Heber City’s wildland urban interface map is expanding. 

Municipalities are required to adopt a wildland urban interface map — which shows areas where urban zones meet wildland and open space — under House Bill 48, which the state Legislature passed last year. 

The law is designed to help residents protect their properties by requiring fire-resistant, defensible materials in development, managing vegetation and ensuring water availability. Property owners can still build in high-risk areas, but new construction in such zones must comply with stricter safety and building standards.

H.B. 48 also aimed to help curb potential property insurance impacts. Insurance agencies can only determine high-risk properties as defined by the WUI maps adopted across the state. Heber City adopted its map earlier this year, but voted to expand it on Tuesday.

The Heber City Planning Commission amended the city’s WUI map to add land from the Wasatch Canal west of Valley Hill Boulevard, heading north along U.S. 40.

The change does not affect any of the underlying zoning regulations such as lot sizes or uses, heights or setbacks. Anything built prior to the adoption of the map change would be grandfathered in. 

“The intent here is to really mitigate wildfire and to mitigate the spread of fire through these areas as they bump up against undeveloped areas or hillsides,” Baron said. 

Wasatch Fire District Fire Warden Troy Morgan said the amendment adds requirements to increase structures’ resiliency in wildfire areas. He said essentially, the WUI code has three zones: wildland that’s undeveloped, wildland-urban interface and urban areas. 

“The concern that we have here is when we had initially drawn the map for Heber City and for this area, it followed the canal,” Morgan said. “But with this level of development and the density that we’re seeing, the proximity of houses to one another kind of exacerbates the potential spread of structure to structure.”

There are multiple fuel sources for fires: Grass, shrubs, trees and homes or structures. The WUI amendment would help mitigate the risk of wildfires and wind-event fires. 

Morgan also emphasized that the Wasatch Fire District can complete requested home hazard assessments, which would be submitted to the state. Those assessments could possibly lower fees for homeowners in high-risk areas. 

“We feel like we can take better care of our citizens,” Morgan said. 

That assessment is voluntary. Morgan said, overall, the city and Fire District have to work with the law that was passed. Residents can request an assessment from the Fire District at any time. 

“Unfortunately, we have to go with it, roll with the punches per se,” Morgan said. 

However, Morgan added there are benefits to the WUI. It requires neighborhood accountability. 

“You can do everything that you can to protect your home from a wildfire, but if your neighbors do not do any of that, they are the biggest risk for your structure in the event of a wildfire,” Morgan said. “This gives more bite to make sure everybody is doing what they are supposed to be doing to be more fire resistant.”

Expanding the boundaries of the WUI, Morgan said, helps the city get “ahead of the game” when thinking about upcoming growth and development. 

The Planning Commission adopted the WUI amendment on Tuesday.

The post Heber City shores up wildland urban interface map ahead of future growth appeared first on Park Record.

Heber City officials will discuss a new site for a 65-foot-tall cell tower on Tuesday after nearly 40 community members expressed their disapproval about the proposed location during a Heber City Planning Commission meeting on May 12.

The original site was located on East Center Street near the Wasatch County Health Department. It would have needed to be rezoned to permit the height of the cell tower, which will accommodate up to three telecommunications carriers, and ultimately result in fewer cell towers throughout the city, explained Helmundt Strumpher, chief operating officer at Atlas Tower Group.

Neighbors expressed a variety of concerns, the foremost being a potential decline in their property values if such a tall cell tower were erected near their homes. Representatives from Atlas Tower Group insisted such impacts would not occur.

A potential solution arose when several public commenters pointed to the agenda materials, which stated the Heber City Cemetery had not been considered as a potential site solely “out of reverence for the deceased.” 

A slew of comments and off-color jokes by residents, public officials and representatives from Atlas Tower Group made it clear that placing the cell tower in the cemetery may be the best location, as it would provide a larger buffer between the tower and surrounding residences.

During the Planning Commission meeting, Community Development Director Tony Kohler confirmed that Atlas Tower Group is now dead set on placing the cell tower in the cemetery. It would likely be a cell tower tree rather than a monopole, he said.

