A community meeting regarding the issue was held in August, with Sandy staff and elected officials in attendance. Sandy staff have been gathering information since to make recommendations to the council on Tuesday.

"Most of it's been brought to our attention by one person — Mr. Gary Ricci," said Anderson. "We're trying to be objective as we can under the circumstances ... but a lot of the things that are coming up are kind of history. They've happened in the past, when the site was under construction."

Anderson added that police resources cannot be tied up responding to hundreds of phone calls over noise violations. However, "We certainly don't want a noise problem for the neighborhood."

He notes that at Little Cottonwood Center, property managers gave the residents 20 additional feet of space behind their homes and a $3,000 cash settlement. A gate into the back of Albertsons and Home Depot is locked during prohibited hours.

Roughly three miles west is Quarry Bend, at 9400 S. 1000 East. The year-old project includes big-box stores Wal-Mart and Lowe's. While neighbors of the project sit on a ridge above the development, they say the noise of loud delivery trucks carries up the hill.

That trucks "come any hour of the night," said Rob Watkins, who lives behind Lowe's. There is no gate blocking delivery during restricted hours — something Watkins wants in place.

"It wasn't our idea to put these retail developments on somebody's back door. You'd think it would be Sandy city's responsibility to take care of this," he said. "I'm just not willing to have them walk all over us."

Fanning the flames is the lack of punishment truck drivers receive, Watkins added — usually only a warning.

"Other than calling the police a hundred times a year, that's the only other way I can see to enforce this thing," he said. "It's pretty much a slap on the wrist right now."

The coalition, however, has come up with five proposals to mitigate the noise:

• Zero-tolerance enforcement.

• Stiff penalties for violation.

• Requiring gates into all loading dock areas.

• Installing surveillance cameras to track and monitor violators.

• Requiring all new businesses to meet with residents before opening.

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E-mail: astowell@desnews.com