From Deseret News archives:
Park City seeks BLM land
But critics say $1.16 million offer too little for prime acreage
Actually, the price they would like to pay for some open space is about $10,000 an acre. That's the amount the city is offering the Bureau of Land Management for roughly 116 acres of prime, undeveloped property the federal agency owns within the city limits. The total amount the city wants to pay would be about $1.16 million.
And Park City wants to keep its offer intact, although some others are saying the land is worth many times that amount and that the city's proposed deal would be a colossal rip-off of U.S. taxpayers.
A plan to preserve open space a plan being pushed by city officials and U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, along with support from the Sierra Club is causing a lot of heartburn in the U.S. Department of Interior, BLM's parent agency. Some argue that at the city's proposed price, the deal could be a $100 million loss to taxpayers.
Beyond the disparity in perceived values, the proposed transaction gets even more complicated and convoluted. And some believe it could run afoul of current federal law.
Open space valued
Park City has long valued its open space. According to Mayor Dana Williams' testimony before a congressional committee earlier this year, the city has permanently protected 4,000 acres of open space, spending more than $35 million since 1990 to acquire those lands.
"In 1998 and again in 2002, by a margin of 75 percent and 80 percent respectively, voters approved raising their taxes to fund a total of $20 million in bonds for the acquisition and preservation of recreational open space," Williams said.
And now the city has its eyes on the 116 acres under BLM management. The city has leased the land from the BLM since 1985 as recreational property under provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. That lease expires in five years.
The lease, Calvert said, is a source of contention between the BLM and Park City because the city never completed its development plan for the property "and there is no legal public access to the parcel."
Comments
- Grizzlies down Wranglers 11:34 p.m.
- Zone D giving Jazz headaches 11:09 p.m.
- Spectacular defense has RSL 11:08 p.m.
- 5A teams best of decade 11:05 p.m.
- TCU's motivation 11:02 p.m.
- Millsap a surprise on ballot 10:57 p.m.
- Vatican looks to heavens for aliens 10:56 p.m.
- Sports brief 10:56 p.m.
- Leclaire turns aside 31 Oiler shots 10:54 p.m.
- Refinery neighbors want to feel safe 10:54 p.m.
- Utah group finds homes for orphans
- Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
- Y. tight ends talented tandem
- Jazz blow big lead, hang on
- Utes get extra motivation
- Senators want food tax restored
- Hair-pulling raises more questions
- BYU soccer incident still popular
- Lobo land like home for BYU lineman
- U. hopes to keep clicking
- House passes health care bill
263 - TCU showdown has big implications
188 - Lobo suspended
185 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
155 - Senators want food tax restored
149 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
131 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
119 - No 'backlash' for pioneers, gays analogy
105 - S.L. vote pending on gay protections
104 - RSL rallies to advance
103
Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants nationwide will honor...
Meghan McCain, the daughter of former presidential candidate John...
Maybe D Will. Whoever did the picking made some bad calls. Why don't we get...
The NBA has the credibility of the WWF, and you you haven't known that for 20...
The author has plenty of opinions about the shortcomings of this book. ...
Thanks for saying that. I wish people that don't really know what there...
Dear "Rollover Utes", when Utah wins and defeats the remaining teams on their...
Yeah, I've wondered about that too. Why don't they just call themselves...
My daughter is at BYU currently a junior pursuing becoming a dentist. The...
Keep running the ball and acting like a running back so when you get injured...
Very cool. But they could find the answers they're looking for in the...
I listened to the last few minutes of the Doug Wright show this morning on...




You can be the first to comment on this story.