Atlas Tower Group has been looking for an appropriate location for this cell tower for nearly two years. It has attempted nearly 50 sites, 12 of them on city-owned property.

One of those 12 was the city cemetery. While Atlas Tower Group may view it as the perfect site, planning commissioners agreed that it would still garner backlash.

“Someone’s already reached out to me and is very vocal about things about the cemetery,” Planning Commissioner Joshua Knight said. 

Kohler suggested the cemetery may be the final option.

“If the cemetery site doesn’t work, we probably ought to cut off our relationship with Atlas and say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’” he said.

The deliberation over this specific cell tower has bloomed into a larger discussion about developing a master plan to determine where future cell towers should be placed. This master plan would hopefully prevent drawn-out negotiations like the one currently occurring with Atlas Tower Group.

Resident Eve Christensen, a structural engineer who designed cell phone towers for six months, suggested taking a creative approach to adding the infrastructure.

“There are an infinite variety of ways to put cell phone hardware on things. … Obviously, you see ones that look like trees. There are flag poles that are fatter than normal, church steeples. Everywhere, we’re plastering things,” she said. “Let’s expand the creativity in what’s possible, maintaining the character of our neighborhoods, but also, … I do think the future is here. The future is coming. We need to plan for it.”

The Planning Commission unanimously voted against rezoning the original site on East Center Street and suggested the City Council explore alternative sites. The Planning Commission did not recommend the cemetery specifically, but that is the site the City Council will discuss on Tuesday. There will be opportunities for public comment.

The Planning Commission also requested that city staff explore the possibility of making cell towers a conditional use across all zones, meaning each cell tower would require approval, instead of being automatically permitted.

The post Atlas Tower Group is dead set on placing a 65-foot-tall cell tower in Heber City Cemetery appeared first on Park Record.

Heber City resident Jared Jones compared a 65-foot-tall cell tower planned to be built in his neighborhood to a wasp buzzing around the city Planning Commission’s meeting room on Tuesday. 

To those near the front, the insect in the back rows was barely perceptible. But from where Jones was sitting, “that sucker was huge.”

“When you’re close to it, you feel the impact,” he said. “With me being 300 feet away, that (cell tower) is going to look pretty big.”

Over 20 of Jones’ neighbors shared that sentiment during a public hearing about the cell tower. The Planning Commission is considering a rezone on East Center Street near the Wasatch County Health Department to accommodate the height of the cell tower. Current zoning would permit a height of 35 feet.

The Planning Commission did not vote Tuesday and will at its next meeting.

The reason for the height is to ultimately build fewer cell towers in Heber City, explained Helmundt Strumpher, chief operating officer at Atlas Tower Group, the company that entered into a conditional lease agreement with the city to build the tower three months ago.

At 35 feet, the cell tower could accommodate only one telecommunications provider, also called a carrier (for example, Verizon). At 65 feet, the cell tower could accommodate up to three. 

The cell tower under discussion targets the surrounding area where cell phone service is unreliable indoors, according to Atlas Tower Group’s coverage map.

Some residents raised concerns that the tower would change their neighborhood.

“A key consideration when we purchase our homes is, ‘What is the zoning near us?’” said Lindy Reioux. “Changing zoning like that, it really changes how people feel about their homes, financially, mentally, and it’s just not fair to the citizens.”

The most common concern from homeowners was that the cell tower would drag down their property values.

In its presentation, Atlas Tower Group argued that such a decline would not occur, backing up its claim with Zillow valuation histories of four Heber City homes near existing cell towers. The homes the company showed had increased in value over the past decade.

Cameron Boyd, a Realtor from Midway, disagreed with Atlas Tower Group’s conclusions. While he acknowledged he is not a certified appraiser, he pulled from his 25-year career and conversations he’d had with local appraisers to form a counter-argument. He said every person he’d spoken to in his field agreed that a decline in property values would occur.

“If I drive 10 qualified buyers to a home immediately adjacent to a 65-foot cell tower, especially when visible from a backyard or any primary living spaces, in my opinion, most of those buyers are going to tell me to just keep driving. They won’t even want to see inside the home,” Boyd said. “That leaves us with a much smaller group that remains interested in the property, but those buyers are going to expect a heavy discount.”

