My Opinion

The current Options 1 and 2 will have a huge negative impact on the residents of Plain City and their rural way of life. Of the two options, however, Option 1 stands to have a greater impact. Option 1 is too close to the historic town center and will mow down approximately 70 more homes than Option 2. It will affect many of the longest established families in Plain City.

Option 2 will head out further west into private property "wetlands," much of it going through agricultural land that is not currently developed. The land there has not been officially declared wetlands, nor has it been protected by any agency, but the environmental impact will be studied prior to making a decision. Option 2 will prevent farmers from developing their land in order to preserve the corridor.

I don't believe any of the residents of Plain City will come out "winners" in this situation. In the end, the state will determine where the road will go, and either many families will lose their homes or several farmers and landowners will be prevented from developing their land. In addition, any homeowner in the path of Option 1 will have a difficult time selling their home and property, or will need to do so at a much lower selling price than anticipated, because of the planned roadway. I anticipate that property values will significantly decrease for the properties that are in the path of the road and for those that are close. Even though construction on the road would not begin until 2020-2030 or later, that in itself will impact those who do not plan to be around that long.

Because of the potential impact to many more people and the historic properties near Plain City's town center, if I had to choose between Option 1 and Option 2, I would choose the western Option 2 route.

Even better, I have heard that Box Elder County, specifically the Willard area, is interested in having the road reach further north rather than joining up with I-15 at Smith & Edwards. If the road were to go further north before turning east to join I-15, it would provide an alternate route for residents of Box Elder County, which is booming, as well as improving access to Willard Bay as a tourist attraction.

Comment on North Legacy Corridor

See this page or contact Bethany at 801-364-0088 ext. 109.

Additional places to make public comment are below.

UDOT page requesting comment, “Legacy North”

Deseret News article, “Some in Weber fear plans for Legacy that would split their properties,” Sun., Oct. 28, 2007

KSL.com, “UDOT Begins Planning for Big Weber County Road Project,” Fri., Oct. 26, 2007 (Comment page)

Open House Handout

View the pdf here

North Legacy Transportation Corridor Study

Weber County is experiencing tremendous growth and seeing an increasing need for new transportation facilities. In 2001 WFRC and UDOT conducted a study on the North Legacy project in Davis and Weber Counties. However, the study left many issues unresolved in Weber County.

The Wasatch Front Regional Council, UDOT, Weber County and local governments are conducting a supplemental study to the 2001 North Legacy Transportation Corridor Study. The primary objectives of the study include determining a logical connection to I-15 and establishing a corridor alignment and footprint for a future roadway.

Working with project sponsors, affected local governments, resource agencies and the public, the study has identified a potential transportation corridor to be preserved and has documented concerns and other issues that will need to be considered during a future environmental document. Public input and feedback is critical to the decision-making process and early planning for a North Legacy transportation corridor.

Please review the corridor alignment below and provide the study team with your comments.

For a more detailed view of Options 1 and 2 (Plain City area), please click here. Note that the colors red and blue are reversed.

Legend:
red - recommended option 1
blue - recommended option 2
black lines - city boundaries

What is the Recommended Corridor Alignment?

Over the course of the study, local cities and Weber County along with UDOT and WFRC have identified a potential transportation corridor for preservation.

Due to potential environmental impacts in the northern section of the corridor, two options will be preserved until future environmental studies are conducted.

The following table compares the environmental impacts between the two options.
Click for Table

North Legacy Corridor

The North Legacy Transportation Corridor Study Team is requesting ideas, questions or concerns from the public about the proposed North Legacy corridor and the study’s recommended alignment. Please be as specific as possible with your comments. The deadline for comments is Nov. 10, 2007. See links below for additional information.

Comments must be mailed or emailed along with full contact information (Name, Address, Phone, Email) to Bethany Matsumori at Wilkinson Ferrari & Company (the Salt Lake City PR firm handling public comments for the Wasatch Front Regional Council).

Mail Comments to:
North Legacy Transportation Corridor Study Team
1371 East 2100 South Suite 100
Salt Lake City, UT 84105

Email / Phone:
Bethany Matsumori
Phone: 801-364-0088 ext. 109
Fax: 801-364-0072
Email: Bethany@wfandco.com

Additional Information:

• Take home handout from public open house at Fremont High School, Oct. 25, 2007
• Pdf version of the handout
• Open house boards from public open house at Fremont High School, Oct. 25, 2007 (see slide 19 for the recommended alignment)
• Options 1 and 2 (impacting Plain City residents and their properties)
• My Opinion
• Additional places to make public comment