A small group of landowners in the North Fields first announced they wanted to form a new town, called River View, back in September 2024.
Now, with the boundaries of the would-be town redrawn and the application materials resubmitted, River View’s sponsors are on their way to their first public hearing in Wasatch County.
The process of creating a town is called incorporation, and the first requirement is a request for a feasibility study. That’s when the county and the lieutenant governor’s office work to determine if the proposed town meets the legal requirements to go forward.
Last fall, sponsors met the requirements to own at least 7% of the land value and to have at least 100 people within the proposed town boundaries. However, county and state officials rejected the River View application because there weren’t enough valid signatures to cover 10% or more of the proposed town’s land.
In January, the sponsors filed again. This time, they cleared the signature requirement, and their request for a feasibility study was accepted March 3.
Thirty-two landowners signed the petition. In total, they own about 550 acres of the more than 3,400 acres proposed to be included in the town. That comes to around 16% of the land.
The new proposal adds roughly 100 acres to the original plans.
Now, it’s time for the first of what could be many public meetings in the incorporation process.
On April 8 at 6 p.m., landowners within or near the proposed River View boundaries can attend the hearing to learn more about the proposed town and the next steps toward incorporation.
The meeting will be in the Wasatch County administration building.
After April’s public hearing, a third-party consultant will tell the lieutenant governor’s office whether River View is financially feasible – that is, whether it would be able to sustain itself with its projected tax revenue.
If the application clears that requirement, it would go on to more public hearings. Sponsors would then file a petition for incorporation, and eventually, voters would see the proposed town on the ballot.
All those steps can add up to a lengthy process. In neighboring Summit County, sponsors of the proposed town of West Hills, between Kamas and Hideout, filed their first request for a feasibility study in April 2023. After two years of heated public debate, the town will be on the ballot in November.
River View’s sponsors have said one main reason they want to incorporate is to have a seat at the table in discussions about the Heber Valley bypass. Some of the Utah Department of Transportation’s proposed routes would go through the North Fields to the intersection of U.S. 40 and River Road.
Mark Wilson, the main sponsor, said he and his neighbors want to protect the valley’s water supply.
The boundaries of the proposed town are, roughly, state Route 32 to the north, U.S. 40 to the east, River Road to the west and state Route 113 to the south.
