FARMINGTON — More than 350 residents gathered in Farmington Tuesday to protest a plan by the state to build a connector road northward from the Legacy Parkway.

The connector, if built, would result in the Utah Department of Transportation taking property from several homeowners and at least one business. Residents said the proposal would reduce property values, divide the community and destroy quality of life.

"I live right where the stupid (road) would be," said resident Kay Pace. "I moved in thinking this was a nice, quiet, peaceful place. Now they want to come through and take what belongs to us."

Pace was standing outside Farmington Elementary on Tuesday, passing out stickers that said "Save Farmington" to residents attending an open house about the plan. A public hearing was held after the open house.

Residents said the open house and hearing marked the first time they had received details about the plan. The hearing was held before the Farmington Planning Commission, which heard a request from UDOT to change the city's transportation plan to accommodate the proposed Legacy connector road.

The connector is planned to be built west of I-15. It would link the Legacy Parkway with an extension of the highway, Legacy North, which is still in the preliminary planning stage. By changing the city's transportation plan, UDOT could purchase land to preserve a route for the connection.

Resident response to the plan was overwhelmingly negative.

"They just want to tie up a bunch of land and then figure it out once they've ruined the community," said resident Travis Tate.

"UDOT has not taken enough time to study the options, just as they did with the original Legacy proposal," said resident Brad Pack.

Sen. Gregory Bell, R-Fruit Heights, said Tuesday that UDOT and state lawmakers have been discussing a new connection from the Legacy Parkway since January of this year. Nothing's final, he said, but it's important that something be done to preserve land to bring Legacy northward.

"From a regional perspective, this works," Bell said of the plan. "But the question now is harmonizing the regional need with the community's needs."

The Farmington Planning Commission is expected to make a recommendation about changing the city's master plan in the coming weeks. Residents are encouraged to contact their city representatives or send comments about the plan to the city.

---

E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com