APRIL 2020
RIVERTON REVIEW Official Newsletter of the Riverton, Utah City Government MAYOR’S MESSAGE
Salt Lake County Ignores Local Opposition; Approves Olympia Hills By Mayor Trent Staggs
that will be directly affected by this high-density development. There are many flaws with the current Olympia Hills development plan that will directly affect Riverton, including:
Over the last two years the Southwest 1. Community General Plan: Mayors In 2008, the County’s Southwest Coalition made up of Bluffdale, Cop- General Plan was amended and perton, Herriman, Riverton, South allowed for 3-5 units per acre. With Jordan, and West Jordan have been this amendment, cities including very vocal about our opposition to Riverton have used those numbers the Olympia Hills development projto appropriately plan for our own ect. There is an uncanny opinion by infrastructure needs. The approved some of our county officials that the density is almost 40% greater than southwest region needs to absorb the upper limit of the county’s genermore of the growth that is coming. al plan. Coincidentally, this opinion largely coincides with individuals who don’t 2. Density Studies: The Southwest live in our area, don’t understand Vision Study is currently ongoing the needs of our and is planned to residents or what be completed by planning decisions the end of this year. “It is unfortunate that have already been The county spent the county officials who $100,000 of taxpaymade. er money to fund voted for this change Last month, the this study which was ignored the thousands of meant to help procounty council votresidents who voiced their actively plan for the ed 6-3 to approve zoning changes that opposition to the project.” future of the southallow for Olymwest region. The pia Hills to move approval of Olympia forward with their Hills ultimately ne933-acre development. It is unforgates the effectiveness of that study tunate that the county officials who and negatively impacts the planning voted for this change ignored the efforts for this region. thousands of residents who voiced their opposition to the project, along 3. Infrastructure Impact: The imwith the six mayors from the cities pact to existing municipal infrastruc-
RIVERTON REVIEW
| APRIL 2020
ture is estimated to cost the surrounding cities at least $40 million. Even more troublesome is the fact that there are no funding mechanisms in place to pay for current roadway infrastructure needs along Mt. View Corridor and Bangerter Highway, let alone funds available to pay for the additional infrastructure needed to support this project. 4. Inadequate Water Supplies: The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (JVWCD) has estimated that this development, which is approximately 10% the size of Riverton’s footprint, would use the equivalent amount of water that our entire city would use. It would also push JVWCD’s planning timeline forward ten years, which jeopardizes their ability to deliver water supplies moving forward. I want to reiterate that Riverton and our surrounding cities are not scared of growth. In fact, the southwest region has accounted for over 70% of the population growth since 2000. We simply believe in smart responsible growth accompanied by infrastructure that won’t diminish our quality of life. Although a majority of county leadership has completely disregarded the “people’s voice,” I want to reassure you that you are my priority and I will continue to listen and fight for the needs of this great city.
Take The Census Today! The 2020 U.S. Census is in full swing. You should have received your official census information in the mail. Please take a few minutes to complete it. It is vital that every person living in Riverton be counted. The Census is critical to: • Measure Riverton’s growth • Determine political representation • Plan for the city’s future • Ensure federal and state resources are appropriately allocated For more information, visit: rivertonutah.gov/census
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