Wasatch County councilmembers say they’re not ready to sign an agreement for an unconventional conservation easement for 2,000 acres of Jordanelle Ridge, the development with thousands of homes in northern Heber.
As drafted, the easement would be jointly held by the city and county, and the county would have authority to enforce the agreement.
Some open space advocates have said the plan is weaker than a conservation easement created through a land trust like Summit Land Conservancy or Utah Open Lands.
But Wasatch County manager Dustin Grabau said the jointly held easement might be the most logical path forward – and the quickest.
“Either we approve the conservation easement before us and get some protections in place, or we wait multiple years, potentially even decades, before this development is done, and then hope that we can get a third-party conservation easement,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Oct. 21.
Grabau said, unlike a typical easement, this one would not offer any tax benefits to the Jordanelle Ridge developer. It bypasses certain federal requirements, too.
Grabau said that makes sense for this land because the details of the development are still being worked out.
“Part of the challenge in this area in particular is that there is ongoing development going to and through this area,” he said. “What Wasatch County was able to do is negotiate with Heber City and the developer to ensure that the bounds of what could change in there are very limited to very specific, authorized uses.”
That includes utility lines and a debris basin to protect homes below the open space.
The developer has said the terrain is too steep for homes.
Grabau said he sees benefit to county residents because the open space will include public access.
He said county leaders think this agreement offers more protection with the county adding another layer of oversight.
“Heber City could have proceeded with this agreement without us,” he said.
However, others, like Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco and Summit Land Conservancy CEO Cheryl Fox, say it would be better for a third party to safeguard the open space.
The agreement is on the county council agenda for Nov. 19. Before then, county leaders will propose revisions. Those could include things like stronger documentation of the land’s original condition and clearer steps for enforcing the open space agreement.
Grabau said those changes will offer a good hybrid model – faster implementation than a conventional easement, but stricter guidelines based on land advocates’ feedback.
