Sandy residents pushing for peace, quiet

SANDY — Humming engines, air brakes, metal ramps, blaring radios, loud horns and noisy back-up beepers — they're sounds neighbors of a mega-development hear constantly, as semitrailer trucks and delivery cars file in and out to drop off goods.

Residents in Sandy, however, have had enough.

Neighbors of developments Little Cottonwood Center and Quarry Bend are complaining that the big-box stores they live behind are violating noise ordinances, making drop-offs at all hours of the night. They are calling on the Sandy City Council to beef up an existing ordinance they say is too lax.

"I've lived here 25 years and have had eight years of hell," said Pat Russell, who lives on Tramway Drive directly behind an Albertsons and Home Depot at Little Cottonwood Center at 9400 South and Highland Drive

The street was named such because the Snowbird tram was visible from the homes. But their views disappeared when the shopping center was built eight years ago.

Although the development was constructed in the late '90s, Home Depot just opened this year. "The impact was really dialed up," Russell said.

"It was a very poorly inputted and planned development to start with. Let's just say the quality of life goes right out the window," she said, adding the vibrations shake her home. "Maybe it's between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. (the noise), but nevertheless, even if they kept the noise between those areas, it's enough to drive you nuts."

Tramway Drive Neighbor Gary Ricci says he has called police hundreds of times to complain about violations early in the morning or late at night. He has even gone as far as filming trucks and their drivers breaking the rules and says he has about 10 hours of video footage.

He and Gary Forbush, a 2005 mayoral candidate who lives near Quarry Bend, created the group Neighborhood Peace & Quiet Coalition of Sandy to tackle the noise.

"People need to see the human level of how difficult it is," he said. "They don't realize that if it's you behind that building, it's tough."

In spite of Ricci's numerous calls to police, only a handful of drivers have actually been cited, he said. At one point, he became so frustrated by the noise and slow response from police officers that he would park his car in front of the trucks. The action, and bringing his video camera, got him banned.

"We're up against a freight train," he said. "I'm just a little resident. I have no one's help. No one in public office is willing to help us."