September 26, 2007 Article in Standard-Examiner, Written by Marshall Thompson
Ogden Valley rezone on hold
‘Field trip' to Powder Mountain may reveal traffic, safety problems
B Y MARSHALL THOMPSON
Standard-Examiner staff mthompson@standard.net
OGDEN - The Ogden Valley Planning Commission tabled until Oct. 23 a proposal to rezone property at Powder Mountain Resort so commissioners could have more time to visit affected areas.
The rezone, which was considered during Tuesday's planning meeting, would allow about 1,400 more units in the area, said Commissioner Keith Rounkles.
"This is a big change," he said. "We're going to have to take our time and consider this."
Some Ogden Valley residents at the meeting said they are happy that the rezone was tabled. Members of the Valley Citizens for Responsible Development want the rezone tabled until at least the end of the year to allow time for traffic and safety studies.
"Our main problem is the timing of all this," said Larry Zini, of the VCRD, who was not at the Tuesday meeting. "We've decided that the primary concern with the development is road safety."
Currently, only one road goes to the Powder Mountain Resort area, but traffic is not the only concern with the rezone.
Eden resident Steve Clarke, a member of Growth With an Excellence Mandate, said he wants the rezone put off until the Weber County Commission can pass three ordinances that would regulate the growth of area resorts.
"I'm glad it was tabled tonight," he said, "but it will take until about the end of the year to pass all the ordinances."
Rounkles said one of the growth-management tools that the ordinances would provide is a transfer of development rights, or TDR. The TDRs would allow landowners with 3-acre lots to sell their rights to land development to someone who wants to make a more dense development, such as a resort. This would create development nodes and protect open space.
The market will determine the cost of the TDR, and that's something Rounkles said Powder Mountain most likely wants to avoid. "They saw this coming, and so they're trying to get in quick," he said.
Rounkles added that the planning commission has already passed the first ordinance up to the county commission, and the next two are soon to follow. He said he thinks they'll be able to table the proposal at least until the ordinance with the TDRs is passed.
In the meantime, the commission decided to meet at 1 p.m. Oct. 12 in Huntsville for a "field trip" to Powder Mountain to see exactly what is being proposed.
"I think that we weren't prepared to make a decision on the rezone tonight," Rounkles said. "Maybe there are conditions on the site that will help us make a better decision."
Sharon Zini, the VCRD representative at the meeting, asked commission members if the public would be allowed to tag along on the field trip.
Chairman Louis Cooper said he wouldn't be opposed to that, but Jim Gentry, Weber County planning director, said he would have to check with the county attorney and coordinate with Powder Mountain before he could definitively give an answer.
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