He estimated that the impact on a single home near the cell tower would be “well into the six figures on day one” and argued that the overall impact to neighbors far outweighed the nearly $600,000 in revenue the city would generate from a 20-year lease to Atlas Tower Group.

He also pointed out that the city’s staff report on the cell tower states, “Because of the height and appearance of some wireless services facilities, surrounding properties bear a disproportionate share of the negative impacts of a telecommunications tower.”

The city and Atlas Tower Group have been in negotiations about the location of the tower for nearly two years. In October 2024, the City Council approved a conditional lease agreement to build the tower in the Valley Hills area, which garnered resident pushback. The city did not deny the site, but Atlas Tower Group ultimately decided against the site due to legal and functional constraints related to site access, said city Community Development Director Tony Kohler.

Atlas Tower Group has attempted nearly 50 sites for the cell tower, 12 of which were on city-owned property. The current site under discussion was one of those 12. 

City staff, not Atlus Tower Group, decided the location of the cell tower. Atlus Tower Group is on board to consider other city-owned sites.

“We do feel there are more locations we can explore,” Strumpher said. “If we can explore alternative locations with the city, we will definitely do that.”

The most viable location may be the Heber City Cemetery, which “was not considered out of reverence for the deceased,” according to agenda materials. That decision was challenged by residents and planning commissioners.

“I’m sure my parents won’t mind,” joked Commissioner Joshua Knight, whose parents are buried there.

City Councilor Yvonne Barney also made a public comment in support of considering the cemetery as a location.

“I doubt the dead will be able to collect 95 signatures,” she said in reference to a petition against the current site.

Planning Commission Vice Chair Tori Broughton pointed out that the buffer between the cell tower and residences would be larger if it were built in the cemetery.

Strumpher agreed that such a location would be viable.

“It (wouldn’t be) a dead zone,” he joked.

Planning Commission Chair Phil Jordan asked city staff and Atlus Tower Group to gather information about potential alternate locations before the next meeting, when commissioners will approve or deny the zone change for the current site. 

Commissioner Robert McKinley suggested also developing a master plan determining where cell towers should be built in the future as demand increases.

The post Neighbors oppose 65-foot-tall cell tower in Heber City appeared first on Park Record.

A proposal to build a Maverik gas station in Quinn’s Junction received the green light from the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission last week.

Planning commissioners voted 4-3 on Oct. 22 to allow a fueling station with an almost 6,000 square foot convenience store, 16 gas pumps with the possibility of increasing the total number to 38, 30 parking stalls and a possible connection to the Rail Trail to be constructed at the corner of Old Highway 40 and Atkinson Road.

The decision comes after months of deliberation. Maverik first proposed building a gas station at the northeast corner of Quinn’s Junction in early March, but the project was stalled after back-and-forth about parking concerns and the need to improve accessibility in the area.

Commissioners Makenna Hawley, Megan Recher and Thomas Cooke voted against the project. 

Hawley and Recher cited the number of parking spots as a concern. The original proposal called for 37 parking spots, but it was reconfigured and reduced to about 30 after some discussion. Transportation Planning Director Carl Miller said there could be a safety hazard if there isn’t adequate parking capacity on the property.

Cooke was worried about the impact the gas station would have on the area and wanted to re-review the application if Maverik decides to add its additional fuel stations.  

“Once it’s built we’ll have a much better idea of what those impacts actually are instead of looking into the crystal ball or relying on modeling. And so it seems reasonable to take something from 16 stalls to 32 that it comes in and gets re-reviewed based on the impacts that are actually created by the 16,” Cooke said.

However, that will be up to the Summit County community development director when the time comes.

Determining the potential traffic impact of the gas station has been a key issue for the Planning Commission and the community. The intersection is one of the busiest in Summit County, and transportation staff have been working on a new configuration to pull the intersections away from each other and spread the traffic out, which they say will make it safer overall.

