BAIT AND SWITCH ZONING and More

The January 23, 2007 Ogden Valley Planning Commission meeting was lengthy to say the least at more than 5.5 hours. It is quite obvious there are more items taking place in the Valley than one commission can reasonably handle and it is time to petition our County Commissioners to appoint another East Huntsville Planning commission. As of late, much of the proposed development seems to be happening on the South side of the Valley.

The agenda shows many items such as the Rezone request from Lisa Karam for property on the Old Snowbasin road and Highway 39. In a classic bait and switch, she seeks a rezone from CV-2 to CV-1 so 70 Condotels can be constructed instead of a 70 room hotel. Money talks and she will surely cash in on the Condotels. The Snowbasin road traffic will be worse than it was when the road served as primary access to Snowbasin. Interestingly, Steve Roberts, the Passionate developer from Wolf Creek, spoke against the debacle. Ultimately, the Planning Commissioners tabled the request, although there is a sign on the property serving as a public notice of the request. She will be back.

There was also a request for the Two Rivers Cluster Subdivision which is being proposed just South of Huntsville. They are proposing packing in some 46 lots on ground that is usually under water. This is one of three large subdivisions proposed in the Huntsville area that all hinge on a state of the art sewage system that will produce gray water suitable to drink. Are you going to drink the gray Kool Aid?

They are also planning on having water piped from Eden and the homes will not have basements (maybe too much water in those two rivers). Thanks to the Eden Water company for our current development boom.

A councilman from Huntsville (Galt, we believe) was asked why the Town of Huntsville did not wish to annex the property and why they did not respond to a letter from the WC planning staff. His compelling response was that they had reviewed the letter from Weber County asking if they were interested, but interpreted it to mean reply only if interested, which they weren’t. He went on to say the project didn’t fit the town's Master Plan, the density didn’t fit their zoning and the property in question represented too much risk of high water. He said, "we didn’t want to be involved with law suits when homes flooded."

The next Ogden Valley Planning Commission meeting will be February 27th - it should be interesting!

It is time to wake up and get involved Ogden Valley. Where will our first stop light be?

Septic vs. Sewer

From Larry Z

While Mr. Nelson's blog is right on in general terms, we should establish some priorities regarding growth in the Valley. We should stop all new septic tank installations and require sewer connections for all new construction. No matter what your plan idea is, new septic tank additions will lead to greater alge growth in Pineview and pollution of ground water as the valley grows.

Larry Zini

Welcome All Ye Ogden Valley News Readers!

Welcome to the Ogden Valley Forum. We are striving to be an information center for OUR Ogden Valley. We do have the Draft versions of the Proposed ordinances and will update them as new versions become available(to view, scroll down or click on the archive). Be sure to take the mini-poll in the right column and check back often as new polls will be posted regularly. In fact, if you have an idea or special request for a poll, let us know and we will incorporate your ideas.

You may also invite others to our site by clicking on the link to the right entitled "Tell a friend to visit." The more participation in our site, the more effective and informative it will become. Directions for posting are also on the right column as is a link for archives of previous blogs and comments. Be sure to review the archives and leave your two cents.

We offer links to other sites of interest to Valley residents such as links to official sites for Weber County and Huntsville, as well as unofficial forums for Weber County, Huntsville and Wolf Creek.

The Ogden Valley News is a fabulous publication (although a bit heavy on real estate ads which pay the bills) and offers an incredible source of news, but has the limitation of being published twice a month. Some actions and reactions in OUR Valley are happening fast and we hope to fill that two week gap by offering a new place to opine. The forum is yours, Ogden Valley. What say you?

Letter Submitted to Ogden Valley News

Here is a letter I submitted to the Ogden Valley News a few days ago:

Dear Editor,

The Valley as we know it is changing forever right before our very eyes. Whether you are a long term and full time resident, or a more recent part time transplant, these changes and issues will affect us all.

The rural atmosphere many moved here for is under attack and the county is in the process of approving new land use ordinances with a recreational slant. While some are “passionate about developing recreational resorts,” others are concerned about preserving their property rights. Still others want to do whatever is possible to maintain the status quo.

Growth, traffic, sewage and water issues are a huge concern and these issues have been limited largely to the north side of the valley, but there are now several developments proposed on the South side. These are large developments that are in various stages of planning and approval from the County and they will impact us all.

Additionally, property prices have skyrocketed to heights unimaginable just two years ago. With rising property values, our taxes have followed and will continue to escalate. The very real possibility exists that many will be taxed out of our utopia sooner, rather than later. Many have already left.

With all the differing opinions, the majority shares one common trait: WE LOVE OUR VALLEY! The major difference is how we want the valley to turn out (or build out). Unfortunately, the majority is typically silent, but IT IS NOW TIME TO SPEAK OUT!

