Hmmm.... On the heels of Tuesday night's debacle, wherein theWeber County Commission buckled under to Western America Holding 's blackmail demand to double the residential density in that cheesy intermediate-level ski area called Powder Mountain, we learn from the Standard-Examiner this afternoon that the 800 pound gorilla with the BIG MOUNTAIN on the south end of the Valley, namely Earl Holding (Snow Basin), has designs on substantially increased residential density too:
• Snowbasin plans long-term developmentHold on to your hats, Ogden Valley residents! It would appear that Sinclair Corp. smells blood in the water and possibly detects a weakling County Commission; and that under the guise of perfecting Transfer Of Development Rights (TDR's) Park City-Style Sprawl may be coming to Ogden Valley very soon.
"Fifty years"? My ass. This new development will be in the forefront immediately.
If Ogden Valley residents thought they had a tough time with Western America Holding (WAH), wait until they get a load of the heavyweight Sinclair Oil, while it jockeys for position to overdevelop its mountain to the hilt.
For those Ogden Valley residents who still desire a rural mountainesque atmosphere, we'll suggest they might consider buying land in Montana... or maybe Alaska. Even Siberia, maybe.
Sadly, with the cowardly buckling of the Weber County Commission, it's likely that the die is cast; and that the bucololic Ogden Valley of our recent memories may soon be no more.
And what say our gentle readers about all this?
Simple Question: With Sinclair Corp. re-entering the resort development ring, are the residents of Ogden Valley now totally screwed?
Update 6/5/10 7:00 a.m.: Di Lewis has produced a second expanded story on this topic this morning, this time suggesting that Snow Basin management is taking a far more even handed approach to this proposed development than its cross valley rival, Powder Mountain:
• Snowbasin proposes thousands of homesWill Snow Basin's massive planned expansion be conducted in a manner which will effectively mitigate further damage to Ogden Valley's rural atmosphere? Or does Snow Basin's participation in the current public planning process amount to mere window dressing? We suppose we'll have to wait and see as the plot develops, no?
