Developers have been working for years on plans for 4,000 acres east of Red Ledges. The land includes about 3,500 privately owned acres and 720 acres owned by the Utah Trust Lands Administration.
At first, Philo Development had grouped the two properties together, but after Heber City and Wasatch County passed on the proposal, it pursued a different route.
Now, the private land is early on the path to become the town of Wasatch Highlands through the state’s preliminary municipality pilot program.
As for the trust land, developers and county leaders are still at odds over how much density is appropriate. At a meeting Aug. 12, councilmembers said they weren’t interested in a legislative development agreement for 144 homes on the land, or one home for every 5 acres.
The conversation left Philo partner Greg Whitehead frustrated.
“That sounds like we’re getting some retaliation,” he said. “We’re getting punished because we are considering a preliminary municipality. Because we considered it, we’re not welcome to develop in Wasatch County, is what that sounds like.”
Whitehead said his company had worked with the county and the city in good faith but had gotten nowhere.
Councilmember Erik Rowland said Wasatch County wants to stick to its general plan, which calls for keeping that land rural.
“Every time we look at conceding, or every time we look at diluting that, every time we look at finding ways to bypass that master plan, we are basically sending a message that, yeah, it’s kind of important, but now we’re going to ignore certain things about it,” he said.
County Manager Dustin Grabau said there’s another layer of complexity to the project because the state has the right to use the land however it sees fit to profit Utah schools.
“Some of it is development,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Aug. 18. “They actually have sold other properties to the DNR [Department of Natural Resources] to use as wildlife management areas or things like that.”
It’s not clear to what extent the Utah Trust Lands Administration can overrule the county’s zoning.
Grabau said he’d like to see the land monetized in a way that doesn’t involve significant density.
“There are other solutions that maybe don’t generate as much profit but are still profitable and still fulfill the purpose of SITLA,” he said.
SITLA is the previous name of the trust lands administration.
Meanwhile, Wasatch Highlands is in the early stages of the incorporation process. A population study found the proposed town could have 2,200 residents when complete.