A web forum has been created to address these issues in hopes of bringing ALL residents together so we can effectively tackle these tough issues and more.

Go to:

www.ogden-valley.blogspot.com

Be sure to bookmark the site, visit often and post your comments.

Sincerely,

D. Nelson
Eden

Ogden Valley News January 1st Issue

Kudos to Mr. Rasmussen and his recent letter to the editor of the OVN. He had the courage to speak out about our infamous local developers who have a "Passion" for developing resorts, AKA Wolf Creek. Yes it's true, they are giving Californians free skiing at Nordic Valley, now Wolf Mountain. It sounds kind of like a Mickey Mouse deal. Show your California Drivers license at Disneyland and get a huge discount. Can you say Californication?

While we are offering Kudos, thanks to newly elected state representative Gage Froerer for taking a proactive role in hosting an open house to hear the concerns of residents. That is a step in the right direction for open government. The open house will be January 10, 2007 at 6:30 PM at the Weber County Branch Library in Huntsville.

Review of a Conservation Easement (and Purchase of Development Rights)

Transfer of Development rights are definitely a hot topic right now, but it seems as though details or examples are somewhat hard to find.

Read this informative article from The eco-logic POWERHOUSE to find out what Bio West hasn't told you!

Proposed Ogden Valley Land Use Ordinances (Drafts)

Much has been published in the Ogden Valley News about the proposed Land Use Ordinances.
Click Here To See Drafts

Major Developments Proposed For South Side of Valley

The long anticipated post Olympic development boom has hit the valley hard and Huntsville is the latest target. The South side of the Valley has somehow escaped the rampant growth so prevalent in the Eden and Liberty area. With the exception of the Ski Lake, Green Hills and a few isolated areas, the growth on the south side of the past few years could be considered sporadic. UNTIL NOW!

Several projects are in the planning stage. One of the largest, Bison Creek, was the cover article of the latest (12-15-2006) issue of the local Ogden Valley News. According to the article, the planned subdivision is 458.868 acres and consists of 150 lots. The cluster lots could be as small as 10,000 square feet (less than 1/4 acre). This land has inherent problems as much of the area is wet. The developers are also proposing an on site sewer where the treated waste water will be stored in a community lake for reuse in the secondary water system. And Weber County or its assigns will provide sewer service.

Another proposed project is Trapper's Crossing which will be located on the old Trapper's loop road. Details are not available, but rumored to be some 80 acres with about 27 high dollar lots. There is also talk of expanding along the foothill to the east.

Still another will border the South boundary of Huntsville Town and is called "The Rivers." The proposal calls for 42 lots on about 55 acres. What happened to 3 acre zoning? This subdivision would be along the west side of Highway 39, west and south of the storage sheds and American Legion.

All of these developments plan to send their sewage to the Sewage system run by Weber County located on the Bison Creek Subdivision. Furthermore, the 16 acre lake full of processed sewage will be a playground, complete with a boat house. Let's dive in!

Stay tuned for more details....

The Shooting Star Saloon

Huntsville's very own Shooting Star is touted in the Standard Examiner.

Click here to read Charles Trentelmen's latest article about The Shooting Star in Huntsville

The Save our Ogden Valley Property Rights Meeting

A large grass roots ground swell have developed among Valley residences concerned about the Steering Committee & Gem Committee proposed ordinances. If you have not read these ordinances. Please take time to become familiar with the issues.

The Save our Ogden Valley Property Rights Committee will meet at the

Huntsville Library Auditorium on November 30th 7:00 P.M.

Please come prepared to discuss the issues by having read and studied the proposed ordinance changes.

Click Here To See Drafts

County Commissioner Elections

Tuesday's election will be very important for all Valley residents and business owners as two of the Weber County Commission seats (seat A and B) are up for election. In fact, of all the races on Tuesday, I view it as THE most important as those we choose will have a very active roll in the shaping and planning of our Valley.

That being said, I will pass on some of my findings while trying to make the difficult choice from four qualified candidates.

Click here to see the findings

Wolf Creek Rezone Petition Public Hearing May 16th

Be sure to attend this important meeting - for more details, click here:

NOTICE OF HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the Weber County Commission will hold a public hearing on the 16th day of May 2005, at 6:00 p.m. in the Commission Chambers, 1st Floor, Weber Center, 2380 WashingtonBlvd., Ogden, Utah, to consider a petition to rezone property at 2640 North Highway 162, fromAgricultural AV-3 to Commercial CV-2. Copies of the proposal may be reviewed prior to the hearing in the Weber County PlanningCommission Office, Suite 240, in the Weber Center.