Weber County and the Powder Mountain Rezone

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."