450 oppose sale of land for Ogden development

A plan to "revitalize" Ogden's east bench has prompted about 450 residents to sign petitions asking that land owned by the city and Weber State University not be sold to a developer who wants to build luxury homes and a gondola to the top of Snowbasin Ski Resort.

The petitions oppose developer Chris Peterson's plan to build a gated community on land that is now the Mount Ogden Golf Course and a gondola hub on land now owned by the university, said Mikel Vause, an English professor at Weber State. The general plan calls for building a ski resort midway up Mount Ogden, in Malan's Basin above the city, with a gondola ferrying people from downtown and the university.

Vause was one of over 250 faculty and staff members at the university who signed a petition asking Weber State's president, Ann Millner, not to sell university land for the development. John Kowalewski, a university spokesman, said that the president had received the petition Tuesday, but had not had a chance to review it yet.

"It just seems there is not much hard data," said Vause. "The community wants to have their say. It needs to be open to the public so that no one can point the finger and say someone did this underhandedly. Everything has been done in secret meetings, to select groups of people."

A separate petition, signed by about 200 residents, urges Ogden City not to sell the Mount Ogden Golf Course for the development. Last Thursday, the Ogden City Council and Mayor Matthew Godfrey heard an update about the project. Godfrey is an avid supporter of the development.

Dave Hardman, president and CEO of the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce, said opposition to Peterson's plan stems from a general lack of knowledge about it. The project has and will continue to influence the economic viability of Ogden and the state, Hardman said in an interview Tuesday.

"There are people who don't want our community to change," he said.

Peterson declined to comment Tuesday on the proposed development. He is holding an open house today at Weber State to give details about the project and answer questions from the public. Display boards and a model gondola car will be on display.

Katie Barrett, a spokeswoman for Peterson, said Tuesday that he "believes the new development will help revitalize the city, put Weber State on the world map and stimulate growth."

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