, the governor hopes, can ''gain certification and use it to help in environmental management.''   2/12/2002

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Leaders Urged to Plan Now for Development Near Utah's New Rail Routes

Continuing its efforts to help Wasatch Front communities devise smart-growth strategies, the five-year-old Envision Utah public- private partnership urged local leaders at its conference in Murray to begin planning now for retail and housing development near future stations along high-speed commuter train and TRAX light-rail lines. With at least 27 communities directly in the transit corridor, Envision Utah experts focused on preparations under way in Murray, Layton, West Jordan and South Salt Lake. According to Salt Lake Tribune writer John Kaehey, transit consultant Soren Simonsen warned area officials that the current light-industrial zoning near some projected stations would hinder retail and residential projects. He also stressed that since support has eroded for offering developers tax breaks through redevelopment agencies, officials should attract retail and high-density housing around transit stations with ''the right kind of development codes.'' West Valley City Mayor Gerald Wright cautioned against spur-of-the- moment decisions, but agreed that communities should start revising zoning ordinances to facilitate transit-oriented development. Noting that Envision Utah has won the American Planning Association's national Daniel Burnham Award -- to be presented at the association's April conference in Chicago -- the writer quotes awards jury chairman Bruce Knight, who said, ''The Envision Utah process has spurred a high level of dialogue about planning among parties that otherwise might never have come together.''   1/17/2002

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

State May Use Salt Lake City Funds to Pay for Legacy Highway Construction Delays

Salt Lake City Democratic Mayor Rocky Anderson says he joined the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation in the suit against the $450 million Legacy Highway because the project violates federal environmental laws and threatens the area with increased traffic and urban sprawl, but State House Republican Speaker Marty Stephens accuses him of a ''using his political position in an unfair and illogical manner'' and warns that some Republicans -- who dominate the legislature 2-to-1 -- ''feel they need to send him a (financial) message.'' The speaker revealed after a closed-door caucus of House Republicans that they discussed the possibility of using some of the state money ''that goes to Salt Lake City'' to help the state pay the construction delay costs of $92,000 a day until the scheduled March hearing at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Salt Lake Tribune writer Dan Harrie also quotes House Majority Leader Kevin Garn, who points out that highway opponents could eventually hurt mass transit since a $10-million state appropriation for commuter rail is ''embedded in Legacy'' and his Sandy colleague Greg Curtis, who adds that despite of multi-million-dollar state funding for city transportation it ''seems to be either (Anderson's) way or no way.'' Faced also with a recent resolution by Layton officials urging plaintiffs to withdraw their suit and with a move by Clearfield officials advising residents against Christmas shopping in Salt Lake City, Mayor Anderson says he understands their frustration, but thinks people should ''be able to disagree without engaging in all this personal nastiness,'' which ''comes from the arrogance of monopolization of political power.''   12/19/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Utah County Sees Road Widening, Mass Transit as Solutions to Gridlock

With their 30-year Utah County I-15 Corridor Management Plan expected in the legislature by next spring, the Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG) and the Utah Department of Transportation are likely to seek $1 billion for widening the 44- mile freeway and also means to expand transit with more buses and possibly commuter or light rail. Noting that in contrast to Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties, Utah County voters rejected a quarter-cent sales tax increase for transit, Salt Lake Tribune writer Mark Eddington quotes MAG executive director Darrell Cook, who points out that his group's recent poll found 59 percent of county residents in favor of buses and 72 percent in favor of rail to help keep I-15 from becoming a commuter nightmare. The Utah County's 369,000 population is expected to almost double by 2030 and without area mobility improvements, he warns, I-15 ''will look like a Wal-Mart parking lot during the morning and afternoon commute.'' MAG transportation planner Chad Worthen adds that about a third of the county's bridges, freeway overpasses and interchanges need replacing within 10 years and that the proposed widening of I-15 includes dedicated HOV lanes along its most congested section.   12/11/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com/

Utah: Legacy Highway On Hold Until March 2002

The Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson won a round in their fight against the $451 Legacy Highway through the Great Salt Lake wetlands, as two judges of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver reversed an August decision by a lower court and halted the construction till a full hearing in March. The four-month injunction, writes John Keahey of The Salt Lake Tribune, could delay the 2004 completion of the four-lane highway for a full year, while adding many millions to its cost, and should the full court forbid the construction, the state's Department of Transportation would have to restore eight miles of lake shoreline already torn up along the 14-mile route. With the work now limited to securing its sites from winter erosion, department deputy director Carlos Braceras, confident of a state win in March, says, "We are still designing, acquiring rights of ways, negotiating utility agreements and doing utility relocations."   11/21/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Park City Utah Adds 424 Acres to Greenbelt

With only $6.5 million left from a 1998 open space bond, the Park City Council approved a $7.75 million purchase of 424 acres of sagebrush and scrub oak for the northern stretch of its almost-completed continuous greenbelt, confident that the city will secure the rest of the money in the two years it has to finalize the deal. Salt Lake Tribune writer Jim Woolf reports that the purchase will increase the city's total open space in the area to 1,151 acres and that Mayor-elect Dana Williams, a strong advocate of open space preservation, is "absolutely thrilled" with the council's decision. He also confirms his campaign pledge to seek better protection for the city's eastern edge which otherwise "someday could resemble the sprawl of Kimball Junction." Noting projections of area population growth to 50,000, the city's public affairs director, Myles C. Rademan, says the newest land purchase "is akin to buying Central Park in New York" and "in 20 or 30 years people will be thankful we set aside a place to recreate."   11/18/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Salt Lake City to Establish Green Building Task Force

"How our buildings are designed and maintained matters a great deal to how much energy and resources we use," said Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, directing a public-private task force to draft "high-performance"standards applicable initially to city building and remodeling projects, and eventually to all others helped with city funds. The state created a similar task force and adopted an energy efficiency policy in August. One model for green practices is the $60 million Salt Lake City Library System's building, now under construction, featuring occupancy sensors, recyclable carpet, solar outdoor lights and natural storm-water collectors. Green building designs, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Rebecca Walsh, can reduce energy costs up to 40 percent and boost worker productivity. She quotes a member of both task forces, architect Soren Simonsen, who says, "A few more windows make a difference. We don't want to build average buildings anymore. We are asking our buildings to perform better." PacifiCorp executive vice president Bill Landels, whose company has already contributed to the city task force's fund, points out that with rising energy bills, everyone must manage energy more efficiently, adding, "I can see no difference between producing a megawatt and saving a megawatt."   11/6/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Utah: Legacy Parkway Opponents Look to Appeals Court

After U.S. District Judge Bruce Jenkins rejected their October 26th request for a temporary injunction against the controversial Legacy Parkway over 114 acres of wetlands in Davis County, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation filed the request in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, continuing to argue that regulators approved the highway without due consideration of other routing and light-rail options. Since bulldozing for the highway's three interchanges is under way, the plaintiffs asked the appeals court for an immediate injunction, fearing that there may soon be no wetlands left to protect and stressing, says Sierra Club spokesman Marc Heileson, that the work constitutes "a direct threat" to the habitat. In a dispatch from Salt Lake City, the Associated Press notes that to compensate for the highway paving 114 acres of wetlands, Governor Mike Leavitt has offered to designate 2,100 acres of other wetlands for a Great Salt Lake preserve.   11/6/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Salt Lake City to Establish Green Building Task Force

In a legal and public opinion battle over Union Pacific's plan to reactivate its freight track through Salt Lake City's mainly Latino neighborhoods of Glendale and Poplar Grove -- with perhaps ten 100-car trains diverted daily from around the huge mixed-use Gateway redevelopment project opening next month -- the company cites the need to ease downtown congestion, while city attorneys and Hispanics invoke the principle of "environmental justice." In wake of Mayor Rocky Anderson's revocation of Union Pacific's street-crossing franchise and both sides' current briefs at U.S. District Court and the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB), the president of the local council for the League of United Latin American Citizens, Michael Clara, sent Deputy U. S. Department of Transportation Director Mary Whigham Jones a letter, reading "It is ironic that a neighborhood is expected to carry the burden of trains through the heart of its community because the federal government helped finance a redevelopment project that can no longer bear the sight of freight trains" two blocks away. Washington, D. C. attorney Charles Spitulnik, who will present these arguments backed by Glendale and Poplar Grove residents' testimonials to STB regulators, says, "they have to consider whether their actions disproportionately impact minority populations."   10/31/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Commuting time will jump from 40 minutes to 2 hours

Congestion on Utah County's 15-mile stretch of Interstate 15 between Orem and the Salt Lake County line will become so severe by 2030, that the distance's commuting time will jump from 40 minutes to 2 hours and the road will be seen as "failing," warns an Inter-Regional Corridor Alternatives Analysis by the Utah Department of Transportation, the Utah Transit Authority, the Wasatch Front Regional Council and the Mountainland Association of Governments. To avert the risk, the agencies would spend $1.37 billion to widen I-15 and $437 million to link it with a parallel county road; add lines to other area roads; and build a commuter rail line from Sandy to Provo, with stations in Lehi, American Fork and Orem. The proposals will be detailed in a comprehensive I-15 Corridor Study scheduled for completion in June.   10/18/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Known for renovation of several warehouses at ...

