Response: property owner meetings and selection

This morning
Originally uploaded by Andreas Reinhold

In answer to my questions, "how are property owners being selected?" and "how will they be contacted and interviewed?" I received the following:

There are about 7-8 families that have large land holdings and also control most of the agricultural protection areas. These ag. lands raised the most (but certainly not all) of the controversy in unincorporated Weber County. Our approach was to begin meeting (in person) with these families to better understand their concerns and see if there are options that they support. Obviously, depending on their options there would be other people that we would need to coordinate with. The Open House format was not the most productive format to work out options so we anticipate some combination of smaller meetings with either individual property owners or groups of property owners as well as an open house to make sure we provide have a chance to include everyone. Late summer and early fall has turned out to be a bad time to meet with people involved in farming, so we are hoping to work at a pace that is convenient to those affected. The ultimate goal of the project is long term corridor preservation, so there is no urgency on our part other than to respect and work with people like you who may have opinions and ideas but also want answers to build a life around.

Amy Steinbrech from Wilkinson Ferrari is heading up much of the public coordination efforts. Amy is replacing Bethany Matsumori (who is having a baby) so she may not be fully up to speed yet but you are welcome to call Amy (or Bethany for the next few weeks) to get better answers from them. At this point we have not ”scripted” a detailed meeting plan and hope to cater it to the concerns that we hear when we begin meeting with the large agricultural interests.

Plain City's recommended North Legacy alignment

Plain City General Plan - north
Originally uploaded by Sara's Pics

I finally made it over to the City building to take a look at the proposed alignment for North Legacy. What I found was interesting... take a look. You may want to click on over to Flickr in order to view it larger (click on "all sizes" up above the photo).

See the red line on the west? That's the proposed alignment. It runs on 5100 West until north of the Sewer Treatment Facility, then turns slightly east. However, here's where it gets significantly different. the blue road on the north right next to the Box Elder County line is 4000 North. The state's recommended alignment - both option 1 and 2 - cut 3900 West and the corner to travel along 4000 North up to Smith & Edwards and I-15. Plain City's recommended alignment goes west of any existing (on the north end) homes out into Box Elder County - past Willard Bay, I suppose. The map doesn't show how it goes east.

One other item of note. The pink road in the bottom left quadrant of the picture is 2500 North. The pink road doesn't currently exist in its entirety; it ends at 4500 West (where the purple area ends). At one point, the road was planned to extend to a subdivision; now it looks like it will be the connecting road to the North Legacy corridor.

I suggest that you go take a look at the map if you get a chance. It's in the City Council chamber at the City Offices.

Update Flyer from North Legacy Corridor Study Team

At the beginning of September, residents received this flyer. It's basically a rehash of the past parts of the process. The key element for me was the "Next Steps" section, which states the following:

Fall 2008: Meeting with Property Owners
The study team will begin meeting with property owners to determine possible alignment options. Based on the information learned in these stakeholder meetings, more public meetings will be held to discuss the options for a corridor alignment.

Winter 2009: Anticipated Study Completion
Public feedback will be solicited and an additional public meeting will be held. The study team will review the public comments and study findings to determine a preferred corridor alignment to recommend in the completed study.

I'm not sure if all residents received this, or only those who were on the mailing list because they had submitted comments in the earlier parts of the process. I'm also unsure how they select the property owners to meet with. I hope to hear from my contact about this selection process.

Plain City Elementary School potential sale, meeting tonight! - get involved!

I have a bit of news to post soon about the North Legacy Highway... however, for any Plain City residents or friends, I'd like to ask for your help and involvement. The old Plain City Elementary School has been bidded on and the bid has been accepted. However, residents of the neighboring areas and anyone who wants to preserve the Town Square have some concerns about the buyer. We will be holding a community information meeting TONIGHT, Tues., Sept. 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center (downstairs at the city offices, 4160 West 2200 North). In addition, the potential buyer is on the agenda for Planning Commission Meeting this coming Thursday, Sept. 11 (also at 7:00 p.m., upstairs at the same address). Please come to either or both, and join us in a grassroots effort to preserve historic Town Square.

