Wasatch Peaks Ranch is a private ski and golf resort touted for the “1% of the 1%.” It’s about 12,700 acres in the mountains behind Peterson, Utah.
Julie Jag from the Salt Lake Tribune has been following the story. She said the legal battle started when Wasatch Peaks asked the Morgan County Commission to change some zoning laws so it could develop land. The commission granted the zoning change, but five residents filed a petition for a referendum so residents could vote on the change.
“That's where things kind of got a little contentious," Jag said. "The county clerk denied the referendum for petition because of some technicalities. Then the residents sued the county and Wasatch Peaks Ranch.”
That’s when the parties went to court. But despite the ongoing litigation trying to get citizens the right to vote on the zoning change, Morgan County continued to approve Wasatch Peaks’ permit requests under the new zoning law.
So, over the last four years, Wasatch Peaks has been building houses, ski lifts, lodges and a golf course.
“Residents said, ‘Hey, that should never have happened, and that once we got the right to referendum, the right to vote, that everything should have gone back to the way it was before the commission decided to change the zoning rules,’” Jag said.
Construction on the development was halted in December of 2023 after a 2nd District judge sided with the residents and issued a preliminary injunction against the resort, stopping any new construction.
Wasatch Peaks has now appealed the referendum to the Utah Supreme Court.
“The residents are hoping that it goes through the court in time to get it on the ballot in November," Jag said. "But it's being held up a little bit by a couple of other lawsuits.”
She expects the Supreme Court to hear the appeal sometime this summer.
What residents think of it all
Some residents support the Wasatch Peaks development because they want the tax revenue. Jag said the project would give Morgan County millions of dollars a year while the property previously only generated around $360,000 a year.
Jag said other residents are opposed mostly because they didn’t get a say in the development. They want to vote on it. She said this process has caused some residents to lose trust in Wasatch Peaks developers.
Jag said Wasatch Peaks won’t disclose how much it costs to be a member but has heard rumors it’s around $5 million. And even that might not be enough.
“You can't just, you know, come in with a truckload full of cash and expect to have a membership," Jag said. "They also have a very serious vetting process; you have to be referred by someone and then have a second reference as well in order to even be considered to buy a home up there.”
Since residents might get the chance to vote on the zoning law, Jag said Wasatch Peak has increased its community outreach. In November and December, it gave small groups tours of the development.
Wasatch Peaks has also made donations to a local school and started a fund to support construction workers who may have lost jobs while the courts decide when or if construction can resume.