Known for renovation of several warehouses at the western edge of downtown Salt Lake City for inexpensive mixed use, the nonprofit Artspace development company, founded in 1979, completed its first full construction, the $12.4 million Bridge Projects. The structure features a ground-floor art gallery, offices of Tree Utah and Volunteers of America, classrooms for Salt Lake Community College and still-available retail space, along with 62 upper-floor affordable housing units, most already rented for $350-$700 a month. Artspace executive director Maggie St. Claire says, "this is going to be a place for people to live and gather. This is the essence of neighborhood building." The company's project director, Jessica Norie, notes that the huge Boyer Co.'s mixed-use Gateway development, scheduled to open just across the street in November, may make the area busier than originally expected, but also provide "some jobs for our residents." The Artspace founder and local revitalization initiator before he entered politics, Salt Lake City Planning Director Stephen Goldsmith, stresses that although Bridge Projects has been scaled down due to fund-raising setbacks, it still is "another big step in turning a drug-infested neighborhood into a seven-day, 24-hour gathering place."   10/1/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Under a "Cool Spaces 2002" urban forestry ...

Under a "Cool Spaces 2002" urban forestry program -- designed to offset the environmental impact of construction for the upcoming Winter Olympics and run by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC), Utah Power and the Utah Energy Office -- University of Utah students planted 50 young oaks and firs at its new housing complex, which will become the Athletes Village in February. The program provides for the planting of 500 trees across Salt Lake Valley "hot spot" zones, where urban structures, rooftops and parking lots absorb sun rays, forming slow-dissipating layers of heat and significantly raising local temperatures. Salt Lake Tribune writer Kristen Steward reports that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration identified these zones in 1998, using thermal imaging equipment bound for Mars. She quotes SLOC senior vice president Grant Thomas as saying that the trees, which will mature in 20 years, will also help prevent soil erosion and by shading buildings, will let them save on AC costs.   9/26/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Unknown perpetrators vandalized seismic equipment positioned by ...

Unknown perpetrators vandalized seismic equipment positioned by Denver-based Veritas DCG Land for geological mapping of gas and oil deposits near Moab in Grand County, with a postcard left at the site attributing the act to the militant Earth Liberation Front (ELF), which has previously claimed responsibility for numerous arsons in some Western states and urges economic sabotage and property destruction to save the environment. Salt Lake Tribune writer Lisa Church reports from Moab that Veritas official Tim Brooks and county Sherif Jim Nyland doubt ELF involvement, since the damage is minor, but take the incident seriously and are tightening area security. The site was targeted earlier for "confrontational protests" by the Moab Action Network, together with the Glen Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Utah Animal Rights Coalition. Network spokeswoman Laurel Hagen says, "We haven't abandoned our plans," but because of the September 11 tragedy, "we will hold peaceful vigils right now. That seems most appropriate to us under the circumstances."   9/25/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson will ...

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson will join the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, hoping to reverse U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins' decision that gave a green light to the controversial 14-mile, $451 million Legacy Highway project, which requires paving over 144 acres of the Great Salt Lake wetlands. The three plaintiffs will continue their arguments against the adequacy of the state's environmental impact study and for reconsideration of alternatives to the highway. The mayor's attorneys will also argue that the state violated the National Environmental Policy Act by glossing over the highway's traffic and pollution effects on Salt Lake City.   9/4/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Despite his sympathy with Legacy Highway opponents ...

Despite his sympathy with Legacy Highway opponents' reasoning that decision makers should have kept the route away from wetlands and studied transit options, U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins felt bound by law to side with state and federal defendants, because "The alternatives chosen for consideration as to the defined project have a rational footing, and thus were not arbitrary nor capricious, even though other alternatives could have reasonably been considered, and the agencies could have produced a better product." The plaintiffs -- the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson -- believed project approval violated the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. They wanted the judge to invalidate the state's $9 million impact study, approved by the Utah Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers, that allows the four-lane, 14-mile road project, which includes paving over 144 acres of the Great Salt Lake wetlands. The judge confirmed that the Clean Water Act favors wetland protection and noted that plaintiffs made their strongest case arguing for the highway's alignment in the drier Denver and Rio Grande rail corridor, but stressed that the U.S. Supreme Court requires courts to give "due deference" to government agencies and that he could not override the state's judgement. Surprised and disappointed, Sierra Club Program Director Marc Heileson said "we felt our arguments did have the backing of the law." Mayor Anderson's spokesman said the case raised public understanding of the need for commuter and light-rail lines. Echoing Future Moves Coalition Chairman Roger Borgenicht's words that transit should be given a chance "before we build more highways, more interchanges, more lanes," the spokesman added, "With or without the Legacy Highway, Salt Lake City is going to continue to pursue a transit-first approach, spending money wherever we can on transit."   8/16/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

A day after U.S. District Judge Bruce ...

A day after U.S. District Judge Bruce Jenkins rejected their suit to block the Legacy Highway project, the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation attorneys have reviewed his decision and concluded that they have a good chance to reverse it in the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver and to save Salt Lake wetlands from being paved over. With the third plaintiff, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson out of the country, it was not immediately clear whether he will join the appeal. Meanwhile, the Utah Department of Transportation is ready to put crews on the wetlands within a month, hoping to finish the project on schedule by the late 2004. Project manager Byron Parker said work on the northern exchange at Farmington in Davis County had begun, and will now proceed along the whole route. The four-lane, 14-mile Farmington-Salt Lake City highway -- parallel to the newly rebuilt, but still congested Interstate 15 -- is projected to cost $451 million, including the price of land for a Legacy Nature Preserve buffer between the lake and future residential development.   8/16/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Attorneys for Legacy Highway opponents -- the Sierra ...

Attorneys for Legacy Highway opponents -- the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson -- told U.S. District Court Judge Bruce Jenkins that the Utah Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers violated environmental laws when they approved the state's $9 million impact study that gave a green light to the four-lane, 14-mile road project, which includes paving over 144 acres of the Great Salt Lake wetlands. The attorneys argued that contrary to federal requirements, the agencies dismissed "reasonable" route and transit alternatives without serious review and failed to prove that filling the wetlands is the "least damaging, practicable" alternative. They insisted that a route along the Denver and Rio Grande railroad would be more reasonable and pointed out that early estimates of both the highway's costs and rail ridership were too low and are no longer applicable. They asked the judge to void the wetland-filling permit and order a new project impact study. Attorneys for the defendants countered that the National Environmental Policy Act requires government agencies to make reasonable decisions, but not to defer to others' notions of reasonableness. They said the state will more than offset the loss of 144 acres of wetlands by creating a nature preserve and saving thousands of wetland acres from development elsewhere. They maintained that the agencies "exhausted their analysis of transit potential before deciding trains and buses could not replace the need for a freeway alternative to Interstate 15" and that Salt Lake City faces increased traffic in any case. The judge promised a quick decision, since the parties' agreement to halt Legacy construction was to expire August 1.   8/2/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Envision Utah announced the first recipients of ...

Envision Utah announced the first recipients of the new annual "Governor's Quality Growth Awards" to municipalities and developers, for walkable and transit- oriented projects or urban industrial land redevelopment. The list includes Provo and Terranet Investments for the Riverwoods retail-and-townhouse project; Park City, Cooper Roberts Simonsen Architects and the Sear-Brown Group for the Park City Intermodal Center and Roundabout; West Jordan for planning a suburban city center next to a future light-rail spur; the Boyer Co., for the mixed-use Gateway project under construction west of Salt Lake City downtown; Proterra Cos. and Woods Cross for the Woods Cross Town Center mixed-use project on a former junkyard site; Tooele Associaties for "the retro-village" Overlake project near Tooele; West Jordan for a Jordan River master plan to preserve open space and wetlands, while facilitating non-motorized recreation; Cooper Roberts Simonsen Architects and South Salt Lake for planning development around light-rail stations; West Jordan for a water conservation program aiming to reduce per-capita water use by ten percent within five years; and Proterra Cos.for the Stanford Court condominium project on vacant urban land between Salt Lake City downtown and the University of Utah.   6/19/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

With the appointment of Farmington Mayor Greg ...

