The lodge, which is part of the SkyRidge development across U.S. 40 from Deer Valley East Village, will stand 75 feet tall and include 64 condo units, plus three more for veterans and military members.
For plans to move forward, developers needed special exceptions for the height of the building and an off-site parking lot. They asked Wasatch County leaders for a legislative development agreement (LDA), which bends the rules for a specific project without rezoning the whole area.
At a Wasatch County Council meeting Wednesday, Nov. 6, councilmembers unanimously voted yes to the LDA.
But the approval only came after numerous rounds of criticism and questions from locals who believe the project is too big and too tall for the neighborhood.
At Wednesday’s public hearing, Hideout Town Councilmember Jonathan Gunn said he’s fielded questions from numerous Hideout residents about the project. He said the town’s location across the reservoir from SkyRidge means they’ll be affected by the height.
“It is Hideout that will be looking at the 75 feet, and it is those residents that have raised lots of concerns,” he said. “Unfortunately, at their most recent meeting on Oct. 17, they didn't open it up for public comment, so a lot of people from Hideout there feel like they can't be heard.”
He asked the county council to delay its vote and asked the developers to come meet with Hideout residents.
“Not say no – delay until such time as the developers will do an interactive presentation,” he said. “Doesn't have to be fancy, doesn't have to be in person. But give the Hideout residents some information and the opportunity to ask questions and get their concerns addressed.”
His fellow town councilmember, Bob Nadelberg, echoed Gunn’s request.
“I just don't understand why we need another hotel and another tiny little golf course in what is a beautiful plot of land, when we already have the big Deer Valley East development going on,” he said.
But the SkyRidge attorney flatly declined to hold a public meeting in Hideout.
Wasatch County councilmember Kendall Crittenden was similarly unconvinced.
“Granted, when that 75-foot building goes up, you'll see it, but to say that it's going to be a distraction clear on the other side?” he said.
Councilmember Erik Rowland agreed. He compared Hideout residents’ objections to if he, a Heber resident, complained about a new development in Midway, a similar distance.
“Do we want to start to entertain such a large bubble of comments when you're dealing with people who are literally just looking at it from a distance?” he asked. “I would no sooner be expected or feel entitled to say that to anyone in Midway from my perspective in my home, looking across the North Fields.”
Councilmember Spencer Park said there have been plenty of opportunities for locals to voice their concerns: the county planning commission, the Jordanelle Specially Planned Area planning committee and the county council all held public hearings.
Councilmember Luke Searle, meanwhile, had questions about the project’s partnership with the Military Installation Development Authority, a state agency originally founded to benefit veterans and members of the military. Three rooms in the lodge will be designated for MIDA use, with unspecified “meaningful discounts.”
“If a military family came in and those three units were taken, like, what would happen?” he asked. “Or if there were six units that were dedicated to MIDA, if there weren’t those families there, could those potentially be used for the lodge? I just worry about that when we use the word ‘meaningful.’”
A MIDA representative didn’t directly answer those questions but said the number of military units was balanced with the number of units available to the public.
Wasatch County councilmembers voted unanimously to approve the legislative development agreement.
According to county manager Dustin Grabau, it’s the second LDA the council has considered, despite many other applications. The other LDA was granted for a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple to be built just east of the Heber City limits. Litigation over the legality of that development agreement is ongoing.
