West Davis Corridor vs. Davis County Shorelands Master Land Use Plan

 

Lands west of the proposed Legacy Highway are to be preserved as open space.This is due to access limitations as well and sewer service limitations.

Click here: Plan Developed thru hours, weeks, months and hundreds of voices 

The key players who worked to develop this plan are as follows:Syracuse City CouncilLayton Community DevelopmentWoods Cross City Plannerr; Kaysville City Manager; Fruit HeightsWetlands Advisory Committee; Farmington City; West Bountiful City Administrator; Davis County Commissioner; Centerville City Council; West Point City Council; North Salt Lake City; The Nature Conservancy,; Envision Utah, Project Manager; Army Corps of Engineers; Division of Forestry, Fire, & State; Clinton City Planning

Gary Mecham,

Peter Matson;

Tim Stephens; 

John Thacke

Mayor Richard Harvey

Barry Burton,

Mayor Greg Bell

Wendell Wild

Carol Page

Brian Gold

Jerry Chatterton

Stan Porter

Amanda Eyre Program Manager

Alex Beseris

Brooks Carter

Karl Kappe Lands

Jim Newsome
Aric Jensen, Davis County Community 

Page 14: Kaysville

Today is Last Official Day to Comment on UDOT's website

http://www.udot.utah.gov/westdavis/get_involved

Let UDOT know you don't want the South Option of the West Davis Corridor!

Go here for good talking points: http://www.savefarmington.org/?page_id=2

Johnny-come-lately Wetlands advocates??

Since the beginning of this blog I've maintained that wetland and wildlife protection is an important factor when considering where to put a proposed freeway. I mentioned Bald Eagles at the town hall meeting in Farmington in February. The Bald Eagle is on the Federal and Utah state threatened species list. Its eating and hunting ground is right along Glovers Lane. There are other bird species found along Glovers Lane that are listed on the utah threatened and endangered species list . I've faced ridicule for this stance. One person even went so far as to say, "if eagles make her kids so happy why doesn't she take a picture of one and put it on her kids wall?". Wouldn't it be ironic if those who want to move the freeway "west" suddenly took up the torch to protect wildlife and wetland areas?? I guess whatever purpose serves their need. For example, it's not enough that an equal number of homes along Glovers Lane are listed as being demolished on UDOT's alternatives literature. C-1 protesters always use the "save homes" arguments like they own it. How about the fact that a neighborhood will be divided with both proposed routes? Nope, they own that, too. Safety issues? What if there were a wreck on the proposed South Westerly route? There could be potential water pollution to protected waterfowl areas, depending on the type of wreck. What would response time be? How would the safety response time be for that? I guess that might depend on collector roads, like the one the residents of Quail Crossing and Hunter's Creek signed and agreed to have right behind their houses, between their neighborhoods. Those who argue with putting the West Davis corridor along the I-15 alignment only care about their homes and property values. A bypass that goes out west and all around West Farmington, encompassing it like a noose around our city is not the best idea. I can't wait to see what other argument they'll latch on to to help save their 10 homes over and above any other valid, broader picture alternative.  

Last I checked humans can't survive without water

Like the title of this blog says, humans are getting way too distanced from whence they came. Ironic that I'm writing about this on a blog. There are several videos found on youtube showing the unique qualities of the Great Salt Lake Shorelands See? but I don't know how to make people care about it if they don't care just naturally. Without this ecosystem we, simply put, won't be able to continue to live. Please click on the tab "Know what your kids know". Wetlands filter our water. They remove toxins. Not only do these wetlands, ponds and marshy areas serve an environmental purpose but they creates jobs, they're a source of money! If that somehow makes them more important. During this whole West Davis Corridor freeway battle some people have called this land "worthless, non-valuable and just weeds and mosquitos". How can you even begin to talk to these people? Don't several people in Utah believe we are the entrusted guardians of this land on which we depend for life itself? Ever heard the term don't **** where you eat??

You tube video of where WEST actually is. Homes, habiat, pristine wildlife refuge...

Illogical proposed route of WDC west davis corridor See the homes???

Farmington City preferred I-15 alignment since 1996



Bald Eagles - Part of the perks of west Farmington living, for now...

 Farmington City Mayor Scott Harbertson illustrated through several slides how the city has always wanted only an I-15 alignment. His slides started as far back as 1996. The idea of sandwiching the west side of Farmington between three freeways was unacceptable from the beginning. Mayor Harbertson used the term "making an island". That's exactly what a westerly route would do to all of us. It's unfortunate but it was apparent that several residents bought their homes in the Hunter's Creek and Quail Crossing subdivisions without finding out about the proposed road or with knowing about it but "risking it" that the long-planned corridor along 950 North would somehow not come to fruition. 

Come to the meeting!!! Voice your opinion for the route that makes the most sense!!

Meeting Wednesday February 23rd 7:00pm at the community center in Farmington. Come!
The best route for all of Farmington citizens is the C-1 northern route. IF the West Davis Corridor (WDC) is pushed South and West of Farmington it will affect numerous MORE neighborhoods than if the C-1 option is chosen by UDOT. IF the WDC is pushed south and west of Farmington several "collector" and "connecting" roads will be built through neighborhoods to get those travelling North and South then East to Lagoon, Station Park, I-15. The only logical, reasonable option is the C-1 northern route, as Farmington City wisely resolved to make the city's 1st choice in their Master Transportation Plan.