With the appointment of Farmington Mayor Greg Bell as its new chairman, the 1997 public-private Envision Utah planning group changed its focus from setting a growth-management agenda for the Wasatch Front to helping municipalities and developers embrace mixed-use, transit-oriented designs and other anti-sprawl principles of smart growth. Under its founder and first chairman, prominent Democrat Robert Grow, notes Salt Lake Tribune writer Brandon Loomis, Envision Utah worked to raise public awareness of sprawl costs and build consensus for managing growth, which inspired the 1999 Quality Growth Act, with grants for local planning and open space protection. Under its second chairman, industrialist and former ambassador to Singapore Jon Huntsman Jr., now designated as U.S. Deputy Trade ambassador, the group prepared an urban planning "toolbox" to help change zoning practices that separate land uses and induce car traffic. Now, chairman Bell will draw on his two decades of real-estate law experience and his eight years of mayoral service to convince Wasatch Front officials and builders that walkable, mixed-use, transit-oriented projects "are smarter and potentially more lucrative options to urban sprawl." Hailing his involvement in grassroots planning, Governor Mike Leavit told him he has "the perfect background ... to take this effort and move it forward." The writer adds that Bell, who supports the planned Legacy Parkway opposed by conservationists, has earned their respect for "his support of compact, walkable developments and his work on Davis County's shore lands plan."   6/19/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

The American dream is under serious threat ...

"The American dream is under serious threat," lectured national consultant Wendell Cox at a luncheon sponsored by the Coalition for Accountable Government, with an audience of six followers who " listened with rapt attention" and two Salt Lake Tribune journalists assigned to the event. The speaker, report Shawn Foster and Kathy Stephenson, had "a message that anti-light-rail folks love: Urban sprawl is good. And those damn trains are bad." Let's see. Apparently, sprawl advantages include long car commutes, giving tailpipe emissions more time to dissipate and improve the quality of air. The country's air pollution is high only if measured as contaminants per capita, but thanks to its greater dispersion it is easier to breathe. Conversely, higher densities worsen air quality, with every one percent increase in density boosting pollution by eight percent. Light rail is the wrong answer because it helps only the ten percent who work downtown, or only one percent of all commuters, while costing so much that it would be cheaper to lease cars for all drivers in the Salt Lake Valley. And one thing more: urban boundaries such as Portland Metro's do not work. Asked by journalists to comment on these pronunciations, Envision Utah director Stephen Holbrook made two points. Utah's mountains, lakes, deserts and public lands create natural boundaries and the challenge is not to seek others but how to best use the land within them. And those natural restraints also limit space for new roads, with public transportation becoming "a choice for a variety of people who find it useful and who by using it take the pressure off roads."   6/15/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Governor Mike Leavitt told Utah's Quality Growth ...

Governor Mike Leavitt told Utah's Quality Growth Commission to move beyond the distribution of community grants for planning and preservation toward partnership with farmers, since their interest in land protection and their influence in the legislature are crucial for the passage of incentives that would help cities and developers shun sprawl and embrace smart growth. "Find the marriage between agriculture and preservation," the governor urged, and advance smart growth "not through mandates, but through incentives" to encourage mixed and affordable housing -- including apartments -- and dissuade cities from building only "starter castles and trophy homes." Housing affordability, he continued, is necessary for Utah's growing work force, with technology workers -- whose numbers are swelling almost three times faster than the national six percent average -- listing quality of life as the top factor in their choices of where to live. The governor agreed with commission member, state Agriculture Commissioner Cary Peterson, that communities should define quality growth locally, but stressed that the state should set guidelines and reward localities for their implementation. He also promised Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert a continued push for energy production as vital for smart growth in the state's southern region, but repeated that the key in the Wasatch Front and in rural areas will be quality of life.   6/15/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Utah Transit Authority officials are thrilled with ...

Utah Transit Authority officials are thrilled with the latest ridership figures showing that despite the three-week- earlier opening of a widened I-15, the average number of one-way passengers on the TRAX light rail edged from 18,057 in April to 18,381 in May. Transit Development Director Michael Allegra sees it as "an incredible sign of support," reflecting corridor demand "for both transit and highways." He expects light-rail ridership will grow with upgrading of the system and the opening of its university spur this November. Salt Lake Tribune writer Brandon Loomis points out that there are "just some things freeway lanes don't make easier, such as finding convenient parking in downtown Salt Lake City." But he adds that critics belittle the light-rail's success, noting it has gained about 300 passengers since its inauguration in late 1999.   6/4/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Euphoria over the newly opened ten-lane I ...

Euphoria over the newly opened ten-lane I-15 and its first- in-the-state carpool lanes "that whiz motorists" through most of the Salt Lake Valley, is somewhat marred by the rage of thousands of commuters who "flocked back to the freeway" after its four-year remake "to find bumper-to- bumper traffic during rush hour," especially at the south end, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Brandon Loomis. A traffic management engineer for the Utah Department of Transportation, David Kinnecom, who monitors cameras along the freeway and connecting roads, sees no congestion before 5 p.m, when "freeway speeds" drop from above 65mph to below 30 mph in the fast-growing suburbs south of Sandy, where ten lanes merge into six. He says the doubling of stoplights to more than 500, all linked to the department's command center will improve the traffic flow by helping motorists to avoid trouble spots and pick the least congested interchanges. Still, the writer cites a Draper resident who regrets "spending $2 billion in taxpayer dollars for no improvements" and a Riverton commuter who in his letter to the Editor blasts the "state-of-the art, futuristic" freeway for "stop-and-go" traffic not only during peak hours, pointing out that "someone made a bad miscalculation of the freeway's usage today and beyond." The chairman of the Future Moves Coalition, Roger Borgenicht, a frequent critic of the Wasatch Front Regional Council's plans for road expansion, is not surprised. Stressing the need for light-rail lines and other transit choices to save "the freedom that the automobile gave us," he says it is impossible to fight congestion through road building because no matter "how wide you build I-15 or how many lanes you put on Legacy Highway, roads are places (where) you're going to interact with cross traffic, interchanges and neckdowns."   5/30/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

At a Third District Court hearing in ...

At a Third District Court hearing in Sandy, Judge Denise Lindberg scolded West Jordan City Council for failure to apply its requirement of impact studies to two rival development projects proposed for the city's Main Park area, on land previously zoned for park expansion. The council's recent 4-3 vote to pursue a mixed-use project and amend the city master plan accordingly, prompted three members of West Jordan's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee -- who oppose the project's multifamily housing provision -- to ask the court to place a temporary restraining order on the decision. Their attorney Ken Ivory argued that without impact studies and related maps, the council can't make "informed decisions" about such projects. "We cannot send a message to our citizens that 'the law be damned; we have the votes'," he said. The judge agreed, but declined to issue a restraining order as city officials promised impact studies for both projects, new public hearings and another council vote. Mayor Donna Evans said "never in the past" have impact studies been presented prior to the council's land-use decisions.   5/23/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Finding belatedly that Salt Lake City's first ...

Finding belatedly that Salt Lake City's first TRAX light rail line, opened in 1999, could have many more than the current 20,000 one-way passengers a day if stations had more room for cars -- and in preparation for the opening of its second spur this fall -- the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is adding almost 2,000 spaces to the most overcrowded lots along the rails. Aware that the new spaces are a temporary solution before the new university spur "brings a whole new clientele of students, workers and medical professionals to TRAX," reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Brandon Loomis, transit officials see their key challenge in persuading people to take buses instead of cars to stations. That means "the bus service has to be better," acknowledges UTA General Manager John Inglish, noting the difficulty of synchronizing buses that come to some stations every 30 minutes with trains that run every 10 minutes during peak hours. He hopes for federal funding to equip buses and trains with global positioning system devices, which would help drivers adjust their schedules to train arrivals and departures.   5/22/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Fast-growing Davis County is seeking consensus among ...

Fast-growing Davis County is seeking consensus among its nine cities on how to balance the area's growth and conservation of marshes and wetlands along the 28-mile Great Salt Lake shoreline, with the county's Shore Lands Steering Committee preparing a model ordinance which would keep development away from the lake, by creating an agricultural buffer between the shore and subdivisions. Development is heading "toward that lake fast," says the county's consultant on its general plan for shore lands, Bill Wright, while county planner Aric Jensen adds, "We don't want to see houses right on the edge." Salt Lake Tribune writer Kristen Moulton notes that the Nature Conservancy is already protecting 4,000 acres of the best wildlife habitat at the north end of Farmington Bay, but the nine cities pursue preservation in different ways and degrees. Inspired by the conservancy, the county's shore lands study, undertaken as one of Envision Utah's three quality-growth demonstration projects, suggests a possible common approach, which would let farmers and other landowners "get their money out of their property" by encouraging developers to cluster houses on smaller lots and keep more land for agriculture and open space, including parks and trails. The writer adds that officials see the Boyer Company's 719-acre Farmington Ranches near the city of West Point as "a prototype" for preservation, since 57 percent of the subdivision will remain open space, with many shoreline trails and meadows, all of it under the city's conservation easement.   5/2/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Having raised $300,000 in grants and private ...

