From Deseret News archives:
Utahns weigh in on land issues
The survey, commissioned by the Utah League of Cities and Towns, also showed that residents think open space is a priority in local planning. People responding to the survey were divided in their opinions about whether planning in their cities was "shortsighted," "developer friendly," "community based" or "long range."
The poll of 605 residents by Dan Jones & Associates was done Aug. 7-15 and had a margin of error of 4 percent.
Neil Abercrombie, a policy analyst with the league, said Monday he thought the poll showed Utahns are becoming increasingly interested in development issues. As a result, the league is looking to better educate municipal leaders about land-use regulations and public perceptions, he said.
Pollster Dan Jones said Monday he believes the survey could be a significant tool for local leaders, planners, property owners and developers — the groups that will shape future land-use decisions in Utah.
"What it really shows is that people are much more concerned today than they were 10 to 15 years ago about how open space is parceled out to contractors, individual homeowners or businesses," Jones said. "People are much more knowledgable about planning commissions and zoning regulations and how zoning comes about."
During the survey, residents were asked to list the three most important issues in their neighborhoods. All responses dealt with issues related to growth, with 27 percent saying education was the most important, 22 percent listing transportation, 18 percent listing crime, 15 percent listing growth and taxes and 9 percent listing overdevelopment.
In a separate question, 37 percent of the residents surveyed said local planning commissions should have the most input in development issues, while only 2 percent said the Legislature should have input. About 32 percent said that local leaders should "preserve open spaces to resist further development."
Chris Kyler, spokesman for the Utah Association of Realtors, said Monday the poll results didn't surprise him. But his group also believes local governments need better training on land-use laws, he said, because too often, they don't understand the law.
During the last legislative session, the Realtors association was one of many groups advocating for SB170, a bill that would have changed municipal land-use decisions to benefit individual landowners. The bill's sponsor, then-Sen. Al Mansell, R-Sandy, who at the time was head of the National Association of Realtors, said it was meant to send a message to cities to follow land-use laws.
The league and local planners opposed SB170, saying it was too restrictive and punitive and would take planning out of the hands of local governments.
The measure never received a hearing. Two replacement bills were instead passed. One added authority to the office of the Utah property-rights ombudsman to hear cases between municipalities and developers. The second required that local governments provide more information to people asking for a land-use decision.
Lincoln Shurtz, legislative analyst for the league, said his group and the Realtors are now working on legislation to remedy some of the issues raised with SB170 about land use.
E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com
