The Wasatch Highlands project is returning to Wasatch County, this time to incorporate a preliminary municipality.
That’s the hotly debated development tool landowners are using to build housing in parts of Utah with tourist-driven economies, such as Moab and the Park City area.
Unlike the traditional process to form a town, preliminary municipalities don’t require a vote. Instead, it’s a way for just a few landowners to begin creating a town in mostly undeveloped areas.
Through a records request, KPCW obtained a total of four applications for towns that developers filed with the Utah Lieutenant Governor’s Office in January — all in the Wasatch Back.
Wasatch Highlands
One is for Wasatch Highlands, a large swath of land above eastern Heber City.
The project was previously presented to both the Heber City and Wasatch County councils. Philo Development requested in 2024 to make the land part of Heber, but Wasatch County leaders successfully asked the city not to consider the annexation. By summer 2025, county leaders still couldn’t agree on an appropriate amount of density for the land.
Now, Philo is seeking a different approval process. Its application for a preliminary municipality lays out a vision for a 2,700-acre town with over 700 homes, a hotel, glamping, shopping and open space.
Philo partner Greg Whitehead told KPCW in an email the plans are still in early phases, and that the residences will range “from townhomes to large multi-million-dollar estates.”
He said the community will also include “plenty of outdoor recreation, trails, wildlife and nature.”
One significant difference from previous versions of the plans is that 720 acres held by the Utah Trust Lands Administration are no longer included. Whitehead said the trust lands are a separate project and will also be developed by Philo.
He said Philo continues to work closely with Wasatch County and is pursuing incorporation to “streamline” the process.
“This isn’t about bypassing the county; it's about utilizing every available legal and administrative avenue to ensure the project stays on track and delivers on its promises to our partners and the community, especially in light of the governor’s desire to expand the supply of affordable housing,” he said.
Bear Canyon
A second application is for the proposed town of Bear Canyon, spanning almost 2,300 acres in Wasatch County at the Utah County border. It would be located in Provo Canyon near Sundance Mountain Resort.
The application shows much of the land is owned by the Ault family, and the incorporation sponsor is Evan Ault. The Bear Canyon applicants didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Feb. 13.
Documents show the Aults propose a “resort community” with about 1,000 residential units — a mix of lodging, homes and rentals — plus a general store and glamping.
Two petitioners turned away
Utah law only allows two preliminary municipality applications to proceed each year.
The lieutenant governor’s office hasn’t publicized which projects it accepted for 2026, but it has said that based on when the applications were filed, two other projects could not be considered: Lost Creek and Smooth Hollow.
Lost Creek, spearheaded by Ivory Homes, would’ve been in Summit County’s Browns Canyon.
Smooth Hollow’s application materials show it would have been half a mile south of Wallsburg in Wasatch County.
Its landowner, Mike Nelson, told KPCW he’s concerned about affordability and the “housing crisis” for full-time residents and young families in Wasatch County, especially as more secondary homeowners move in and prices rise.
Information about which applications the lieutenant governor’s office has accepted will be published later this month.
Moabites are currently suing to deem preliminary municipalities unconstitutional, arguing they circumvent voters.