Having raised $300,000 in grants and private dotations, and received $400,000 from state agencies, the Bluff City Historic Preservation Association bought a conservation easement to one of the most scenic stretches of rural land in southeastern Utah, the 145-acre Curtis Jones farm, saving it forever from developers. With the easement permanently attached to the title of the farm, the retiring Joneses sold it to the young family of Bill Davis and Deborah Westfall, who have worked with them for the last three years and now become full-fledged farmers. At the conservation easement dedication ceremony, with Lieutenant Governor Olene Walker and Commissioner of Agriculture Cary Peterson in attendance, state agriculture official Larry Lewis called it "the perfect example of how well a conservation easement can work." The retiring farmer, he said, "can get full value out of the property, and the land can stay in farming instead of going into commercial and housing developments." He added that the department and the state Quality Growth Commission have worked together over the past several years to preserve more than 9,000 acres of rural and open land in 12 counties.   3/27/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Ranked by financial magazines as "the best ...

Ranked by financial magazines as "the best managed state in America," Utah is working for a still better future, said Governor Michael O. Leavitt (R) in his State of the State speech, by improving transportation, with 43 Centennial highway projects, expanded public transit and Legacy Parkway, and by "ensuring quality growth through Envision Utah and 21st Century Communities initiatives on housing, water and open space." With Utah's transition to a knowledge-based economy as its top priority, the governor emphasized that in a world "where most jobs can be located anywhere, now, more than ever, preserving our quality of life is an economic imperative." Noting that the state's "natural beauty" and recreational opportunities are "a major draw," he asked lawmakers to join him "in a major drive to spruce up, clean up and keep up" state parks and monuments, and proposed to devote one percent of streams and rivers "to truly great fly fishing," or "catch-and-release fisheries." The new revenue will permit improvement of streams and habitat, while helping create "a system of Heritage Waters" that will preserve part of Utah's heritage and benefit local economies. Calling quality of life "an economic development tool" in the New Economy, the governor said the state's livability could be seriously compromised by its "high-level nuclear waste" and promised further "legal, environmental, legislative and political" efforts to "ban nuclear rods from this state." He also pledged to protect Utah's economy and quality of life from any risk of electricity shortages like those in California. "Due to complex economic, environmental and regulatory issues, the West has not kept up in developing energy resources," the governor said. Declaring that conservation is "an important short-term solution," but more production "a long-term necessity," he assured Utah's participation "in creating a regional solution," urged California to rectify its "disastrous deregulation scheme" and called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to "restore order to the electricity market through a temporary return to cost-plus-pricing in the wholesale market."   2/20/2001

Resource(s): www.nga.org

Anticipating a Cache County population jump from ...

Anticipating a Cache County population jump from 88,000 to more than 108,000 by 2010, its Chamber of Commerce leaders launched the Cache Valley Initiative to maintain local quality of life and promote smart growth. They will spend $1.3 million to help write open-space protection ordinances, lobby telecom and air-carrier companies to upgrade area services and assist cities with road and development plans in the next five years. With $755,000 already donated by banks, high-tech companies and other businesses, they expect to raise the rest by April. The initiative's leaders are optimistic. "We can have both growth and quality," says architect Tom Jensen, "but it requires planning and making intelligent choices." Founder of NACO Industries Inc., Verne Bray, notes that nobody "wants to see this valley paved from mountain to mountain." Logan Regional Hospital's administrator, Richard Smith, points out that the valley is "at a crossroads," stressing that the choice is "not quality of life or jobs" because "if we don't have quality of life, we have no jobs."   1/29/2001

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Reporting from the Urban Land Institute's Partners ...

Reporting from the Urban Land Institute's Partners for Smart Growth Conference in Atlanta, Salt Lake Tribune writer Brandon Loomis says analysts find enough accumulated momentum in the anti-sprawl movement for it to probably continue regardless of who is in the White House. As evidence, an analyst for the Washington-based Surface Transportation Policy Project, Don Chen, cited the growing support for public transit even in this conservative state. Last month, Wasatch Front voters passed a quarter-cent sales tax raise, thanks to which the Utah Transit Authority will get $43 million more annually for its planned Salt lake City-Ogden commuter rail and for light-rail expansion in the Salt Lake Valley. With a 1.4 percent increase in auto trips overtaken by a 5 percent increase in transit ridership nationwide this year, Chen said, it would be difficult for Congress to cut the transit budget. His assessment was echoed by the vice president for the National Audubon Society in Florida, Eric Draper. He pointed out that 53 percent of Floridians voted for a costly high-speed train link between the state's five largest cities, strongly opposed by Governor Jeb Bush and all Florida daily papers. Still, another analyst, David Crossley of the Houston-based Gulf Coast Institute, advised caution in assessing smart growth prospects in the event of a Republican Administration, noting that the Texas governor is not on board.   12/7/2000

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

In a move hailed by the Sierra ...

In a move hailed by the Sierra Club as a snowball of smart growth, voters in Davis, Salt Lake and Weber counties approved a quarter-cent sales tax increase for transit, by 58-42, 54-46 and 53-47 percent margins, respectively. The club southwest chapter's official, Marc Heileson, said these are mechanisms that are needed to make Envision Utah work. The new tax should boost the $90-million Utah Transit Authority (UTA) budget by about $43 million a year, leveraging additional federal funds for its 20-year regional expansion plan. UTA plans to run its trains from Salt Lake City to Ogden; build light-rail lines to West Valley City, West Jordan, Draper and Salt Lake City International Airport; expand bus links throughout Utah County; and start transit services on Sundays and holidays. The sales tax for the transit measure's passage is credited to a strong educational campaign by a recently formed group, People for Sensible Transportation. Its manager, Charlie Luke, promised to launch a similar campaign for a sales tax increase in Utah County. The group also will monitor UTA spending to make sure that the money goes for the transit projects. Republican Senator Bob Bennett said that had the tax measure failed, it would have killed the opportunity for federal funding. He added that regardless of the election's result there are legislative mandates for transit.   11/22/2000

Resource(s): www.sltribune.com

Legacy's Fate In Hands of Next President ...

Legacy's Fate In Hands of Next President, announces a headline in The Salt Lake Tribune. The writer, Brandon Loomis, quotes Democratic city legislator Dave Jones as saying, If Vice President Al Gore is elected president, the Legacy Highway will not be built. If Governor Bush is elected, it will get built. Indeed, Republican Governor Mike Leavitt's spokeswoman, Vicki Varela, says we feel confident that things will be smoother under a Bush administration. Noting the Utah EPA's efforts to prevent the U. S. EPA from vetoing this four-lane highway over 114 acres of Great Salt Lake wetlands, the writer points out that the Sierra Club is also fighting the highway project as certain to worsen sprawl and hurt millions of migratory water birds. He writes that the club's regional director, Lawson LeGate, is counting on the Vice President's victory so the club won't have to go to court to block the highway.   10/26/2000

Resource(s): www.sltrib.com

Planners for the city of Draper proposed ...

Planners for the city of Draper proposed a zoning ordinance that would require setting aside as open space 40 percent of any project site larger than eight acres. The proposal, writes John Keahey of The Salt Lake Tribune has steamed developers and major landowners, who see dollar signs in every square inch of land. An attorney for the local firm U. S. General, Denver Snuffer, said newcomers need gas stations, stores and places to buy clothes instead of more open space. An official of Draper Land Development Company, LaVar Christensen, said the city's Planning Commission wants not conservation of property, but confiscation. Councilman Paul Edwards thought the planners proposed something way, way off-center, hoping to get what they wouldn't have gotten otherwise. But Community Development Director Paul Glauser, who attended the commission's meetings for almost a year, described the proposal as its best advice to the council on what should actually be adopted. Councilman John Shakula agrees that the city should try the proposal because the open space issue is too important to be left to developers. The writer adds that Draper's 1994 population of less than 5,000, has reached 27,000 now and will grow to 42,000 by 2030.   9/5/2000

Determined to hold the first Olympics without ...

Determined to hold the first Olympics without increased tailpipe emissions, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for 2002 Winter Games is planning comprehensive and lasting improvements in the area's air quality and traffic flow. According to its newly issued 56-page plan, prepared by the committee's director of environmental programs, Diane Conrad, the city will plant 100,000 inch-thick trees, mostly in areas shown by NASA images as urban heat islands; facilitate the use of the new light-rail system with park-and-ride lots; and provide athletes, staffers, sponsors and reporters with natural gas-powered vans and motor coaches. With about a third of the city's tree-planting program already realized, reports the Associated Press, the state is rolling out a smart traffic management system while overhauling Interstate 15 along the Wasatch Front, to reduce accidents and delays by 20 and 30 percent, respectively. The smart system includes 57 congestion-alert signs, 190 cameras and 550 coordinated traffic signals. Director Conrad says the goal is to leave Salt Lake a better environment after hosting the games.   8/15/2000

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson secured ...

