The land is mostly owned by the Christensen family, which has herded sheep in the Heber Valley for generations. The rest — around 720 acres — is property owned by the state.
A proposal from Philo Development would have essentially added a village to the land. The would-be Wasatch Highlands community would have constructed upwards of 3,000 residential units, plus shopping and government buildings, on the properties.
Philo wanted to annex the land into the city, but Heber would need to amend its annexation map to move forward with plans for any development on the land. The annexation application process can take many months more.
But Heber City Manager Matt Brower said despite a positive planning commission recommendation, Heber councilmembers are backing away from the proposed annexation map change in favor of more limited development. That’s in part because of concerns expressed by Wasatch County leaders.
“Their concerns really focus on the density that has been signaled for the parcels, which is somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 units,” he said. “It is a very large number of units that would put tremendous pressure upon the city’s existing infrastructure and, quite frankly, the county’s infrastructure.”
City and county leaders are especially concerned about utilities and traffic if that scale of development were approved.
A decision about the annexation map is on the agenda for the city council meeting Tuesday, March 4. Brower said he predicts city leaders will leave the fate of the land with the county.
“I suspect that the council could turn the request to amend the annexation policy plan down tomorrow [Tuesday] night, based on those conversations with the county,” he said. “Both parties are uniquely interested in trying to understand what will ultimately happen out there, and want to work together to make sure that we’re communicating and that we are working in everyone’s best interests.”
The future of the land gets more complicated because of the state-owned land. It’s part of the Utah Trust Lands Administration, formerly known as SITLA. The agency works to create revenue for public schools by selling or developing trust lands.
UTLA representatives have told Heber City and Wasatch County they still intend to monetize the land, whether through a land sale, a land swap, or a development similar to nearby density. That would mean around 150 homes on its 720 acres. It’s not expected to include any affordable housing.
Brower said the city wants to work with the county to protect both entities’ interests.
As part of Tuesday’s discussion, councilmembers will decide whether to approve a memorandum of understanding between Heber City and Wasatch County. Heber would promise not to annex the land, and the county, in turn, would promise to include Heber in decisions that would affect the city’s infrastructure.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. More information about the UTLA discussion is available in the agenda packet.