Update on Legacy Parkway project

envelope landscape
Originally uploaded by roryhamilton

After asking for an update from the firm consulting with UDOT on the Legacy Parkway (North Legacy) project, I receive this response:

"Nothing further has happened on the Legacy Parkway in Pleasant View since the Davis Weber East-West Study Open House. Since you are probably not alone in wondering what is going on, a project update (that basically says that the study has an extended schedule) is being mailed out in the upcoming weeks."

I'll continue to post updates as I receive them.

Urgent: Plain City council meeting tonight; may rezone school building to commercial

Plain City Council will have a hearing tonight to consider rezoning the former Elementary School as commercial in order to allow a computer manufacturing facility. To make your opinion heard, please attend the City Council meetingTONIGHT, Thursday August 14, at 7:00 p.m.

Updated Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study results

On June 11 and 12, UDOT and their partners released to the public the study results for the Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study. Don't be fooled by the "East-West" part of the name, however; this study encompasses all the projects that are currently planned in the area as well as those that they hope to get approval for from now to 2040.

The maps and other information can be found through the following links:
Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study main page
Study Public Process
June Open House Displays (description of the study status and process)
Changes to the previously presented packages (changes made through public comment)
The package they'll present to the legislature (preferred package - MAP)
Project phasing (which roads they'll build when - MAP) *NOTE* Red is 2008-2013, Blue is 2014-2023, Green is 2023-2040
Project phasing (list instead of map)

For those of you who are interested in the status of the North Legacy study (which they're now calling Legacy Parkway): I was told that the alignment has not been finalized, and that the study team will be reconvening as early as this month (but it will likely be later this summer or early fall) to pick up where they left off. As I hear more, I will let you know. For Plain City residents, the widening of 2700 North (to a four-lane road) and extension of it through Paul Costley's Garage down to the Legacy Parkway will have a big impact in that area.

If you would still like to make public comment on any of the planned projects, or the study results as a whole, contact:
Justin Smart or Carri Hulet, 801.388.1839 or chulet@langdongroupinc.com

Spread the word - open houses June 11 and 12

Life is a Highway...
Originally uploaded by justpedalhard

I received this email today. Invite your neighbors, and attend! For more, visit UDOT:

Please join us for the final set of Public Open Houses regarding the Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study:

Davis County
Wednesday, June 11
4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Clearfield City Offices
55 S. State Street, Clearfield

Weber County
Thursday, June 12
4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Ogden Union Station, Theater Annex
2501 Wall Avenue, Ogden

The meeting format and content are identical both nights. Please feel free to attend whichever is most convenient for you.

Since our last Open Houses in February, we have narrowed down the transportation options from four packages to one package with modifications. At the Open Houses, you will have the opportunity to evaluate and make comment on the proposed set of transportation projects, and to learn about the process that produced the current proposal. Any comments received at the Open Houses will be considered by the Study Team and the Steering Committee during final review and revisions before the study results are presented to the Legislature in September.

Plain City Council response

Brett Ferrin, Plain City Councilman, has sent me new information by email that all Plain City folks may be interested in:

Just recently the city council held a planning meeting and talked about our ideas as to where we want this corridor to be. It is important that you understand that the city council is the one that will ultimately decide where this corridor will be not the Wasatch Front Regional Council. Our agreement was unanimous that the corridor through Plain City should be out around 5200 West connecting to 4000 N. out north somewhere. For an exact idea I would invite you to visit city hall and look at the map that is there.

Thank you to Brett for sending information along. I haven't yet been to City Hall to see the map, but it sounds promising.

Comment on these questions...

To make it easier to comment by email, here are the questions included on the comment cards from the public open house for the Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study. Just copy and paste into an email to chulet@langdongroupinc.com.

COMMENT CARD
Please rank your preference of
transportation packages
(1 =most preferred; 4 =least preferred)
_ Blue _ Red
_ Yellow _ Orange
What were the most important considerations for you in ranking
the transportation options? Why?
_ Improved mobility within Davis/Weber Counties
_ Improved access to major N-S routes
_ Improved access to FrontRunner and other transit
_ Minimized disruption to eXisting neighborhoods
_ Minimized envrionmental impacts such as air quality and wetlands
_ Other(s) (please explain)
Do you generally agree or disagree with the land use plans and
growth projections for the study area in the year 2040 and beyond?
_ Agree _ Disagree
Explain:
Other comments, input, or suggestions for the Study Team:

COMMENT CARD
YELLOW
1) Do you think the combination of projects in this transportation
package meets the stated vision? Why or why not?
2) Does this transportation package match your vision of Davis and
Weber Counties in 2040? How is it similar? How is it different?
3) If you could change anything about this package, what would it
be, and why?
4) Are there any specific projects in this package that you especially
like or don't like? Why?
5) Are there specific locations that you think merit additional
considerations for transportation improvements due to unique
environmental, social, or other factors? Explain how you think this
package enhances or degrades these areas.

