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.