He has, Heber City resident Nicholas Provost said, the acreage to densify and the means to make it happen. That is, if Heber City Council would be inclined to entertain his bid for annexation.
Thanks but no thanks, the Heber City Council replied in a 3-2 vote against his petition.
Represented by developer Rulon Gardner — not to be confused with the Olympic wrestler of the same name — Provost requested the consideration of the council to add 32 acres of agricultural land to the city.
While the property is currently used for agricultural purposes, the concept plan brought forward by Gardner suggests that the intended use would be to densify the area with approximately seven units per acre, which is not consistent with Heber City’s General Plan.
Gardner explained that densifying would be a win-win situation for both Provost and Heber City. By providing more housing, Gardner said the area would become more neighborhood friendly and walkable — a plus for Heber City. Provost said that it would also help offset the negative impact of the new Wasatch County High School, which is being constructed next to his property.
“I own the property. I’ve lived here my whole life. Now I have a school on top of me,” Provost said. “We didn’t fight the school. We’re glad to have it. But I’ve taken 100 percent of the impact from the school.”
As a third-generation property owner, Provost has spent his life tending to his property at the edge of the North Fields. With Heber City’s annexation efforts over the past three years, including more acreage to the north of town and east of Highway 40, Provost’s petition might have been viewed as a benefit.
Councilor Scott Phillips, who voted for Provost’s petition, said he was surprised there was as much pushback as was presented on Wednesday.
“I just feel like if this person lies within our master plan of annexation, they deserve the right to be considered for annexation in Heber City. Our plan as a city has always been to annex up to the proposed bypass route,” Phillips said. “This is a little bit more of a debate because there is no traffic plan through that area.”
In support of Phillips and Provost, Councilor Sid Ostergaard added that from a planning standpoint, having density next to a school makes sense.
The issue with this request, according to Councilor Yvonne Barney, lies with the location of the property: the North Fields.
“I’m a little conservative when it comes to accepting annexations in general. But this particular one, the biggest concern was that we have done a lot to try and preserve the North Fields,” Barney said when asked about her motion to deny Provost’s petition. “It is in a good area as far as the benefits for the school district, but it should never come at the cost of sacrificing that area, in particular, the North Fields.”
For Barney, environmental impact is a top priority in this case — a mindset supported earlier in the meeting from a public comment by Heber City resident Christian Thompson, whose main point revolved around protecting natural habitats.
“I’m concerned that we’re not doing enough to protect open space,” he said.
Councilor Mike Johnston, who also voted in favor of denying the petition, said that Provost can always resubmit his bid in the future.
“I’m not against it. It’s just not the right time,” Johnston said. “And I’m not sure what was presented is really what we want anyway.”