COMMENT CARD
BLUE
1) Do you think the combination of projects in this transportation
package meets the stated vision? Why or why not?
2) Does this transportation package match your vision of Davis and
Weber Counties in 2040? How is it similar? How is it different?
3) If you could change anything about this package, what would it
be, and why?
4) Are there any specific projects in this package that you especially
like or don't like? Why?
5) Are there specific locations that you think merit additional
considerations for transportation improvements due to unique
environmental, social, or other factors? Explain how you think this
package enhances or degrades these areas.

COMMENT CARD
RED
1) Do you think the combination of projects in this transportation
package meets the stated vision? Why or why not?
2) Does this transportation package match your vision of Davis and
Weber Counties in 2040? How is it similar? How is it different?
3) If you could change anything about this package, what would it
be, and why?
4) Are there any specific projects in this package that you especially
like or don't like? Why?
5) Are there specific locations that you think merit additional
considerations for transportation improvements due to unique
environmental, social, or other factors? Explain how you think this
package enhances or degrades these areas.

COMMENT CARD
ORANGE
1) Do you think the combination of projects in this transportation
package meets the stated vision? Why or why not?
2) Does this transportation package match your vision of Davis and
Weber Counties in 2040? How is it similar? How is it different?
3) If you could change anything about this package, what would it
be, and why?
4) Are there any specific projects in this package that you especially
like or don't like? Why?
5) Are there specific locations that you think merit additional
considerations for transportation improvements due to unique
environmental, social, or other factors? Explain how you think this
package enhances or degrades these areas.

Reminder: Make your comments by Mon., Mar. 3!

Please remember to make your comments on the Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study by this coming Monday, March 3!

What I like about the way the Study Team is handling this particular study is that they are starting with a vision for the communities, and then deciding what types of road configurations will fit into that vision. So often, the default mode is: we need a road; where can we put it? This Study Team is committed to finding out from members of the community which Study vision aligns most closely with their own desires for the community. But this only works if they get public comment! Take time to email or call in your comments ASAP!

You can email your comments to chulet@langdongroupinc.com, or call 801-388-1839.

Comments Welcome

I was not sure exactly how to handle comments to this blog. At first, I thought it would be helpful to only allow registered users to comment, but soon realized that many of the visitors to this blog would not have an OpenID or Blogger account. What I hoped to prevent was some of the license to name call or finger point that anonymity lends itself to. I decided instead to go to moderated comments, which will allow anyone to make comments, but also allow me to help the blog stay fair, clean and respectful. I'll post any comments except for those that include labeling / name calling and profanity.

And probably, my fears are a bit unfounded because the comment number is exactly - zero - at this point. However, I would like to stir up some commentary and dialogue here, so please feel free to let your feelings be known, even if you disagree with someone or your viewpoint is unpopular. Just keep it respectful.

What happened to North Legacy?

For those of you who are wondering what happened to the North Legacy Corridor transportation planning, I know how you feel! I wondered the same until I talked to a representative of the study at the Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study Open House last week.

From what I understand, the study had been temporarily put on hold after the suggested routes received so much negative public comment. The focus shifted to total transportation planning and east-west routes; however, North Legacy is present and accounted for in each transportation package (with the exception of Orange). In the maps for each package, you'll see some differences, however: Yellow includes a six-lane arterial, and it's only a two-lane arterial in Red and Blue.

For residents in Plain City who may be wondering what happened to Option 2 (a possible alternative further west that spares about 70 houses), it may still be on the table. The North Legacy route shown on each map is "for illustrative purposes only" and has not been decided. If the Mayor and City Council plan to preserve both routes for now, it may not be decided for some time.

Apparently, the North Legacy Corridor Study will be picked back up in a few months. At that time, the Study Team will hold Open Houses and request more public involvement. If you would like to be notified when meeting are held, I will post when I hear something (just make sure you have subscribed). I was also told that everyone who provided public comment last fall will be notified directly.

