Salt Lake County approves high density development
Jun 5, 2018, 11:17 PM | Updated: Jun 6, 2018, 6:42 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Salt Lake County Council approved the rezoning of land in the south end of the Valley Tuesday night.
It green lights the process for a colossal size development of high density housing. It’s in response to the high demand for housing along the Wasatch Front, but mayors of several cities hoped for a different outcome.
The meeting wrapped up at the Salt Lake County building with the mayors of Copperton Township, Herriman, Riverton and West Jordan all voicing their concerns about the project.
The area in question is situated immediately north of Herriman City and west of South Jordan. The 937-acre piece of undeveloped land is in high demand.
“We have a housing crisis,” Herriman City Mayor David Watts said. “We have more people moving in than houses can be built.”
In a huge land grab, Olympia Land LLC received approval to move forward with a proposed master planned development that could contain nearly 9,000 dwelling units.
“In Herriman, we already have about 6,000 apartments built or approved in our community which is a pretty big percentage of apartments for the entire valley,” Watts said.
Herriman City and other cities are expressing concerns about impacts on traffic, and infrastructure demands like police, fire and road maintenance.
Watts said Tuesday evening’s decision by the county council didn’t surprise him. Now, he’s looking to the road ahead and working with the developer.
“While this particular decision isn’t what we would have liked, we look forward to finding solutions for the entire community,” Watts said. “Until a house comes out of the ground, there is always an opportunity to continue the discussion and conversation.”
The conversation will continue. Next week, Salt Lake County municipal services will be voting on a development agreement. The first homes could be finished within the next several years.
