Locals often call the North Fields the “crown jewel” of the Heber Valley, and since 2019, Wasatch County and Heber City have had an agreement to keep the beloved farmland undeveloped.
Now that the Utah Department of Transportation plans to build a highway through portions of the North Fields, the two governments are working to strengthen that agreement to protect the rest of the land.
County Manager Dustin Grabau explained the proposed changes at a meeting July 15.
“The entities mutually agree that the North Fields will not be included in Heber City’s annexation boundary, and that Wasatch County will only zone this area to promote rural, agricultural residences,” he said. “Moreover, Heber City commits to allocating its unit-based preservation fees collected from the North Village in Heber toward land acquisition and conservation easements.”
The Heber City Council is requiring developers to pay $2,500 for conservation for every unit they build near the intersection of U.S. 40 and River Road.
County Councilmember Mark Nelson said he worried about further delaying the bypass, since any changes to the route require extra study by UDOT.
“The citizens of Wasatch County are making their voices heard very loud that we want to protect the North Fields, and that’s more important than solving the traffic problems that are going to come in 20 years,” he said. “If that’s the decision that we’re making, that’s a very foolish decision, in my opinion.”
But Councilmember Luke Searle said he thinks there’s a way to balance conservation with UDOT’s plans.
“It’s a ‘better late than never’ situation, in my opinion, to start to find out how we can actually engage and work together to solve this particular problem without trying to stop a bypass,” he said.
Leaders from both entities will meet again to discuss the terms of the proposed agreement.