Revealing my bias

My husband asked me today if I would be so committed to my involvement in this process if one of the potential roads didn't go right over my house. "Probably not," I replied. And I'm not a city / transportation planning professional or elected official. I'm simply a citizen who wants a voice in the transportation planning process.

So part of my intention in getting community involvement going in the transportation planning process is to save my house and the homes of my neighbors. In addition, I would love to see the rural way of life in western Weber County preserved. I want to see historical buildings saved. I want more walkable communities. I want to hold developers accountable to planning for the good of the community rather than just looking for open space to fill with houses and commercial buildings. I want to prevent WalMart from coming into my community. Ultimately, I want the environment in our community to contribute to my family's quality of life.

With all the things that I want, I'm continuing to learn the ecology of all of those desires. Some of my desires may exclude others. I guess I'll discover that as time goes on. However, above all, I want to be informed and involved. I believe that the commitment to respectful dialogue will lead us to a solution that will meet needs that seem to be diametrically opposed to each other.

How are our leaders involved?

So, I'd like to know: how are our community leaders involved in the study process for the Davis Weber East-West Corridor Study? I don't see anyone representating Plain City (the community where I live) on the Study Team list, but that doesn't mean that they aren't consulting somehow. Of course, the process to determine the roads that are needed and then to build them will last longer than any city administration, but the current process of developing a vision for our communities and then deciding on transportation priorities to fit that vision is a crucial one.

If you are visiting this website and are involved in community government in any of the affected communities, I'd like to know how you are representing those who elected you. Feel free to comment!

Invitation to other voices

I know that there's essentially one voice on this blog so far: mine. However, I am happy to post other opinions, editorials, or commentary. Just email me at pshurd(at)gmail(dot)com if you would like me to post something. I will not post anything anonymous.

Transportation Package philosophies

See the most recent post for maps of each Package.

Yellow Package (requires more transportation infrastructure, especially north-south arterials):
In 2040...

• We would like to get to and from Salt Lake much more easily, quickly, and safely than we do now.


• We want convenient grocery, clothing, hardward, automotive, and home fix-it shopping where we live.


• We won't mind driving a bit to get to larger retail/shopping centers since we can get all our shopping done in one trip.


• We want to get to the commuter rail without too much trouble so we can use our cars a bit less and improve air quality.


• We are willing to spend money to have good roads and expect our politicians to place a high value on transportation.

Red Package
In 2040...

• We want to work and play more in our own communities, and build up Ogden, and to a lesser extent Layton, Riverdale, and Clearfield as our regional centers rather than always going to Salt Lake to enjoy "big-city" life.


• We want it to be easier to drive from town to town.


• We want to build flexibility into our transportation plans so we can adapt to funding priorities and scale our plans depending on funding availability.


• We want to be able to get east and west across the big freeways more easily and safely - whether in cars, on bikes, or even on foot.


• We don't mind some congestion due to north-south commuting if it helps promote policies toward focusing regional development in this area.

Blue Package
In 2040...

• We want to get to and from Salt Lake or Ogden with relative ease.


• We want to be able to get to and from the commuter rail stops nearly as easily as we can get on the freeway.


• We would like to see regional shopping areas built around job centers within this area so we can keep commerce localized


• We know the area will eexperience growth, but we will provide more transportation options so we can avoid traffic congestion.


• We want to maintain high-speed roads, like freeways and wide arterials.

Orange Package (requires little north-south change, and emphasizes alternative transportation and east-west routes)
In 2040...

• We will live and work in the same community.


• We want it to be easy to get to and from work, and to do errans by having many options to get around - car, bus, bike, or walk.


• We want to plan our transportation in a way that can be scaled to our needs, and funded appropriately.


• We want to be able to easily get to Ogden, Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, and other regional job centers in our communities and feel that our transportation facilities should give priority to pedestrian movements, provide direct paths to our commercial centers, and be scaled to the size and most efficient travel mode of each center.

