Corroon is focusing on regional planning

Salt Lake County leaders are trying to break out of a historical funk of approving "thoughtless annexations" without considering the bigger picture.

Mayor Peter Corroon is embarking on a "patchwork master plan" for the southwest corner of the Salt Lake Valley. The effort is part of an overall move to start regional planning, rather than each city having a different standard.

The southwest corner of the Salt Lake Valley is "an area that's growing tremendously," Corroon said. With that growth come problems if proper planning isn't in place, he said.

"Because of the growth going on down there, there is a lot of friction between the wants of those developing and the current master plan," Corroon said. "The current master plan didn't anticipate this rapid growth in that area. The goal of this patchwork master plan is to look at what is currently going on and try to come up with a plan that incorporates the rapid growth."

The move comes on the heels of a unanimous vote Tuesday by the County Council protesting a petition to annex 55 acres into Herriman city.

"It seems piecemeal, and it seems to be one of the problems historically with Salt Lake County — our thoughtless annexations," Councilman Jim Bradley said. "I just want to make sure people are giving thought and planning to this process."

Councilman Michael Jensen, who represents the west side, said Tuesday's vote was more of a "time-out" to work through issues with Herriman officials.

He said county and city officials need to have uniform standards for development across municipal lines. Often Herriman officials get frustrated with residents of unincorporated areas who use city facilities but don't pay city taxes.

"Maybe the county needs to build some parks down there," Jensen said. "It's not fair if our residents are not paying for it but are using those amenities."

Herriman officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The southwest corner of the valley is just one of the county's planning concerns.

The west bench, stretching from the county's southern border to Davis County, is expected to go through a huge transformation in the next 75 years — with 500,000 people moving in. The County Council in December gave approval to hire a five-person planning team for the area.

Corroon already has hired a consultant to manage the planning of 75,000 acres along the valley's west bench.

Most of the land lies in unincorporated Salt Lake County, and at least four major county documents will govern the development, said county planning director Jeff Daugherty. It is those documents that planners want the consultant to oversee.

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