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson secured enough votes in the city council to sustain his promised veto against a megamall discount center in the airport area, heartening Sierra Club and grass-root activists with this big win for smart growth in the Salt Lake Valley. A club spokesman, Marc Heileson, said the megamall, proposed by KFR Utah/Forest City Enterprises, would be the catalyst for more sprawl and the justification for the Legacy Highway. Mayor Anderson has opposed the project as likely to hurt downtown retailers and exacerbate sprawl. Citing economic data from an October 1999 report by Price WaterhouseCoopers analysts, he concluded that the strongest long-term economies reflect municipal adherence to urban planning policies that promote walkable neighborhoods, including retail outlets in neighborhoods and a commitment to a vibrant core downtown. Joining Councilman Tom Rogan in support of the mayor's stance, Councilman Keith Christensen also cited studies showing that the megamall could pull in downtown shoppers and make Main Street property owners delay their development and improvement plans. The developer is reportedly interested in locating the project in the suburban West Valley City.   8/1/2000

In the continuing controversy over the proposed ...

In the continuing controversy over the proposed 170-mile Legacy Highway along the Wasatch Front, Sierra Club President Robert Cox called the initial 14-mile, $370,000 million Davis County segment between Salt Lake City and Farmington the laughingstock of anti-sprawl activists nationwide. Attending his clubs' board meeting in the city, Cox promised a detailed critique of the project for the second straight year, in the club's state-by-state sprawl report this fall. He said better solutions to traffic problems are planned both in his North Carolina home area of Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Durham, where smart growth projects include regional rail transit, and in the club's home area of San Francisco, which opted for Bay Area Rapid Transit trains instead of a new bridge and highway. The nationwide public demand for an integrated growth and transportation approach, he continued, has brought the Sierra Club's anti-sprawl campaign many new partners since its 1998 start, including churches and fiscal conservatives. The club's southwest region associate representative, Marc Heileson, said its team of independent traffic experts will contest the Utah Department of Transportation's projections of an 80 percent traffic increase in the southern Davis County corridor, to 926,000 one-way trips daily by 2020. The projections will be debated at an August 23 hearing by the Army Corps of Engineers, which has the power to bar the construction since the route runs through 114 acres of wetlands. The department's lead Legacy planner, Carlos Braceras, believes his projections are valid and bode well for the route.   7/21/2000

Heeding westside Provo residents' objections to taking ...

Heeding westside Provo residents' objections to taking 25 acres of the historic Hinckley farm for airport expansion, Mayor Lewis Billings quickly secured a plan amendment to change the size and location of the airport's new parking lot, without interfering with any private property. Satisfied that the farm will be left intact, residents still question the plan's provisions to boost commercial flights by 14,000 a year in two decades, and to create a 520-acre airport buffer zone. They complain that the noise, pollution and increased traffic from such frequent flights will hurt the quality of their rural life, while the buffer zone may diminish their prospects for profits from sales to developers.   7/21/2000

The proposed Wasatch Front 125-mile Legacy ...

The proposed Wasatch Front 125-mile Legacy Highway is identified in a new Sierra Club report on costs of sprawl as one of the nation's biggest tax-wasting road projects, along with a Houston beltway and a capital area Potomac bridge. The report censors Governor Mike Leavitt for pushing the highway project despite the redundant route, staggering price and serious environmental effects. Estimating the highway's total cost at more than $2.7 billion and predicting that a taxpayer revolt would make the state press the federal government to cover half of the bill, the report stresses that roads lead to sprawl, and sprawling development leads to more driving .. and in many cases actually make things worse. Utah Department of Transportation's Carlos Braceras asserts that the $390 million costs of the highway's first 12.5 miles from Farmington to Salt Lake City will be fully paid by the state. He also says that Davis County development will continue with or without Legacy and that the highway will reduce the tailpipe emissions from cars going full speed instead of idling on congested I-15.   4/17/2000

Focused on land protection statewide, the Utah ...

Focused on land protection statewide, the Utah Quality Growth Commission awarded its first two million dollars in open space grants last year to help localities and environmental groups acquire four conservation easements totaling 6,010 acres in rural counties and one for 39 acres in the urbanized Wasatch Front area. Applications for this year's grants, doubled to four million dollars, are due in the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget by March 1. A commission member, Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert, hopes urban areas will get more grants this year.   2/15/2000

A recent court rejection of the city ...

A recent court rejection of the city of Bluffdale's 1999 affordable housing plan is hailed in a Desert News editorial as a message that "courts will set housing policies for communities that fail to follow government standards." The editorial notes that 3rd District Judge Matthew Durrant called the plan illegal, stressing that officials knew the plan "would not come close to meeting the estimated immediate need" for state-mandated affordable housing. The judge expects a less discriminatory city housing plan by the end of March. The editorial says that other communities slow to diversify their housing, also must ensure a proper share of affordable housing "as a matter of law" and public responsibility. With the finite supply of land along the Wasatch Front in mind, the editorial says "all communities need to develop thoughtful plans that ... encourage the development of high density housing ... and yet protect open space." The editorial concludes: "Those municipalities that fail to respond in a timely and meaningful fashion shouldn't be surprised when a court order forces the issue."   2/15/2000

The Utah Supreme Court ruled unanimously that ...

The Utah Supreme Court ruled unanimously that cities can make redevelopment deals outside the Utah Neighborhood Development Act if thorough and independent cost- benefit analysis shows that developer incentives will bring taxpayers equal returns. The ruling returns the case of Price Development vs. City of Orem to a district court, with both sides satisfied with the decision and confident of proving their points. Price Development spokesman Rex Frazier says the decision "demonstrates that value has to be received and taxpayers protected." City Attorney Paul Johnson says the decision affirms local government rights to be creative in stimulating economic development and is "a pretty good victory for Utah cities." Utah Taxpayers Association's vice president, Greg Fredde, agrees that the decision gives taxpayers some protection, but stresses that the legislative development act is "critical to assure accountable government and open discussion" and best for monitoring redevelopment projects.   2/3/2000

During a televised news conference, Governor Mike ...

During a televised news conference, Governor Mike Leavitt announced his intention to seek a third term. The governor wants to "finish up" work on his priorities, which include ensuring a high quality of life, taking care of the environment, protecting land and improving transportation and water systems. Asked whether he would finish a third term if a Republican candidate reached the White House, the governor responded that "in politics you never say never," but he has "every anticipation of serving the complete four years" of a new term.   2/3/2000

At the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market convention ...

At the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market convention in Salt Lake City, Democratic Representative George Miller of California urged the industry to support the Conservation and Reinvestment bill that would invest $2.8 billion from off-shore oil drilling revenues in the nation's parklands, wildlife programs and recreation projects. Co-sponsored by Miller and Republican Representative Don Young of Alaska, the bill easily cleared the Resource Committee in November, but a "battle" among Republican leaders in the House is delaying its introduction on the floor. The bill is supported by diverse groups and prominent figures nationwide and in Utah, including Governor Mike Leavitt. In response to Representative Miller's appeal, the president of the Eagle Creek company, Steve Barker, initiated a pledge campaign to raise $100,000 for lobbying in Congress, and the Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America started a Save the Outdoors Campaign to collect contributions.   2/3/2000

Ogden Valley Circles Wagons Against Sprawl," writes ...

"Ogden Valley Circles Wagons Against Sprawl," writes Salt Lake Tribune's Kristen Moulton from Huntsville, reporting on area efforts to manage growth. The valley has fewer than 6,000 residents, but three ski resorts, many snowmobile and hiking trails, campsites and a boating reservoir. In the last three years, residents formed East Huntsville Township and Liberty-Nordic Township, which joined forces with Huntsville to gain independence from Webber County planners in devising the area's future. All three local planning commissions have approved "dark sky" ordinances to prevent excessive night lighting, and started joint monthly public forums on growth. They are focusing on proposals for two big commercial projects, with hotels, restaurants, vacation homes and condos, less than three miles apart in the southwest end of the valley. Huntsville Planning Commission member and chairman of a new Ogden Valley Land Trust, Jim Hasenyager says "the idea of fragmented, separate areas doing what they choose is a relic of the past. It only made sense to get together."   1/19/2000

A new Desert News poll brings mixed ...

A new Desert News poll brings mixed news for Envision Utah. Conducted by Dan Jones & Associates, the poll of 405 Utahns shows that despite Envision Utah's two-year public education efforts, 49 percent have never heard of the group, 22 percent know only its name, 27 percent are "somewhat familiar" and two percent "very familiar" with its activity. To the question "From what you know or have heard, has Envision Utah been successful in its goal to educate residents on growth-related issues?", three percent responded "definitely," 19 percent "probably," 20 percent "probably not," 11 percent "definitely not" and 47 percent "don't know." Also, 61 percent of respondents think Utah growth problems "have gotten worse," 30 percent believe things "have improved" and nine percent don't know. Governor Mike Leavitt's "point person on land and growth issues," his Office and Budget deputy director Brad Barber isn't surprised by the poll results, because "it's still early" in the growth management process. "We're just now getting down to some actual recommendations that will help us take some real action on the ground," he says. He expects much better polling results in a year or two. Envision Utah is criticized on one side by green-space oriented Swanner Design for "grossly" underestimating the acreage communities want to preserve, and on the other side by the Murray-based conservative Sutherland Institute for overestimating the higher costs and traffic and pollution impacts of suburban development, as compared to high-density development near transit lines.   12/28/1999

The director of the Governor's Rural Partnership ...

