A project which will have profound effects upon all Weber County citizens
By Larry Zini
The current rezone petition for Powder Mountain if passed, will have a profound effect not only for the residents of Ogden Valley, but all Weber County residents who use the Valley and its surrounding mountains or waterways for recreation.
Traffic studies submitted by Powder Mountain admit to an increase of over 8 (eight) times the amount of vehicles that must flow through Ogden Valley and up the single Powder Mountain road to the proposed resort.
The buildings (units) will increase from less than 1500 units (if developed under the existing zoning) to over 2400 units in Weber County alone. Add to that, 900 units are proposed on the Cache County side of the development. Vehicle traffic including all construction vehicles for both county locations (Weber and Cache), for the entire 3300 units, will have to pass through Ogden Valley for the next several years.
This rezone issue is now before the Ogden Valley Planning Commission, and will inevitably move to the Weber County Commission for final approval. We urge the citizens of Weber County to contact the Weber County Commissioners via e-mail, regular mail, or telephone and express your feelings about the rezone and the impact on Ogden Valley and on all citizens that use the Valley facilities.
The Valley Citizens for Responsible Development (VCRD) is on record in opposition to this rezone. We believe the Powder Mountain owners should use the existing zoning for this development.
Below are the e-mail and telephone numbers for the Weber County Commissioners. Please include the clerk’s address in your e-mail. Regular mail may be sent to the Weber County Commission at 2380 Washington Blvd Ogden, UT 84401.
Bischoff, Ken - 801-399-8401 - kbischof@co.weber.ut.us
Dearden, Craig - 801-399-8401 - cdearden@co.weber.ut.us
Zogmaister, Jan - 801-399-8401 - jzogmaister@co.weber.ut.us
Halacy, Shelly after 9 a.m. - 801-399-8401 - shalacy@co.weber.ut.us
Zini, VCRD chairman, is a retired resident of Ogden Valley. Mr. Zini also recently authored another article on this topic, which was published as a guest commentary in the Standard-Examiner on November 17, 2007.
Update 12/2/07 8:03 a.m. MT: We put the spotlight this morning on Charles Trentleman's Wasatch Rambler column, wherein our very most favorite worldly-wise Std-Ex commentator examines the inevitable downside of unbridled "progress." Among other things, Trentleman devotes some ink to the Powder Mountain development dilemma, under the cannily accurate headline, "We have to destroy this view in order to develop it."
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28 comments:
There has been some discussion about building a second road, through a neighboring conservation easement to SR-39. Does anybody know whether this road would go due east, and connect in the area around the Monte Christo Road? Or would it have a dogleg, connecting around the SR-39 picnic campgrounds?
Any information about this would be helpful, thank you.
In the 40's the San Fernando Valley was a beautiful clear aired valley over the mountain from Los Angeles. There were farms and streams and wide open spaces.
Twenty years later in the 60's it was a smog choked urban mess with wall to wall houses, apartments and commercial buildings and without a single square inch undeveloped.
It is sad, but the same fate seems to be the future for the Ogden Valley thanks to the great visionaries amongst us like the Lil Lord and his development at all cost NeoCon sycophant chorus.
There's no sense being pessimistic.
We need to politely let the powers that be know our concerns - not assume it is all over.
California has preserved a lot of land in an undeveloped state. We can too.
Is it just me, or have these developers become more blatant in what they propose, expecting the public to provide the money and sacrifice to accomidate their dreams.
Are public officials so blind or pressured to see that some sacrifices are too great and the public should not be asked to make them? There is current zoning that allows a large ampunt of development to occur in this case, that's not enough to satisfy the greedy hunger of these new owners.
The public is being asked to sacrifice a valuable conservation area, absorb a huge sweeping change to their enviorment and life style and eventually be forced to fund all the future needs allowing this will require. The exsisting road will eventually need to be improved, it's not concidered safe now, the proposed secondary road is just that, a secondary road, the major traffic will not be using it very often.
How about the water issues? In a valley all ready stretched for the resourse, as is the county. We don't have a bottomless water table.
The most striking thing about this whole deal is that the biggest beneficiary of this developement will be Cache County. They have all ready been a closed door to allowing these guys to imposing the burden of this scheme on their residents. So, why are our County commissioners entertaining picking up the burden?
Like I said, there is all ready the zoning in place to accomidate a substantial developement. Even under current zoning the public will be forced to put out, the changes sought by these guys go way beyond what shoould be expected.
Thanks to Mr. Zini for his information and the contact numbers for the County Commissioners.
The Powder Mountain battle has raged on for years.
My personal belief is that if this development is allowed to come about that this whole area from Huntsville to Ogden to Mt. Green to Morgan will become a disaster for long time residents.
The area is too congested by the physical terrain to handle such an expansion without dire consequences.
Until such time as Cache Valley will allow access from their side of the mountain to Powder Mountain I think the expansion should be stopped. And perhaps not allowed then.
At this time it appears that the Cache Valley residents are right in their absolute opposition to helping develop Powder Mountain.
Let the developers try it in a better location for expansion with better access than there is at this time to Powder Mountain.
There is additional information that newcomers need to be aware of.
