Residents living near the site of the event center voiced concerns at a public hearing Tuesday evening.
The county has begun making changes to the grounds of the event center, including expanding parking and clearing what was once a grassy field. But not all its changes are in line with city code, prompting the planning commission to get involved.
The site is located at 650 South 1045 West to 800 West in Heber City. Just under 50 homes sit in the adjacent Country Meadow Estates neighborhood.
While the commission was there to consider zoning issues, like how far sidewalks will be from the curb and what sort of fencing should be installed, residents said they are worried about the project’s overall impact on their neighborhood. They offered feedback in hopes of shaping future changes to the event center.
Some citizens voiced concerns about traffic and parking issues, which they anticipate could clog their neighborhood’s streets during major events like rodeo competitions and the county fair.
Linda Middleton said she’s worried about the cost of safety on the streets around the event center, considering recent pedestrian accidents and traffic problems around the county.
“This year, how many parents are in the emergency room because we don’t have a traffic light turned on, we didn’t get it thought out?” she said. “It is cruel and unusual for these residential taxpayers to suffer like this because of poor planning, and I really would like to know who is going to pay for the traffic lights that we’re going to need.”
Planning commissioner Phil Jordan agreed pedestrians need to be able to safely cross the wide roads around the event center.
Heber City resident Kate Mapp said, in an email read to the commission, she was disappointed in the county’s plans for the event center.
“We once had a beautiful natural setting in the RV area, and now it has turned into an ugly dust bowl which affects the overall feel for the visitors,” she wrote.
Mapp also said the county didn’t seek enough community input on the project, a concern echoed by several of her neighbors.
Wasatch County director of parks and recreation Tom Bonner assured those present that the county would plant trees – which help absorb sound, reduce dust and block wind – as one of its landscaping efforts to make the site friendlier to its residential neighbors.
“We’ll make this a priority, and that’s a promise I’ll make tonight,” he said.
He also encouraged citizens to reach out to him with concerns about the project.
“Please call me,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve heard from residents.”
The planning commission did not take formal action on the county event center at the public hearing Oct. 24. It will vote on recommendations to the city council at its next meeting Nov. 14.
