West 200 South, often called the gun club road, crosses county lines, and lately, it’s been the source of controversy.
Summit County residents who live on the unpaved road say construction traffic heading to Wasatch County is causing dust, pollution, speeding and noise.
Summit County councilmembers considered closing the road with a crash gate in June. But it’s the only access point for Wakara, a gated community under construction in neighboring Wasatch County. And it’s also a key access road for Tuhaye, another gated community east of the Jordanelle Reservoir.
The neighborhoods have approval to build a total of more than 900 homes. Right now, Tuhaye has 27 homes with full-time residents.
Wasatch County manager Dustin Grabau said a solution can’t be reached just through a simple agreement between the two county councils. That’s because zoning for the land was determined more than 20 years ago.
“We have to abide by the restrictions set in our own land use code,” he said. “So when Wakara Ridge comes to us and says they want to do a project that complies with that code, that leaves very little discretion to any land use authority, Wasatch County included.”
In other words, Wasatch County has no authority to slow down construction until a more permanent solution is reached.
“I think Wasatch County has a role as a facilitator, but where private property rights are involved, the county doesn’t necessarily have the same ability to adjust what Tuhaye’s property rights are, any more than we do Wakara or others,” Grabau said.
He said no one anticipated access to the road would ever become an issue.
Grabau said leaders from both counties want a solution – but it’s mostly up to the developers and Summit County to come to a compromise.
After a conversation last week among both county councils and attorneys representing the gated communities, Summit and Wasatch counties decided to form a subcommittee to discuss the road’s future further.