Powder Mountain is one development that the taxpayers did not pay for.
Dr. Alvin Cobabe grew up in the wonderful beauty of what came to be known as Powder Mountain and Wolf Creek Development and Elkhorn and Wolf Creek.
Dr. Cobabe grew up there because his father ran sheep on the thousands of acres.
For those of you who have never known Dr. Cobabe, now in his 90's, you have missed the experience of having known a very exceptional man. And one of the truly honest people I have had the rare chance to know.
He was a dirt moving contractor who developed such allergies from his trade that at age 50 he went back to school at the University of Utah to pursue a medical degree to heal himself.
He practiced as an M.D. in Ogden for years but his dream always was to put a ski resort on top of Powder Mountain because it is so lovely and the powder is so great up there.
When Weber County finally did help build the road to Powder Mountain Dr. Cobabe deeded land for a dedicated park area to the County as part of the exchange for the road.
You have 3 guesses as to what the Weber County Commissioners subsequently did with that dedicated land.
The Weber County Commissioners ignored the covenants Dr. Cobabe had put on the land transfer.
They sold the acreage to Rulon Jones for pennies on the dollar for what it was worth at the time so that Rulon Jones could put in a hunting lodge.
So much for the integrity of the Weber County Commissioners. It is no wonder that Cache Valley is no hurry to make any deals with Weber County.
Box Elder County and the state has given the Kimberly Clark company incentives to take over 200 acres for their Charmin abd Bounty plant. I recently read where it will consume 1,000,000 gallons of water a day. Who will be denied water down the road with that much water diverted. We live in a desert if the county commissioners forgot.
At the present time, county planning commissioners and county commissioners are looking for input on this proposal. I sincerely hope people who have thoughtful comments will send them to these officials.
My experience is they don't always do exactly what I want, but they do always listen and consider all comments, and those comments often make a big difference.
This blog is a great place to sound off, but public officials need to hear from the people too.
This is a very important issue.
I have done some research this afternoon on who the new owners of Powder Mountain are.
They do not have expertise in running a ski resort. They are strictly land developers.
They will not be around after the devastation is done.
Cletus, you said:
"They sold the acreage to Rulon Jones for pennies on the dollar for what it was worth at the time so that Rulon Jones could put in a hunting lodge."
I believe there was a lawsuit to try and reclaim that property for public use. I think Rulon Jones built the lodge without building permits, but got caught. Do you remember any details? I think the whole story was a series of articles in the Standard Examiner. Believe it or Not!
WHO is the attorney for the developers? He was not named in the recent SE article. Makes me think of Tom Ellison of Peterson Land Grab Notoriety.
I have written to the Commissioners. Thank you, Mr. Zini.
caddyhack -
There was a lawsuit at the time Rulon Jones got the Cobabe property and there were articles in the SE at that time.
Also, Rulon Jones has violated several laws re his hunting lodge.
If I remember correctly he had no business license as well as other violations.
Once there was a time when the SE was owned by people who told the news like it really was.
Cletus
The Standard hasn't been a very good newspaper since the Glasmann's owned it.
About 10 years ago the County commissioners sold a hundred and sixty acres to Rulon for 200 bucks per acre! Even ten years ago that was one hell of a deal!
A few years later a law suit was filed to reverse the sale, and Rulon and the County Commissioners won at trial on a technicality. The State Supreme court overturned that decision and voided the sale.
Not sure how this relates to his current hunting preserve which is 12,000 acres, nearly ten times larger than the 160 acres in question then.
You can see the court summary hear:
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=ut&vol=supopin&invol=toone
Sharon,
Here is a link with information about PM's threat of a lawsuit against Cache County www.ogden-valley.blogspot.com/2007/11/powder-mountain-rezone-vcrd-meeting-and.html
Along with the traffic and environmental issues, there has been an ongoing concern of a conflict of interest since Planning Commissioner Lythgoe is the granddaughter of Alvin Cobabe, founder of PM and apparent partner of Western America Holdings.
Many think Lythgoe should recuse herself for obvious reasons.
To address the second road question, Powder Mountain has suggested an emergency road exit through Vista behind the development that comes out east of Red Rock on S.R. 39. This mostly dirt road runs through a conservatory area, private property, and is opposed by Vista residents. The Ogden Valley Planning Commission has told Powder Mountain that this is not a acceptable alternative and has directed them to come up with another road as one of the conditions for approval.
re: trentleman column,
unfortunately property values are not dictated by the nice views and uncrowded 2 lane roads. Property values are dictated by out-of-staters, mostly Californians, who are quite comfortable with traffic, four lane highways into the mountains, and mini malls sporting Starbucks on every available corner. These people are wretched and should be made unwelcome.
The road issue is a big one, but don't neglet the watershed. Just because the major development will be in Cache Co. this is the Bear River drainage. Currently the whole Wasatch front has designs on the Bear River, as do all along it's course. Wyoming, Idaho and Utah.
This water is probably going to represent a substantial portion of Utah's claims, and this resourse is in very short supply.If you've been to the Bear River Bird refuge lately you'll understand how critical the situation all ready is. We have all ready threatened this area, and may be destoyed it all ready.
