Fruit Heights to consider high-density condos

FRUIT HEIGHTS — The issues of density and diversity will be pointing at City Council members Tuesday when they are to decide the future of a proposed housing development that could increase the city's population by 20 percent.

The City Council will consider the final 20-acre piece of a 60-acre development by a Boise company and a Salt Lake Valley developer that includes a high-density component of 154 condominium units.

The Planning Commission has approved the single-family-homes development in the project and recommended on a 3-2 vote that the City Council deny approval of the multifamily development.

Bryson Garbett, whose company has an option on 60 acres of land owned by the Harvey family of Fruit Heights, said the city is attempting to thwart his plans to build the condo units that would be classed as affordable housing.

"The Planning Commission asked us to do several things and we did them all," Garbett said. "It has become apparent to us the project isn't an issue, it appears they don't want multifamily housing."

"I don't think we're against what they are trying to do, we're just trying to make it blend in with our existing homes," said Mayor Rick Miller.

Garbett has hired two lawyers, former Sandy Mayor Steve Newton and Michael Hutchings, who successfully sued Bluffdale a couple of years ago to force that city to allow affordable housing.

"We think the similarities between Fruit Heights and Bluffdale are close," Garbett said. "There are no minorities in Fruit Heights, and the average income is pretty high. They want to keep out any diversity, any people of color who don't make as much money, and the disabled. We don't think that is right for a couple of reasons," Garbett said.

"We don't think it is right morally to discriminate against anyone who can't afford a $500,000 home," he said. "It will be their children who will buy these condos, they can't afford the homes that are there. It won't necessarily be a group of strangers who will move in there."

Not so, says City Council member Dan Phelps, a commercial developer who has also built residential housing and said it is not true the city doesn't want to have more affordable housing.

"What the community is up in arms about is they don't want that many units crammed on 20 acres and that the units they are proposing to build are triplexes and fourplexes," Phelps said. "There is a big concern on the public's part it would affect property values in an adverse way. That many units would impact schools, churches and traffic," Phelps said.

"The issue is more than their 20 acres of high-density units," Phelps said. "They are actually proposing 275 or so units. You don't have to be too bright to see that in a community of 1,100 homes, that's a new elementary school and a new church."

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