Elected leaders and many members of the public in Wasatch County say keeping the North Fields pastures open and undeveloped is a priority. Wednesday’s county council meeting includes considerations of two approaches to doing that.
During one public hearing at the meeting, people can share thoughts on a conservation easement, for which Utah Open Lands has requested $790,000.
According to a staff report, the proposal concerns about 57 acres listed as owned by Alan Giles in county records. The county money Utah Open Lands requested is about 20% of the estimated $3.8 million cost to conserve the land. Utah Open Lands is seeking to raise half that through grants, and the Giles family has offered to cut $1.1 million from the price as a donation.
The county’s contribution would come from the $10 million open space bond county voters approved in 2018. The Wasatch County Open Lands Board, which serves as the advisory board for that money, recommended the council approve the funding with some conditions.
Under the terms, all funding must be secured within three years, the land must be used for agriculture, and the property must comply with federal conservation requirements.
According to County Manager Dustin Grabau, the council is expected to vote on whether to pledge the money after the public hearing.
The other public hearing Wednesday concerns a request by another North Fields property owner. A staff report says owners Troy and Rebecca Black have applied to designate their 25 acres as an agriculture protection area.
It’s the first application the council will consider after passing an ordinance last December to create that option for North Fields landowners. It offers protections against eminent domain and nuisance lawsuits.
Council members said part of the purpose of that ordinance was to give owners options in case the state decides to build a highway bypass through their lands.
The Black property is on the western perimeter of the North Fields, far from any land identified in the proposals the Utah Department of Transportation says it’s considering.
County staff said as of last week, two other property owners had applied for agricultural protections. If the council considers other properties that could be impacted by UDOT’s plans, there’s no precedent for whether the county ordinance could supersede a UDOT effort to condemn land.
Public hearings begin at 6 p.m. Before that, the council will take up other discussions and decisions, including road projects estimated to cost nearly $1.8 million.
County staff have recommended the council approve nearly $1 million for asphalt repairs. Other contracts it could approve include $627,000 for road repairs specifically at Wasatch Mountain State Park and Soldier Hollow, $140,000 for road painting, and $36,000 for sidewalk repairs.
The meeting begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Wasatch County Administration Building, 25 North Main Street. The agenda and a link to attend the meeting via Zoom are available at wasatch.utah.gov.
![[FILE] Land in the Heber Valley North Fields is eligible for agricultural protections. That could conflict with plans to potentially build a highway bypass road there.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8bd1028/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7387x4116+0+809/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2Fa6%2F7469a76e4a9b8f7986511c824c4d%2Fadobestock-196190999.jpeg)
