Developers have proposed nearly 800 units of housing, hotels and retail for land around the intersection of U.S. 40 and River Road in Wasatch County. They’re applying to be part of Heber City.
At the city council meeting Dec. 3, Heber leaders will go over draft agreements for two proposed developments. City manager Matt Brower said the plans could be finalized later this month.
“There’s still a lot to be ironed out and negotiated, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow [Dec. 3] at the council meeting,” he said. “If my council feels comfortable with what’s been negotiated today, there could be a decision on [Dec.] 17th. Otherwise, it could be pushed into the new year.”
West of U.S. 40 and south of River Road, the proposed Harvest Village development would be 39 acres, if approved. It includes hotel rooms, retail and more than 200 residential units. Developers also envision paved trails, a sledding hill and a plaza.
The proposed North Village Crossings development would cover 56 acres on the eastern side of U.S. 40. Plans similarly include hotels, retail and more than 350 residential units.
Between the two developments, Heber City would require 77 affordable housing units.
In discussions in September, councilmembers said they liked the Harvest Village plans but worried the development could interfere with the yet-to-be-determined Heber Valley bypass route. Two options proposed by the Utah Department of Transportation go through that land.
Brower said the developers have agreed to set aside land in case UDOT constructs the highway there.
“They intend to reserve a 300-foot portion of their land adjacent to Highway 40 for the future bypass,” he said. “UDOT has indicated that that would be sufficient to support the bypass, should it be located in that area.”
The discussion Tuesday comes just weeks after councilmembers voted down an annexation proposal that would have created a neighborhood near the new high school, west of Heber.
Brower said the city council is more receptive to the proposals for north U.S. 40 because county leaders already envisioned the area being urbanized. That is, even if the land isn’t annexed into Heber, the county could develop it with similar density.
“Generally speaking, the Heber City Council has annexed areas that Wasatch County has already determined to be urban,” he said. “We believe that it would benefit the community to have those taxes and those revenues that would be generated off the developments coming to support Heber functions and activities.”
Tuesday’s Heber City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. For the agenda and a link to attend online, visit Heber City's website.