The director of the Governor's Rural Partnership Office, Wes Curtis, announced the city of Salina in Sevier County as a model for localities participating in the Governor's 21 Century Communities Program. Salina is preparing for the growth challenges, he said, with nine completed local assessments and a work outline for a general plan. Mayor Evelyn Nielsen, committee chairwoman Peggy Mason and City Council members are elated by te recognition.   12/28/1999

In the two weeks since the opening ...

In the two weeks since the opening of the Salt Lake City downtown TRAX line, Desert News editorial page editor Jay Evensen has become an ardent advocate for the proposed extension of the system that has gotten him "to work reliably and on time each day." To those who are still asking why the Utah Transit Authority can't "simply put more buses between downtown and the University of Utah ... at only a fraction of the cost," he responds that mass transit as "a viable alternative to choked and clogged freeways ... must be convenient and reliable." A train can offer that, a bus can't, he writes, adding that most Main Street retailers are doing record business since TRAX began to bring "thousands of people to their doorsteps every day." Pointing out that "conservatives ought to be concerned with aiding the flow of goods and services" and that governments have long "spent billions of dollars subsidizing automobile traffic" while driving "transit services out of business," the editor concludes that "modern cities can't keep paving their way out of jams."   12/22/1999

As a new Ogden valley planning commission ...

As a new Ogden valley planning commission starts to advise local officials on area growth, members of the Huntsville Town Planning Board and the East Huntsville Township Planning Commission, Jim Hasenyager and Kim Wheatley, expressed their hope for wider cooperation on development issues. Hasenyager stressed the need for such cooperation in the context of a huge recently- proposed shopping center on a strip of land between the two towns. The strip is controlled by the Webber County Township Planning Commission. Wheatley said the combined boards should discuss "any major item that affects the valley," adding, "We need to get to trust each other and know each other's opinions."   12/13/1999

Citing key speakers and panelists, the writer ...

Citing key speakers and panelists, the writer says the next smart growth goal is to change the dominant "not in my back yard" (NIMBY) attitude toward high-density -- and affordable -- housing. Urban Land Institute Chairman Ronald Terwilliger stresses he knows from his own experience as an Atlanta developer that residents' concerns over dense housing are best eased by asking them early what they can accept. They often accept multi-family dwellings if a developer sets a single-family home buffer and makes them realize that high-density and mixed use projects are pedestrian-friendly. Other experts confirm this approach is effective. Portland urban planner Peter Calthorpe, who is helping Envision Utah recreate regional consensus among "mini-regions" and neighborhoods, says "pro-active visioning is the best way to get people involved." Berkeley developer Patrick Kennedy notes that the growing elderly and young married population groups favor smaller homes, and that the easiest way to show people that high density "will not wreck their neighborhoods" is to build a good nearby project, such as his 24-unit condo complex, built in 1995 and sold out in six months. The director of the National Neighborhood Coalition, Betty Weiss, adds that until attitudes toward low-income housing really change, states should do a better job enforcing "fair share" housing laws.   11/26/1999

In his reports from the third national ...

In his reports from the third national Partners for Smart Growth conference in San Diego, Salt Lake Tribune's Brandon Loomis highlights conferees' resolve "to take the campaign against sprawl into the neighborhoods" and their tribute to Envision Utah and Governor Mike Leavitt for regional slow-growth consensus-building efforts.   11/26/1999

Defining Envision Utah's mission as "helping communities ...

Defining Envision Utah's mission as "helping communities along the Wasatch Front make the right choices" and welcoming its land-use recommendations for quality growth, the Desert News says it all "requires an informed citizenry led by men and women of wisdom and vision at the state and local level." And even if "what best suits Salt Lake City may not be what best suits Farmington, Draper or Brigham City," it continues, "there are growth principles regarding housing, business development and transportation that are applicable to all." Finding the best way "to integrate them in a regional concept while still maintaining an individual sense of community ... will require patience and education" and that's where Envision Utah aims next with "a public awareness campaign" starting in January. To illustrate the value of data already provided by Envision Utah, the daily cites one item showing that a slight reduction in the average lot size from 0.35 to 0.29 acres would let the next million residents be housed on 126 instead of 325 square miles.   11/26/1999

Opposing Representative Merrill Cook's push for a ...

Opposing Representative Merrill Cook's push for a referendum on whether to extend a light-rail line in Salt Lake City or start a commuter rail system between Ogden and Provo, the Desert News reminds him that representative democracy works through elected officials, not through referenda. If Utahns disagree with officials' decisions on light rail, "they can petition them or, eventually, vote them out of office." Until Union Pacific agrees to make its tracks available to commuter trains, the wisest course,"is to expand light rail and make it a viable, reliable transportation alternative for as many Salt Lake County residents as possible." The daily calls upon the Salt Lake City Council "to reverse its short-sighted rejection of the line to the University of Utah," because if the city wants federal transit money, it must complete the light-rail projects before the 2002 Olympics.   11/26/1999

In two editorials on state growth and ...

In two editorials on state growth and transportation problems, the Desert News gives thumbs up to Envision Utah for "getting people to seriously think about Utah's future," and thumbs down to Republican Representative Merrill Cook for "stubborn insistence on pushing for a referendum" on how to spend $640 million set aside by Congress for Utah transit.   11/26/1999

The Salt Lake Tribune likes the Quality ...

The Salt Lake Tribune likes the Quality Growth Strategy presented by Envision Utah and hopes that Utahns will also see its advantages over current growth patterns. In the daily's opinion, right now many Utahns mistakenly perceive the strategy as "central land-use planning at the expense of private property rights," with everyone having "to live in an apartment over a flower shop, ride a bicycle to the grocery store and take a light-rail train to work." In reality, the daily says, the Quality Growth Strategy is "dozens of incremental policy recommendations designed to help Utahns reach six goals: improve air quality, increase transportation choices, preserve critical lands, conserve water, provide a broad range of housing types for different incomes and life situations, and create efficient public investments in infrastructure." The daily continues: "Envision Utah stresses that local governments must decide what they want for their own communities. The state won't dictate; Envision Utah is banking instead on education and persuasion That's a concession to political reality, but it's also good policy." Noting that state or regional action will be necessary on such issues as tax policy, which usually fuels sprawl, the daily urges residents and lawmakers to start debating these recommendations.   11/26/1999

Introduced together to the conferees as "two ...

Introduced together to the conferees as "two great governors who are leaders in the smart-growth movement, Democratic Governor Parris Glendening and Republican Governor Mike Leavitt personify different, but quite successful and perhaps complementary managerial styles -- "let-the-statehouse-set-the rules" in Maryland, and "leave-it-to-the locals" in Utah. The writer quotes Governor Glendening as saying "It takes state leadership to move people in a certain direction," and Governor Leavitt expressing belief that state planning wouldn't work in Utah at this time and that "the mantra of the 21st century will be central coordination, local control." Making no apologies for "building a whole lot of roads," he adds that years of worsening traffic and open space losses could force the state to use mandates, "but you ought to exhaust every incentive before you do." Since quality growth escapes "one cookie-cutter formula," Vice President Al Gore's former smart-growth adviser, Jonathan Weiss, agrees that Utah should work out its own growth-management strategy instead of mirroring those of Maryland, Oregon or Colorado. Sierra Club activists aren't fully convinced. The club's Utah chapter organizer Marc Heileson thinks the state needs laws to contain sprawl.   11/26/1999

With the world population reaching six billion ...

With the world population reaching six billion this month, the Utah Population and Environment Coalition is drawing attention to family planning as an overlooked part of "the balance between the environment and quality of life in the state." The president of Planned Parenthood of Utah, Karrie Galloway, is linking this oversight with Governor Mike Leavitt's view of family planning as a private matter. Noting Utah's "consumption, waste and pollution rates," and its projected population growth to perhaps 6 million by 2050, Kennecott environmental planner and Sierra Club member Ivan Weber calls the state "one of the most Ôfunctionally overpopulated' areas of the globe. Former University of Utah vice president Boyer Jarvis, who joined the Utah Population and Environment Coalition because it faces "quality-of-life issues" left aside by Envision Utah, sees stabilizing population growth as a key to the state's long-term prosperity. A Salt Lake City attorney, Lisa Petersen , disturbed by politicians' unwillingness to "plan for, let alone talk about" population growth, says the result is "urban sprawl, congestion, loss of open space and crowded schools."   10/21/1999

Citing his full agenda as chairman of ...

