So far, plans for 720 acres of state trust land and nearly 3,600 acres owned by the Christensen family have been discussed in tandem. After months of debate and some tussling over which jurisdiction will direct the development, Wasatch County leaders are now asking the developer to approach the land east of Heber in two pieces.
Greg Whitehead is a managing partner at Philo Development. At the Wasatch County Council meeting Aug. 6, he shared a proposal for the land based on recent discussions with the county, the state and the landowners.
His plans included 862 single-family homes and two “resort hotels.”
“We expect there to be two – we call them resorts, but these would be nontraditional in nature,” he said. “So, you know, it’s like cabins, or maybe it would be yurts, or something that’s going to feel like it fits in with the outdoors, right? We’re not putting a Fairfield up there.”
He said the new unit count works out to the equivalent of five acres per lot.
The tentative density calculation also includes 300 hotel rooms and 87,000 square feet of commercial space. That’s roughly equivalent to 1.5 football fields. Plans could also add fire and police stations, churches and other community spaces.
Whitehead said, as he has at past government meetings, that he cares about balancing development with the Heber Valley’s natural beauty.
“Our driving force is not financial gain,” he said. “Yes, we are developers, but we want to do something that everyone can be proud of, and we want to have a community where people can appreciate the outdoors and have better, happier lives.”
Although Whitehead said he’s not driven by profit, the same does not hold true for the Utah Trust Lands Administration, whose primary goal is to monetize the land for the state’s public schools.
If the state’s priorities and the county’s wishes diverge, the trust lands agency has the right to override Wasatch County’s authority.
According to county manager Dustin Grabau, the state trust lands administration previously said it had about 900 units in mind.
Still, several councilmembers said they were frustrated to see such a high unit count after a June discussion about what’s right for the land. Councilmember Colleen Bonner said she had been hoping for around 500 units.
But Whitehead indicated his team has found it frustrating to communicate with the county.
“I would like that feedback,” Whitehead said. “But it’s really difficult for us to come in and listen to a discussion that never concludes, and then you just say, ‘OK, come back and tell us.’ Well, I don’t know where we’re going.”
Councilmember Spencer Park said he couldn’t “stomach” anything over 500 units. And he said Whitehead needs to include the hotel rooms in the total unit count for the land.
Park also voiced hesitation about the commercial square footage.
“You’re promoting enough square footage for half a Walmart,” he said.
Whitehead said he envisions a small grocery store and some services the residents could use – a doctor, perhaps, or a dentist. Park and Bonner weren’t so sure.
“You don’t need an orthodontist if it’s only part-time residents,” Park said.
“Well, I think it will be a lot of that,” Whitehead said, “though there is Jordanelle Ridge up here. Do we want them to go down [to Heber] or do we want them to come here?”
“That’s not our job to fix that problem,” Bonner said.
“I mean, we’re a community – I think we are,” Whitehead said.
Congestion was one of the main concerns raised by county leaders in October 2024, when Philo was in talks with Heber City about a potential annexation. Since then, Heber has agreed to let Wasatch County steer the development.
For Whitehead, adding amenities like shopping, a gas station and government services is a way to help ease the traffic associated with new homes.
“I care deeply – honestly – about the traffic up here, and I don’t personally like driving down the center of Heber,” he said. “It’s not my favorite, and I don’t want to add to that. I do believe this will take time, and I think there is a responsibility of the county and the communities and the cities to plan traffic accordingly.”
Whitehead said any development will also include significant public open space. He said the county could consider fee areas to prevent county taxpayers from shouldering trail maintenance costs.
County councilmembers told Whitehead they’re OK with a little under 150 homes for the 720 acres of trust land, so that the density works out to five acres per unit.
However, for the rest of the land, they said they want to see no more than 360 units across the Christensen family’s nearly 3,600 acres – and that unit count must include any hotel or resort density.
Philo will revise its proposal and share an update with the county council this fall.
