Comments Due for West Davis Environmental Impact Study

Although I didn't post the dates of the open house back at the end of February (oops), Open House information is online, and the study team is accepting comments about the planned corridor through western Davis and Weber Counties (through 12th Street in Ogden). You can view Open House information at http://www.udot.utah.gov/westdavis/files/event/WDC_Get_Involved_page_Scoping_Mtg_Docs_Feb_2010.pdf and submit comments at http://www.udot.utah.gov/westdavis/get_involved#contact. If you include your email in your comment and check the box, you will receive approximately monthly email updates about the project. The study team has asked for feedback on the following questions:

• What issues in your community are important to you?
• What environmental resources in your community are important to you (air quality,
• noise, wetlands, etc.)?
• What alternatives should we consider (i.e. roadway, buses, trains, bike facilities, trails, etc.)?
• Where should any new transportation alternatives be located?
• What else should we study?

You may either submit comments in the online form (linked above), or ask questions and make comments:

Learn about the study | www.udot.utah.gov/westdavis

Call us toll-free | 1-877-298-1991

Email | westdavis@utah.gov

Mail | 466 North 900 West Kaysville, UT 84037

New Google Maps rendition of North Legacy corridor alignment

Wasatch Front Regional Council has released a new Google Earth map of the Recommendation Most Likely to Be Advanced. I wasn't able to figure out how to view it in my browser, but if you have Google Earth installed in your computer, it's easily opened with Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/). The Map can be found at the Wasatch Front Regional Council home page (http://wfrc.org/cms/index.php), or directly at this link.

If you've seen the maps but are not sure how close the road comes to your house, this Google map provides the ability to pinpoint your location and see it in relation to the planned alignment.

Live in Box Elder County or unincorporated Weber County?

When the North Legacy Study wraps up and the final recommendations are made, the previous contact information on this blog for making comments and giving feedback will no longer be valid.

For those of you who want to remain informed and involved as the planning of North Legacy goes forward, the Study Team recommends that you stay in touch with your city government. If you are in Box Elder County or unincorporated Weber County, the officials that you will need to contact with questions or comments are as follows (they have been attending Study Team meetings):

Box Elder County:
Brian Carver, Community & Economic Development Director of Bear River Association of Governments: 435-752-7242

Weber County:
Jan Zogmaister, Weber County Commissioner: 801-399-8406
Curtis Christensen, County Engineer: 801-399-8374
Becky Messerly and Doug Hansen, Planning Commissioners: 801-399-8791

KSL story: Preferred route for Legacy extension determined

Moottoritie - Highway
Originally uploaded by dotsi

View original story

Preferred route for Legacy extension determined
June 22nd, 2009 @ 12:11pm
By Marc Giauque

WEBER COUNTY -- Transportation planners think they're narrowing down a preferred route for the northernmost section of the Legacy Parkway.

It still could be 20 to 30 years before the highway between 5600 South in Roy and Pleasant View is actually built, but planners hope identifying a corridor now will ultimately allow cities and the county to begin buying parcels of land.

The route was narrowed down from 23 to six alternatives. Number six, the farthest west route, was identified as the preferred route.

"It does work around through the county so that we're trying to preserve, for the most part, the most agricultural developable, or prime agricultural areas," said Ben Wuthrich, project manager for the Wasatch Front Regional Council.

Wuthrich says land owners, and the city and county worked together to come up with the route, which is likely to slightly change in coming years.

Once the route is finalized, cities and the county can adopt the route into their master plans and possibly buy land for the corridor as it comes available.

E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com

Comments Needed on North Legacy Alignments

If you were not able to make the open house for North Legacy last night, here is the information you'll need in order to make comments and suggestions to the study team (source: http://wfrc.org):

North Legacy - Weber County Study
North Legacy Fact Sheet
North Legacy Open House - June 10, 2009 - Click here for Newsletter
2009 Alignment for Evaluation
North Legacy Open House Display Boards
Comment Sheet Online

This is likely the last opportunity for public comment before the study team makes its recommendation to UDOT. Send your comments as soon as possible to Amy, whose information is below. In addition, she can answer your questions or find someone who can.

Direct any comments or questions to:
Amy Steinbrech
Public Involvement Manager
Wilkinson Ferrari & Co.
1371 East 2100 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Fax: 801.364.0072
E‐mail: amy@wfandco.com

Open House tomorrow, June 10, 5-7 p.m. for North Legacy Corridor Study

Sorry for the late notice, but most of you I believe are on the mailing list (either email or snail mail) so hopefully know about this already. There is a public Open House tomorrow evening for the North Legacy Corridor Study. The Open House is designed to give the public an opportunity to meet the study team and ask questions, as well as to submit comments about the possible alignments.

I hope to post more information soon about the possible alignments! In the meantime, hightail it over to the open house if you can.

Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: West Weber Elementary Gymnasium
4178 W 900 S.
Ogden, UT 84404

Meeting for northern Plain City residents with North Legacy team, May 4

We have organized a meeting for residents of northern Plain City (especially those at the very northern edge of Weber County along 4000 North) and the North Legacy project management team. It will be held at the Graves home, 3766 W 4000 N, at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 4. Representatives from the alignment study team will be there with a large map, information about the different alignments, and handouts outlining their process for arriving at the different alignments. This will be in advance of a public open house on June 10. We'd like to ask that if you are not affected by the current possible alignments, that you consider waiting until the public open house or contacting the project's Account Manager directly for an update. Her information is below.

Amy Steinbrech
Account Manager
Wilkinson Ferrari & Company
(801) 856-6495
amy@wfandco.com

Update on North Legacy study

The steering committee for the North Legacy preservation study began meeting again last November to go back to the drawing board and come up with some alternative alignments. They have identified six possible alignments through northern Weber County and are currently meeting with landowners and concerned residents to share information and get feedback prior to the next public open house on June 10.

I sat in on a neighborhood meeting in Warren and received the following handout from the project management team (representatives from Interplan, Wilkinson Ferrari, and Wasatch Front Regional Council who are working with UDOT on this study). It's a large file, so it may take some time to load. The map of the six alignments is on page 2. http://sarahurd.com/northlegacy/2009-04-20NorthLegacyhandout.pdf

North Legacy alignments north
Originally uploaded by Sara's Pics

Here are also some photos that I took of the large map. Click through for larger sizes or notes.

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.