Comments needed by Mon., Mar. 3: Davis Weber East-West Transportation

Educate yourself about the different transportation plans that are a part of the Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study and MAKE YOUR COMMENTS NOW! Public comment will be compiled by Carri Hulet. You can email your comments to chulet@langdongroupinc.com, call 801-388-1839, or mail your comments to:
Davis Weber Study Team
c/o The Langdon Group
2875 S. Decker Lake Drive, Ste. 575
Salt Lake City, UT 84119

Important information:

• Main study page at UDOT


• Study public process


• Open House displays


• Yellow Package map and philosophy


• Red Package map and philosophy


• Blue Package map and philosophy


• Orange Package map and philosophy


• Handout and Comment Cards from the Open House (review for ideas of what kind of comments the study team is looking for)

What is your community vision?

The ultimate plan for major arterial roads in Weber County will depend on the community philosophy of the residents and leaders. If the current prevailing philosophy continues over the next 30-40 years, which is that the communities in Weber County are bedroom communities and professionals must commute out of the county to work, then north-south arterial roads will be essential. If, however, the communities change their philosophy to develop professional jobs in the county and families go into Ogden instead of Salt Lake City for fun, then more east-west arterial roads will be important.

This document, the Davis Weber East-West Transportation Study kick-off packet, brings up many of the issues that are contributing to lack of transportation planning in the area:
• Water resources threatened
• Residential growth hampers E/W movement already
• Getting residents out of vehicles
• Keeping people working in their own communities
• Lifestyle requires too much need for driving
• Transit is the last thing on developers’ minds
• Each community has its own plan. Hard to get the regional picture
• Hard to project housing density in the future, which makes it hard to anticipate transportation needs
• Elections cause leadership changes, which changes plans
• Elected officials prone to make short-term decisions. Politics and planning don’t mix
• Further west you go, the more environmental conflicts you have
• Hard to do much with major corridors that are already there
• Seems the solution is unattainable by just building more roads
• Balancing environmental concerns with people concerns (i.e. ducks vs. buildings)
• Advantages to planning: mitigate impacts. No planning = opposite
• Congestion = lower quality of life
• No control over development, which is driven by money
• Not just mobility. It’s preserving open space
• More than just motorized transportation. Get people out of cars
• Governments are too slow. Developers are quicker.
• Transit is just N/S, not E/W. Need a car to get E/W
• Thinking beyond just travel. How to plan communities that need less travel
• Perceived stress/tension between environmental and other concerns
• Without planning, the environmental concerns surface at the end.
• Easier to go to open space to develop, then to break through established communities
• If current growth patterns (and the way we deal with them) continue, we’re screwed.
• Conflict between community needs and personal property rights
• Every inch of quality farmland being developed
• Davis/Weber lags in forward-thinking in sustainable development ordinances and regulation (as compared to SLC). It’s a difficult political issue
• Facilities maxed (utilities)
• No one looks at big picture. Development focused only on building houses.
• Powder Mountain development – too many houses for the grade of the road.
• Cities restricted from looking at the facilities that are available to new development
• Cities can, but don’t require connectivity between neighborhoods and between cities
• Conflict between people’s desire for large lots, but low traffic
• We don’t think like big cities
• Everyone wants to live in a cul-de-sac
• Non-motor transit planning is an afterthought
• Too hard for pedestrians to cross major thoroughfares
• Misperception of Davis/Weber as bedroom communities. Forces people to travel long distances to work.

What is your perception of your community? How do you use your car? Because the way we answer those questions contributes to road congestion, how can we change our philosophy to contribute to a more sustainable way of life (and transportation)?

One way to get the word out

The intention with this blog is to publish information that I learn about the current transportation planning in Weber County, Utah. UDOT, the Wasatch Front Regional Council, city leaders, and consultants have been participating in studies in order to plan major arterials in the Weber County area. Because these major arterials will likely affect the rural way of life, historic properties, private property owners, existing homes, farms and the national wetlands inventory, it behooves us all to be informed and involved in the process.

Feel free to contact me at 206-984-3252 (voice mail number) if you become aware of any new information that I haven't posted.

Pay attention to the subscription options up in the upper right corner. You can receive any posts by email, or you can subscribe in a feed reader (like Google Reader). Don't trust yourself to come back and visit; you probably won't.

I appreciate comments as well--feel free to post comments in any post. Just keep your language clean and keep an open mind. I hope that this will be a place that individuals can share differing opinions and learn from each other. Let's get the dialogue going.