Placing further demands on such a limited resourse would be foolish and short sighted. For what? Allowing one greedy developer to maximize the return of their investment.
bill c. is right. The water issue is HUGE. 2 new 18 hole golf courses, on top of several thousand new homes? Where will the water come from?
And be sure to check out Bobby G's statement at the end of this morning's SE article on the new councilmembers. You won't be dissapointed.
The water usage issue is indeed huge. First, if the two 18 hole golf courses are approved, why not use the reclaimed water from the development to water their own golf course's ? One of the conditions under consideration now by the OVPC has the requirement that Powder Mountain build their own sewer collection facility.
The other water issue that could be very important is the water requirement for snow making. Powder Mountain has always relied totally on natural snow. However, with this size of the development and investment, the owners may not want to gamble on having thousands of visitors and no snow. What will snow making do to the area watershed and Pineview Reservoir?
Zeke, the reason I point to the Bear River is that this resort isn't in the Ogden River drainage, mostly the Bear River.
The concern I have for our Esteemed (?) County Commissioners is not to overlook these water issues because of what County or where the water flows. Ultimately this will become the drinking water for many in this area.
As for Pineview, it's unlikely that the developers would pump treated sewer water from one drainage to another, or that the folks in Cache County would sit by and allow their water to stolen that way. Who's to say?
Like I've stated before, the current zoning allows for quite alot of developement, much of it carries substantial concerns. The rezone proposal should be a flat no go, and has been used to cloud many real concerns as is.
But the Utah Realty Association supports "private property rights"! So how can any one argue that the property owners do not have the right to develop and rezone. It is after all, their private property! What say you --- all you Realtors and members of the Utah Realtors Association? You are for affordable housing and have defended "property rights" for all Utahns. The silence is deafening.....
Attention Ogden Valley residents!
Watch out for this moron:
Walsh's criticism of Ogden mayor is unwarranted
facetous,
There is no question that property owners have the right develop within the zoning and ordinances that exist. It is not true they are entitled to rezone changes. The owners knew what the zoning was when they purchased the land. They bought the land and developed their plan with the arrogance that they could get the changes they wanted in the zoning. Both the OVPC and Weber County Commissions have much more discretion on a rezone petition than they do on a normal development petition.
They can still build a very nice resort at Powder Mountain within the existing zoning parameters.
GoogleBoy:
The Noel piece ... and thanks for the link, I had not seen it... is just the latest version of "anybody who isn't for Godfrey's plans is a naysayer" mantra. I notice Mr. Noel did not mention that the grandiose plan the Mayor has been touting for the past two years... park sale for real estate development in order to fund two gondolas... the Mayor himself has now announced was not feasible from the start. Mr. Noel seems not to have gotten the memo on that.
Indeed, Mr. Noel seems not to have noticed that the Mayor has now abandoned as well his push for a city built, city owned and city operated gondola between downtown and WSU. Or did he not get that memo either?
And of course we might ask of Mr. Noel the obvious question: if the opposition to the Mayor's grandiose and expensive proposals [like the now-abandoned city gondola plan] is truly the result of just a few naysayers with palatial homes on the benches of Ogden, why the mayor squeeked into a third term so narrowly? And why two of the three council candidates the mayor opposed won election? Or does Mr. Noel believe votes for Councilors are not expressions of the public's will, but only votes for Mayor Godfrey are?
If nothing else, the recent mayor election should have put to rest the old claim that "only a few naysayers" were doubting Godfrey's wisdom. But maybe things look different when viewed from an Eden realtor's POV.
Interesting that Noel lives in Eden! He seems to think that Ogden, under Godfrey, IS Eden.
Maybe he's thinking of the original Eden? It was full of natural beauty too, til that ol' serpent gummed things up.
Just like our own little evil visionary.
Noel, like so many of the mayor's supporters, just can't help ascribing ulterior motives to Walsh or to anyone else who doesn't buy into Godfey's visions.
Geez, I'm glad I don't have a student in his classes. And, why doesn't he tell us what his small business in Ogden is? Is he worried that 'naysayers' will boycott it?
It's pretty scary to think that this twit Noel is a professor of Biz at WSU, and the Lil Lord is a Biz graduate of same!
Jeeeze, what the hell they teaching at that place? Is this the business education my taxes are supporting?
Both of these jokers seem to believe it is perfectly moral and good business practice to:
Lie,
Cheat,
Practice cronyism to the extreme,
Build large ridiculous public facilities on the public dime without any reasonable business plan what so ever,
Plunge your stockholders (tax payers) into a hundred million dollars of debt on boondogles with very little prospect of ever succeeding,
Conduct business in a way that instigates a US Army criminal investigation,
Tear down property belonging to others and suffering multi million dollar losses as a result,
Participate in clandestine and shady business deals in the mayor's office,
Conduct secret business deals concerning city property with persons under indictment for multi million dollar government fraud.
Manipulate and withhold vital information from your board of directors and city council,
Attack, banish and publicly smear any one in your employment who dares to differ with you,
and the list goes on.
Is this what they really teach in Weber's Business School?
They must...the little crook is a grad ju ate!
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