Traffic would be able to enter the gas station from Atkinson Road or Old Highway 40. However, cars could only leave from the frontage road.

Hawley and Cooke have also been proponents of implementing an active transportation component in the project to reach hikers and bikers on the Rail Trail. Maverik is committed to doing its best to make that happen.

Commissioners Bruce Carmichael, Matt Nagie, Tyann Mooney and Chris Conabee voted in favor of Maverik. They saw a need for a fueling station for motorists traveling between Park City and Kamas because there’s no existing service station on S.R. 248. Maverik could help divert traffic and stop people from coming into town for gas.

Maverik only plans to develop a portion of the 7.6-acre lot. Around 3 acres are in a wetland area that would remain untouched, meeting the 60% open space requirement in the area.

The Summit County Council amended the code to allow gas stations to exist in the area under the current service commercial zone in the spring.

The post Maverik gas station earns approval to build in Quinn’s Junction appeared first on Park Record.

Efforts to build a Maverik gas station in Quinn’s Junction stalled this week until officials could determine if the proposed parking plan should be allowed to exceed the limit established in the Snyderville Basin code, potentially shifting the project into neutral.

Maverik representatives returned to the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission this week with revised plans to create better connectivity from the site at the intersection of Old Highway 40 and Atkinson Road near S.R. 248 and reduce the number of spaces on the property from 37 to 31.

While the Planning Commission appreciated the effort, they asked staff on Tuesday to review a parking study to resolve whether the demand would justify exceeding the allotment of 21 stalls. Language in the code allows exceptions to be made under certain circumstances.

Planning Commissioners Bruce Carmichael and Thomas Cooke raised the issue, saying they hope to avoid an appeal further down the line should the project be approved.

A representative from Maverik said the gas station does have a parking memo, which it supplied to county staff during the meeting. 

Ray Milliner, the county’s principal planner, didn’t have time to review the document at that moment. However, the staff report said the gas station would likely be popular with ample parking needed to accommodate customers.

Maverik representatives estimated the industry standard is 48 parking spots. So, they saw 31 as an effort to appease the Planning Commission while mitigating the challenges similar commercial facilities experience without the right number. 

The original plan called for 37 spots, but the applicant removed seven spots on the southern portion of the property and moved one elsewhere, eliminating the rest. 

Planning Commissioner Tyann Mooney encouraged Maverik to wait for staff to review the plan rather than further reduce its total parking count. She said she could see the need for more than two dozen spots.

At least four spots would also be “future-proofed” to ensure they’re compatible with electric vehicle charging. Cooke said the Snyderville Basin code doesn’t require it, but he asked the gas station to consider the site as a prototype for thoughtful development.

That’s, in part, why Maverik agreed to reconfigure its parking design: to create a path from what will become the new frontage road to the gas station. The route would take pedestrians and bicyclists around the parking lot and fueling area to avoid conflicts with vehicles and provide safe passage to the convenience store.

Milliner said county staff proposed creating a bike lane that goes up and toward the entryway from the road. The Utah Department of Transportation is now considering three choices, including widening the sidewalk and building a shared-use path. 

UDOT will have the final say about which solution is chosen. The project will be incorporated and designed in conjunction with a bridge overpass that’s being built for the Rail Trail.

Maverik only plans to develop a portion of the 7.6-acre lot. Around 3 acres are in a wetland area that would remain untouched, meeting the 60% open space requirement in the area.

The Summit County Council amended the code to allow gas stations to exist in the area under the current service commercial zone in the spring, and now the Planning Commission must decide whether to grant a conditional use permit for the project.

The site would also house a 6,000-square-foot store with 22 fueling stations for cars and commercial vehicles. Another 16 fuel pumps could be added in the future.

Supporters see the proposed site as a way to provide a much-needed option for motorists traveling between Park City and Kamas because there are no existing service stations on S.R. 248, meaning residents must drive into either location.

Planning commissioners continued the conversation to a later date. They could vote on the project then.

The Planning Commission meets regularly at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

The post Quinn’s Junction gas station proposal stalled by parking concerns appeared first on Park Record.