NORTH SALT LAKE — Mayor Rocky Anderson's planned rally protesting a proposed foothill development was a hot topic for the North Salt Lake City Council Tuesday night.

Though the issue was not on the agenda, council members proudly displayed the rally advertisement to the developer whose backhoe is pictured, showing it along with several other pictures of backhoes the mayor had taken showing current development of open space in Anderson's own city.

"They make us sound like we're anti-open space. We're not anti-open space in the least," North Salt Lake Mayor Kay Briggs said.

Anderson last week announced a rally protesting North Salt Lake's plans for development on the 80-acre site. "If you believe in protecting open space it is crucial that you attend this short event," his announcement said. The rally is today.

The land has been a major point of contention between North Salt Lake and Salt Lake City for months. North Salt Lake owns the land on a bench that straddles the border between the two cities, and wants to sell part of it for houses and developed open space — constructed trails and parks. The land is officially located within Salt Lake City; the City Council declined a recent request from North Salt Lake to disconnect the land.

Both cities say they are for open space in the area, just in different ways.

Salt Lake City sees the area as valuable open space as-is. The Salt Lake City Council voted May 31 to change the zoning of the land to natural open space — a move that surprised and angered North Salt Lake officials.

North Salt Lake wants to develop 30 acres, 20 for residential and 10 for a cemetery and city park. The city has already gone to bid for developers of the project, and it's estimated the land sale would bring the city between $4.5 million and $6 million. The remaining 50 acres would be donated back to the natural forest behind it, preserving it as open space.

"Our proposal continues the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, our proposal has trailheads; their proposal is just to leave it empty," Briggs said.

At the Salt Lake County Council meeting Tuesday, members voted to hold off on a recommendation by its Open Space Advisory Board to donate $300,000 to acquire land in Salt Lake City. County Council members were receptive to the idea of preserving the land; however, several members wanted more information before pledging the large sum.

At the end of their council meeting Tuesday, North Salt Lake leaders moved into a closed session to discuss pending legal issues, though they did not say if those specifically concerned open space. Briggs did say earlier in the day that he thinks the issue will end up in court.

"I don't like that and I don't think they do either, but I don't know what else you can do," Briggs said.

Salt Lake City's rally is today from 12:30-1 p.m. at Library Square.

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Contributing: Erin Stewart

E-mail: nandrews@desnews.com