Citing his full agenda as chairman of Envision Utah and vice chairman of a big company, Jon Huntsman Jr, has resigned from the state's Quality Growth Commission. Created by legislature in March, the commission is studying how to handle future growth. It is also in charge of planning grants and a $3 million open space fund for local communities. Governor Mike Leavitt has replaced Huntsman with a member of Envision Utah's steering committee, Wirthlin Worldwide pollster Dee Alsop.   10/6/1999

Farmington Mayor Greg Bell disputes the Desert ...

Farmington Mayor Greg Bell disputes the Desert News view that "Mayors and city council members across the state haven't quite caught the vision of Envision Utah." Stating that he also represents the Davis County Council of Governments in Envision Utah, Mayor Bell tells the newspaper he feels great support from his colleagues for the organization's endeavor. He cites numbers. Twenty- four cities and counties have helped it with money; 50 municipalities held town meetings twice this year; each County Council of Governments has a representative in the partnership; and local planners are strongly involved in its work. Partnering with the Utah Quality Growth Commission and the communities of Centerville, Provo, Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Brigham City/Perry and Sandy/Midvale, this fall Envision Utah will produce "site specific development designs to demonstrate quality growth principles, tailored to the values and public will of each municipality." Noting that the public-private organization has always "had to fight misconceptions about its mission", Mayor Bell quotes from the Utah Foundation report: "Envision Utah has done a commendable job in educating the public about the issues and consequences associated with rapid urban growth. The dialogue between both the critics and proponents of Envision Utah has produced more information, clearer thinking and better analysis."   10/6/1999

An independent study by the Utah Foundation ...

An independent study by the Utah Foundation, requested by Envision Utah, reveals that local government officials remain lukewarm to this public-private growth-concerned group. They are uneasy about its public opinion survey and ultimate goals. The executive director of the Utah Foundation, Michael Christensen, says Governor Michael Leavitt and top state legislators are "on board." But most mayors and city council members are baffled by "a huge contradiction" between Envision Utah questionnaire findings that say "Utahns want higher density development," and calls from their constituents that say "Protect our rural way of life." Local officials are also afraid that Envision Utah may aim for "'one size fits all' regional politics." Envision Utah's executive director Stephen Holbrook points out that the group "never claimed the questionnaire was scientific," because "participants were self-selecting." Both he and the new Envision Utah chairman, Jon Huntsman Jr., describe their group as "a resource." The chairman says, "We are here to help educate Utahns about themselves. And we are certainly not inclined to issue mandates to local governments." Formal policy recommendations, notes House Majority Leader Kevin Garn (R), belong to the Quality Growth Commission, created by the legislature.   9/27/1999

It seems that the light-rail opponents are ...

"It seems that the light-rail opponents are winning out against the west-east light-rail spur in Salt Lake City, even without offering any logical, responsible solutions to sprawl and loss of open space created by total auto dependence," writes architect Bruce B. Allen to the editor of the Desert News. "Those of us who are social conservatives," he adds, overwhelmingly support light rail, because nothing is more conducive to "creating an appealing environment for living and working in a downtown core" than mass transit.   9/22/1999

In a letter to The Salt Lake ...

In a letter to The Salt Lake Tribune, Future Moves Coalition Co-Chair Ann Floor agrees with the daily's recent editorial that there are "no simple answers to the thorny issues of growth and sprawl," but questions its support for the Legacy Highway. Expecting the new highway to eliminate traffic jams and improve the quality of life in Davis County is unrealistic. "You're not going to eliminate traffic jams by building another freeway." she writes, "You'll just have two congested roads instead of one ...we can't build our way out of congestion." A reader, Tony Guay, seconds this warning. A much better solution for the Wasatch Front, he writes, would be "regional mass transit and community-centered development. This ... would reduce dependence on automobiles and foster healthy and livable communities with safer streets and cleaner air."   9/22/1999

In a letter to The Salt Lake ...

In a letter to The Salt Lake Tribune, Future Moves Coalition Co-Chair Ann Floor agrees with the daily's recent editorial that there are "no simple answers to the thorny issues of growth and sprawl," but questions its support for the Legacy Highway. Expecting the new highway to eliminate traffic jams and improve the quality of life in Davis County is unrealistic. "You're not going to eliminate traffic jams by building another freeway." she writes, "You'll just have two congested roads instead of one ...we can't build our way out of congestion." A reader, Tony Guay, seconds this warning. A much better solution for the Wasatch Front, he writes, would be "regional mass transit and community-centered development. This ... would reduce dependence on automobiles and foster healthy and livable communities with safer streets and cleaner air."   9/22/1999

With Senator Bob Bennett of the Senate ...

With Senator Bob Bennett of the Senate Appropriations Committee and 50 other VIPs invited to the Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area, the state and several conservation groups have launched a $4 million program to restore or enhance almost 16,000 acres of wetlands on the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake. The program, funded by a $1 million federal grant and $3 million in state and private investments, will protect the marshes from flooding and preserve them as one of the main western staging grounds for migratory birds.   9/13/1999

In the presence of Governor Mike Leavitt ...

In the presence of Governor Mike Leavitt, Lieutenant Governor Olene Walker, Senator Orrin Hatch and most of Utah's congressional delegation, Fannie Mae CEO Lawrence Small committed $7 billion over five years to spur the state's affordable housing efforts. Coming on top of $10 billion the company has already invested in Utah, the new mortgage money will help more than 66,000 low-to-middle-income families buy houses. Most of the money will go to farmers, native Americans and people with disabilities. Governor Leavitt expects "a long and fruitful partnership" between Utah and Fannie Mae.   9/13/1999

The Quality Growth Commission's two-fold task is ...

The Quality Growth Commission's two-fold task is to define the "quality" concept broadly enough to cover all local characteristics and priorities, and thus ensure state rewards for all communities trying to manage growth -- rural or urban, north or south. The state legislature has given the commission $250,000 to help municipalities hold workshops on their "Quality Growth Areas" and "Quality Growth Principles." In the first three months, the commission has distributed $138,000 to 15 town and cities, including Springdale, population 370, and Salt Lake City, population 175,000. In the next three months, the commission members will be attending more workshops throughout the state to seek local views on such issues as traffic, residential density, affordable housing and open space protection. The commission chairman, Provo Mayor Lewis Billings, expects to submit a first report to the legislature in November.   9/13/1999

The Utah Quality Growth Commission earmarked an ...

The Utah Quality Growth Commission earmarked an additional $50,000 to help local governments plan their infrastructure, redevelopment, affordable housing, and farmland and open space preservation needs. The proposals and requests for grants up to $10,000 must be submitted by July 30, with the full plans devised by December 1.   7/27/1999

In a Salt Lake Tribune piece "Legal ...

In a Salt Lake Tribune piece "Legal Conservation Easements Protect Traditional Property Use," local attorney Edward J. McDonough defines a conservation easement as a permanent land use restriction "to protect the land's unique environmental characteristics." Recorded against the deed to the property, the easement is binding on future owners. Among its benefits are an immediate income tax deduction and future reductions of real estate taxes, including a possible "special estate tax exclusion of up to 40 percent of the land's remaining value." After the easement is granted, he writes, "you can continue to farm or ranch your land as before, and so can your children and grandchildren, protected from encroaching development and from the devastation of estate or gift taxes assessed on the ranch's value to developers."   7/21/1999

Annexation of 1,600 acres on Flagstaff Mountain ...

Annexation of 1,600 acres on Flagstaff Mountain by Park City, to raise tax revenue and to control growth, proves that developers and environmentalists can be satisfied at the same time, says a Desert News editorial. The move caps a four-and-half-year process of cooperation and compromise by planners, developers, Citizens Allied for Responsible Growth, and United Park City Mines. They all agreed to scale down housing projects, shift parking underground or enclose it, bar ski runs and lifts from the most fragile areas, and ensure public access to mountain trails. Stressing that planning along the Wasatch front is a complex task, with "a variety of shades of gray," and compromise as "a necessary ingredient for most growth recipes," the editorial praises the Park City process as an example "of how to manage growth."   7/12/1999

Tooele County: Marking a trend against placing ...

Tooele County: Marking a trend against placing affordable homes near more expensive ones, Tooele County officials rejected a developer project for a hundred $105,000 twin homes next to Stansbury Park, where home prices exceed $250,000. The developer, Michael Brodsky of Hamlet Homes, sees an absolute need for such lower-price housing in Utah, but expects increasing local opposition. Many residents and officials fear that "entry-level" housing will lower the value of nearby properties and will not appreciate well. A Greater Salt Lake home builders' official, Spencer Greer, says Brodsky provides quality homes, but faces problems because of "the resistance to high-density projects."   7/2/1999

For the second time this year, the ...

