February 2024 | Vol. 20 Iss. 2
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CITY CONSIDERING RAMIFICATIONS OF 95-ACRE ANNEXATION, INCLUDING THE TAVACI NEIGHBORHOOD By Cassie Goff | c.goff@mycityjournals.com
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he petition for annexation of 95 acres of realty nestled in the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon has been submitted to the City of Cottonwood Heights and plans to continue the process of review in the upcoming months. The area being considered for annexation into the city includes the development commonly referred to as the Tavaci neighborhoods as well as 50 acres spanning to the north. The annexation petition was originally filed on Oct. 2, 2023. The petition was accepted by the Cottonwood Heights City Council for further consideration on Oct. 17, and certified (ensuring the petition satisfied the requirements of state law) by the city recorder on Nov. 16. A protest period then ran until Dec. 16. “We didn’t have any legal protests,” reported Mayor Mike Weichers. Continuing through the legal process, with no protests needing to be addressed, a public hearing needs to be held. The city will be required to notice residents of that public hearing in the surrounding area by (snail) mail. As of publication, that public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 during the Cottonwood Heights City Council meeting. “State law doesn’t tell us how long after the annexation petition hearing occurs that the council has to make a decision,” said City Attorney Shane Topham. The council will ultimately need to make a decision to grant or deny the annexation lat-
er this year. Topham recommended coming to that decision within two to three months after the public hearing. Since the councilmembers have been thinking about this petition all winter, a handful of concerns and potential impacts to the city have been brought up. Many residents and city leaders have expressed concerns over the costs of additional road and city maintenance, public safety response, and potential future development within the area. “A consensus from many residents who are objecting to this is the concern about Cottonwood Heights having to take over maintenance and upkeep of the roads in the Tavaci development,” Weichers said. Currently, the roads within the Tavaci development, including the bridge into the neighborhoods, are managed and privately owned by the HOA. Weichers wondered if the city could request that the current HOA creates a tax service district. Then, the tax service district would be able to take care of road maintenance costs in the future. “What protections would the city have if the HOA defaulted? I’m just trying to look in Continued page 17 The annexation petition from the Tavaci development includes an additional 50 acres North. All 95 acres would like to annex into Cottonwood Heights. (Photo courtesy of Cottonwood Heights)
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