Map of proposed freeway routes through Farmington's West Side Neighborhoods



A road out west of the powerlines in Farmington would be devastating to everything we hold dear, to use a cliche. Word is that no matter what, it won't go west of the sewer treatment plant. One Farmington resident proposed the alternate I-15 alignment that took out only one home in Farmington and zero in Kaysville. http://www.standard.net/topics/transportation/2011/02/21/residents-sketch-helps-persuade-udot-reconsider-option-c-1 The safety easement he used in his plan was slightly smaller than what UDOT is proposing but still sound. I do still hold out hope that us citizens will stop this craziness from happening if not now then in the future by saying NO to more freeways and highways. PUBLIC TRANSIT, TELECOMMUTING, BETTER CITY PLANNING/ZONING, VOTING TO ELECT OFFICIALS THAT SHARE THE SAME VALUES, VOTING TO LIMIT UDOT'S POWER IN THE LEGISLATURE.

City Meeting Next Week

Word is there is a city meeting coming up next week. I hope to find out more details today and will post information as I get it. Under no circumstances should Farmington and its residents be pressured to accept a road out west. The I-15 option is still the only option that makes sense for those of us living here. Why put a road way out west? Is anyone, except those far north of us, going to drive out west to head north or south? Go here: Citizens Comments from UDOT EIS report to read several thoughtful comments from citizens to UDOT on the proposed West Davis Corridor. Just scroll down through the pages. You don't have to read all 399 pages to get a sense of what most people are feeling. NO ROAD OUT WEST of Farmington. If you want to unite comment. I'm trying to help get our town organized.

Mega Meeting

The UDOT open house meeting yesterday, Feb 9th, was packed! Thanks to my volleyball teammates for coming out and supporting the cause. If you weren't able to attend click here to see info and comment on-line.
http://www.udot.utah.gov/westdavis/get_involved#events
There are alot of differing opinions and thank goodness they're being expressed. I was told there was a sign that read "Don't destroy our families home for mud and mosquitoes" - not sure if that was trying to reference several families' homes or an unfortunate grammatical error but it was a sign. It's an emotional issue, for sure. If you click on the tab above- Know What Your Kids Know, you can see that the natural habitat is a more than "mud and mosquitoes". If some compromise isn't made to protect the surrounding habitat and ecosystem we plopped our houses into those signs could well read "Houseboat For Sale". Wetlands protect us. Yes, nature does help us despite us not always returning the favor. It alleviates flooding, filters toxins and pollutants we use in hefty amounts and provides a home for numerous birds, bugs (aka bird food), muskrats, moles, plants and trees (aka animal homes). So now what can we do? Question the traffic modeling, ask about the Farmington citizen's route that only affected 1 Farmington home and zero Kaysville homes. (The plan covers up to the border of Farmington and Kaysville.) Question the need for another road. Bring up better use of public transportation and the trend to telecommute. Put our elected leaders to the test and ask about zoning reglations.
Click link Think before building! for ideas to write about and send to every elected city, state and federal leader making the decisions that affect each and every one of our lives. Stop bad decisions before they start. "If you don't build it, they won't come"?

The answer cannot be more roads through this small area. This proposed West Davis Corridor will destroy homes and our surroundings.



Farmington City resolution supporting C-1/I-15 adjacent alignment!

Link to newsletter stating resolution

Parks. Open space. Quiet. Nature. Overrated! What we really need is more roads. Roads to drive on, roads to speed on, roads to crash on, roads, roads, roads!

 My two daughters wanted to go see the horses two blocks west of our house.

"Why in the world would you want to do that?!" I shouted.
"Please, let's go throw some pebbles in the lake.
"Pshaw" I replied.
"Come on mom, can't we ride our bikes watch the falcons hunt to fatten up to have babies?"

"Good grief" I exclaimed. Why not hop in the car and drive down I-15 to buy some more trinkets from the $ store? If only it were quicker to get to the highway entrance. "What? Oh joy! Another road with several interchanges is being proposed by UDOT? It can't be Christmas already, it's only January."



Where southern option road would go



Ok, seriously, we moved out west because

1. It's flat and we were tired of our kids flying down the hill at 65 mph while learning to ride their bikes.
2. It's open out here. You can breathe. You can look out your window and see hawks soaring, smell horses living, yum yum, watch kids building forts out of sticks and using their, what are they called, you know, those mythical things of the past? Oh yeah, imaginations!
3. And this is a minor thing, there were no freeways a block from our house!

UDOT is proposing a West Davis Corridor to connect the Legacy Highway and I-15 to those westside communites from Farmington north to Ogden. One option on the table is called southern option. Bad southern option, bad. It would sandwich west Farmington neighborhoods between two freeways and cut us off from the very nature that brought us out here or that we started to enjoy once we realized it was here. This so far unneeded freeway would destroy our quiet, family-friendly neighborhood and cause our home values to plummet. Our Farmington city council members have wisely reversed their official decision and stated in the Feb 2011 city newsletter that the easterly route that runs adjacent to I-15 called C-1. Good C-1, good boy, is now the city's preferred alignment. I say Hooray! (If this road really is needed come 2040. Anyone heard of telecommuting or the virtual workplace that the state and federal governments are pushing?) However, if C-1 is determined non-viable by UDOT Farmington City has said their second choice is back to A-1 (southern option)! Whaaat? I would say there is no second choice. Why does Farmington need this freeway? Our travel times to I-15 are nil. A freeway out here means only more commercial development.

We have a unique geography out here that gives us a unique way of life. My husband, daughters and I went 2 miles southwest from our house this weekend and saw dozens of Bald Eagles hunting and soaring. Talk about patriotic. God Bless our Troops. We can watch falcons hunt and feed their young from our deck. I watch my daughter walk to school with her friends every morning because this is a walking neighborhood. Yay for staying in pajamas instead of driving kids to school! We can have backyard BBQs and picnics without pausing for honks or backfires aka, no freeway noise. We take our daughters to the pumpkin patch every autumn. These sweet, helpless jack-o-lanterns-to-be would be paved over under the southern option! Save Halloween!