For the second time this year, the Utah Supreme Court handed the Home Builders Association of Utah a defeat, by ruling unanimously that the city of North Logan charged reasonable impact fees for utility hookups and other public facilities in new housing project. The association sued North Logan in 1994, claiming that the city had not met fee calculation standards, and tried to burden builders with a disproportionate share of the costs of water, sewers, roads and parks. Upholding a district court summary judgement against the association, the Supreme Court stated that it failed to demonstrate what reasonable fees should have been, and that North Logan could have charged even higher fees. The Supreme Court also ruled against the association in January, reversing a district court summary judgement that fees charged by the city of American Fork were illegal and returning the case to that court. The association's third suit, against the city of South Ogden, is still pending. All these were filed as "test cases" for taking on other municipalities in high-growth areas, especially along the Wasatch Front.   6/25/1999

Utah lags in mixed-use planning and pedestrian-friendly ...

Utah lags in mixed-use planning and pedestrian-friendly development. The state has none of the 200 projects nationwide identified by the San Francisco-based Congress for the New Urbanism. Utah suburban officials hesitate to change the decades-long land-use and zoning policies, doubtful that "residents will want to live in town houses, next to shops and offices." In Salt Lake City's suburb of West Valley City, officials fret about a proposed 34-acre mixed-use project, stressing the need to preserve the city's image and make sure they "don't approve a new blight, something that five years from now, creates all sorts of problems."   5/20/1999

Wasatch: Envision Utah is launching a series ...

Wasatch: Envision Utah is launching a series of town meetings throughout the Greater Wasatch Area to get public feedback on ways to curb sprawl. The list of 69 topics includes housing, air quality, water conservation, open space protection and economic development. The group planners will use the feedback to craft the most effective implementation strategies. In the fall, they will present these strategies to residents for final assessment.   5/14/1999

The Legislature has granted Marriott-Slaterville Mayor Keith ...

The Legislature has granted Marriott-Slaterville Mayor Keith Butler's wish and designated it the first open space pilot city eligible for the state's new land conservation funds. The rural city, population 1,500, will develop a model zoning ordinance, collect growth management data and advise the legislature on land protection laws.   3/1/1999

Governor Mike Leavitt signed into law the ...

Governor Mike Leavitt signed into law the Utah Quality Growth Act of 1999. The act creates a Quality Growth Commission to advise the legislature and localities on sound growth planning and management. It also sets up the Critical Land Conservation Fund, with initial assets of $2.4 million, and a $6 million cap.   2/1/1999

Tele 2000, a group of business and ...

Tele 2000, a group of business and government agencies concerned about the environment, road congestion and job creation, reports that almost half of Utah firms see their ability to attract and retain workers hurt by worsening traffic conditions. According to a survey, 72 percent of firms with more than 50 employees are considering telecommuting to boost work force satisfaction, retention and productivity.   2/1/1999

At the start of a massive questionnaire ...

At the start of a massive questionnaire and media blitz, Envision Utah concedes that about 80 percent of Uthahns are unfamiliar with its two-year campaign for orderly growth. But the group is encouraged by a Desert News assessment that "when it comes to who should manage growth along the rapidly growing Wasatch Front, most Utahns seem to share a common attitude: ÔDon't burden us with the details, just do it."   1/1/1999

According to the newest data, all four ...

According to the newest data, all four Envision Utah's growth scenarios predict increased use of mass transit, slower road traffic and more polluted air. Still, they project different degrees of air pollution, which is seen as the most serious obstacle to the state's future growth. The Governor's Planning and Budget Office deputy director, Brad Barber, said that bad air quality Òcould be the thing that really shuts growth down.Ó Scenario C offers the least air deterioration. This scenario introduces a Òfocus on building in instead of building out.Ó   12/1/1998

The Governor's Office is hoping that the ...

The Governor's Office is hoping that the two-year-old town of Eagle Mountain can became a model for high- density affordable housing and open space protection. The town, still being Òbuilt from scratchÓ on 42 square miles, is seen by many Wasatch Front urban planners as a Òdream come true, but not without its challenges.Ó These include the town's large size and fiscal feasibility. Most officials are confident that by strictly following its master plan, Eagle Mountain will succeed.   12/1/1998

local control." Questioned on a videotape for ...

local control." Questioned on a videotape for an Envision Utah session about his thoughts on growth and transit, the governor said: "We cannot simply build our way out of the problem." He stressed that the state must "do some of all of the things" outlined by Envision Utah. He mentioned more mass transit, more and better used roads, and better management of "our own lives." Describing himself as "a passionate advocate for green space," the governor said that as a parent he would be "willing to see an alfalfa field turned into a subdivision" only if his child could not have "an affordable home." He called upon the open space and housing advocates to work together and ensure home ownership "as a critical part of our future."   12/1/1998

An editorial in the Salt Lake City ...

An editorial in the Salt Lake City Desert News thanks small Park City for approving a $10 million land-preservation bond and setting an example for the state on how to "preserve green space and protect a treasured quality of life." The editorial says that whenever 77 percent of voters speaks with one voice, it creates "a mandate political leaders should carefully heed." Welcoming recent plans by both parties to allow local governments to raise sales taxes for green space protection and developer incentives, the editorial says the ideas "should become law next legislative session."   12/1/1998

A long-time Utah resident, actor Robert Redford ...

A long-time Utah resident, actor Robert Redford, criticized state officials for failing to save land from development and designated 860 mountainside acres above his Sundance resort in Provo Canyon as a wilderness preserve. Saying that the loss of open space means a loss of culture and heritage, the actor donated a permanent conservation easement for the preserve to the Utah Open Lands Conservation Association. The nine-year-old group will have helped preserve up to 15,000 acres by the end of the 1998.   10/1/1998

Wasatch Front: For the second year, Utah's ...

Wasatch Front: For the second year, Utah's Trip Reduction Council designated October as Skip-a-Trip Month for city residents. The council, a volunteer group representing several state agencies and the University of Utah, promotes alternative transportation solutions such as mass transit, car-pooling, bicycling, telecommuting and compressed work weeks.   10/1/1998

Utah County: Envision UtahChairman and Geneva Steel ...

Utah County: Envision UtahChairman and Geneva Steel President Robert Grow warned the Payson Chamber of Commerce here that the county may lose almost all its farmland by 2050. He said that the southern part of the county has a better chance to preserve farmland than the northern part and urged it to seize the last chance for local zoning control. Envision Utah is completing two years of work on four growth scenarios, which will be presented to Wasatch Front residents in January.   9/1/1998

Salt Lake City and the city of ...

Salt Lake City and the city of Murray got top marks at the annual Rail-Volution conference in Portland for their successes in using public transit to attract residential and commercial development. The conference gathered representatives from 37 states and more than 200 cities.   9/1/1998

Over objections from the Sierra Club, the ...

Over objections from the Sierra Club, the Future Moves Coalition and the League of Women Voters, the Wasatch Front Regional Council unanimously approved a Long Range Transportation Plan, which provides for Legacy Highway and other road construction. Opponents restated their fears that the plan invites urban sprawl, more traffic and heavier air pollution.   9/1/1998

Citing studies on how new roads cause ...

Citing studies on how new roads cause more traffic and pollution, the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, Future Moves Coalition, Friends of the Great Salt Lake, Utah Audubon Society, Salt Lake League of Women Voters and Farmington Bay Advocates have jointly called for a state road-building moratorium.   7/1/1998

Wasatch: The Front Regional Council's long-term transportation ...

Wasatch: The Front Regional Council's long-term transportation models with plans for a 170-mile, $1 billion Legacy Highway, are deficient, says outside expert Bob Johnston, a professor at the University of California-Davis. He stresses that contrary to popular belief, new roads add to suburban sprawl and congestion by encouraging people to move farther from cities. The result -- more time spent on longer trips and in worsening traffic.   7/1/1998

The newest Envision Utah community workshop on ...

The newest Envision Utah community workshop on viable and attractive growth scenarios was held in West Valley City. About 250 mayors, planners, business and civic leaders debated questions about how to direct and manage growth as the Wasatch Front gets a million more residents in the next twenty years. Suggestions included expanding light rail throughout the Salt Lake Valley and putting an east-west causeway over Utah Lake.   7/1/1998

The Wasatch Front Regional Council's plans for ...

The Wasatch Front Regional Council's plans for a 117 mile commuter rail are proceeding more slowly than expected. The rail may not be in place for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The main problem is on the side of the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad is interested in developing commuter rail systems, but its business priority is freight.   6/1/1998

In January, Governor Michael O. Leavitt called ...

In January, Governor Michael O. Leavitt called for planning and starting construction of 17,500 affordable houses and apartments a year for the new generation. He said that by being smart and forward looking, Utah can find the right mix of density and design. About 100 government, community and business leaders formed a group called Envision Utah to work out three compact growth scenarios. Next year voters will decide which scenario they want for the state growth until 2050.   2/1/1998