'Monster home' issue may be resolved by end of year

A near-epic struggle to adopt new zoning regulations for Millcreek Township — an effort touched off by residents' concern about so-called monster homes ruining neighborhood character — may be resolved by the end of the year.

The issue is now before the Salt Lake County Council and will be reviewed in a series of special subcommittee meetings on its way to yet another public hearing Oct. 20.

The saga tracks back to early 2007 and includes a zoning-change plan first posed by a committee of stakeholders. The plan has since passed through a roller-coaster review process, including weigh-ins from the four Millcreek community councils, extensive testimony at multiple public hearings and a long stay on the desks of the Millcreek Township Planning Commission.

The commission, charged with the official duties of reviewing zoning changes, submitted its final iteration to the County Council in July. The end result, according to commission chairman Gary Sackett, found an appropriate, albeit unpopular, middle ground.

The proposal provides options including fast-track construction, allowance for bigger homes based on nearby existing houses and submitting building plans for special consideration.

"We've ended up with something that most people don't like," Sackett said.

"They're either on one end or the other," he said. "That's because people's views about this issue are of a very wide spectrum."

Those views, Sackett said, range from people who feel the commission proposal does not go far enough to restrict the size of newly built homes to people who feel the measure would be too restrictive. That range of opinion has been reflected in the testimony heard at public hearings held on the zoning issue.

Arguments that restricting the size of new homes infringes on individual property rights and stunts the natural evolution of neighborhood development clashed with the notion that the context of a neighborhood matters, and an individual can adversely affect a neighbor's quality of life by constructing an oversize dwelling.

Community councils in Mount Olympus, East Millcreek, Millcreek and Canyon Rim are also split on the issue, with two endorsing the commission's proposal and two opposing it.

The County Council, which can accept the proposal as is, reject it or amend it, has slated a final vote for Oct. 27.

e-mail: araymond@desnews.com