Deseret News | Sierra Club calls land buy for Legacy connector risky

Reader comments
Sierra Club calls land buy for Legacy connector risky

Ben H | 6:30 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

Let's see...we already have Lagoon, Front Runner, a major highway interchange, shopping centers, the Davis County prison and a whole bunch of other noisy and polluting stuff in the adjacent area...how is opposing this purchase going to make a difference?

Anonymous | 6:54 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

I seriously doubt that the Legacy North will ever be built. Not because of environmental impact to wetlands, but because of the fact that we are racing towards a permanent energy crisis of unprecedented seriousness. A crisis that will force us to make fundamental changes to the way we scatter ourselves on the landscape and move around. Peak oil isn't a secret, it's just that most people haven't been paying attention.
Another reason not to be paying for corridor preservation at the moment is because land values are more likely to begin going down in the future. Housing has been seriously overbuilt and there are already far more houses on the market than there are Utahns who are willing and able to buy them. Your tax money would be used to buy land at the over-inflated current price, land that will probably be resold later at a steep discount when it becomes apparent that Legacy North will never happen.

ex_lib_loon | 8:17 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

I am gald that simeine else has to put up with the exportation of the California blight " The Sierra Club". They are all about feeling good about themselves and than going to their locate meeting hall to hottub, have some wine and cheese, while looking for another ture and genuine relationship. I have had to haul truck loads of freeze dired packets off the Muir trial these flks left. Their club houses are safe the the Sierras because of restcictions the have had put in place. NIMBY

Comments continue below

Guaglione | 8:29 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

So the Sierra club is trying to blackmail UDOT?

Mike | 8:48 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

It is not risky at all. If they buy it now it preserves their options without requiring the State to later turn around and condem peoples property. If at some time they decide they are not going to build it they can always turn around as sell it and property will have become more scarce in the area and they can sell it for a profit. Typical Sierra Club interference. I have never seen a supportive alternative suggestion presented by the Sierra Club only obstruction to any growth or progress.

CKS | 9:21 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

I doubt the Sierra Club has any alternatives other than regress back to the cart and wagon days. Public transportation outside of Salt Lake county is viewed as an expensive joke (one report I read stated that Frontrunner will only reduce I-15 traffic by 5% where as Legacy will pull 30% off of I-15). We had things ready to go in 2001. We would be working on the northern half of Legacy now if the Sierra club and Rocky Anderson hadn't determined that forcing me to idle on I-15 for 1.5 hours was a better alternative.

Any time I see the title "Sierra Club" in the headline, my first thought is "Oh no not again, what unreasonable excuse will we have to wait on now?"

Doug | 9:47 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

Well said Mike. I also agree with CKS except for the 5% figure for Frontrunner. 5% of the I-15 traffic would be very optimistic. I expect it to be around 2% (and that would included the doctored numbers UTA will present).

VDW | 9:54 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

What never gets mentioned in these articles is the fact that the route of the Legacy Connector will absorb a 300'path running the full western length of the Davis County Fairgrounds which will render the fairgrounds useless or at best needing to relocate at a considerable cost increase. Those residents west of the connector will loose direct access to the fairgrounds. It will devide the west side of the city into 2-3 sections with all city services on the east side of I-15. Sierra Club aside, as a resident of west Farmington we have had our share of public infrastructure to deal with in the name of progress.

Dian | 10:33 a.m. Aug. 21, 2007

It is apparent most of Davis County society has focused on their own selfish needs and have justified any change to meet their need as progress. They could not hope to appreciate the fox, eagle, geese, duck, pheasant, deer, etc. that exist in their natural habitat in West Farmington. God has entrusted us to take care of all his creatures.

The risk | 12:02 p.m. Aug. 21, 2007

the Sierra Club is concerned with isn't to the environment. It is a not-so-veiled warning about the cost to the State their lawsuit will bring if the north connector route is built.

Miner's Mom | 1:10 p.m. Aug. 21, 2007

RISK?????? RISK???? What is at RISK? A cricket?? A duck egg? What about the lives that have been lost on I-15 while this highway has been delayed over and over by the Sierra Club & Mr. Anderson! Have you Sierra Club people driven this northern I-15 corrider during rush hour nighmare?
I am in favor of caring for this earth and the beauties that have been put here for us to care for and enjoy and indeed protect, but isn't human life worth something? I guess it's all a matter of perspective. Being closely involved in the mine tragedy in Eastern Utah, this seems like such a petty thing, again, at the cost of how many human lives?

Heidi | 2:17 p.m. Aug. 21, 2007

Hear, hear!!!

Thanks UDOT | 2:32 p.m. Aug. 21, 2007

I'm glad that someone is thinking of the future by purchasing land and planning for the future demands of an increasinly high-density area.

Unfortunately, the roads must go somewhere to accomodate the growth and we all gain by having safer, wider, and easier ways to get to/from work.

I appreciate the need to protect the environment, but that requires more than banning roads - it requires restricting building anywhere (perhaps a sign that simply says: "Sorry, we're not accepting any new residents until some people die off" Signed Davis County).

Please let common sense prevail at this point (not emotional cries / fear). It is quite simple isn't it? If we all want to live here, we need roads to support the growth.

Thanks UDOT for thinking ahead. I'm delighted that the Legacy highway is coming and I also support the mass transit system -- the future requires good planning now -- and I'm glad you are getting it done.

Wondering | 2:43 p.m. Aug. 21, 2007

Do land prices ever really go down? Mike's got it right, I think.

JB | 3:49 p.m. Aug. 21, 2007

I for one am troubled by UDOT's decision to put the connector in Farmington. There will be 3 freeways running North and South in one of the narrowest areas along the Wasatch front. To me, it would make more sense to upgrade I-15 in this bottle neck and then have a connector further north where there is more room. Farmington should not be forced to have 3 freeways dividing the community.

Barbara | 9:22 a.m. Aug. 22, 2007

After sitting in many public meetings where the Sierra Club was involved, I know they tell half truths. As for the "dozens" who spoke--whats the real number. As for moving the county fair grounds, aerial photos show they could move the parking lot and still stay there. Bridges are also built to help people get around. Right now, there are less than 40 homes that are even near the road. Look how many people were displaced when 215 was built. In a major disaster, SLC would be land locked with no escape route to the north. An alternative is needed. People need to live here too.

UDOT NO!!!!!!! | 2:18 p.m. Aug. 22, 2007

I live with in 1/2 mile or less of the Legacy Center and Fair grounds and have sat in the many meetings with udot and I can tell you that they do not plan to put brigdes up they told us they would dead end my roads and I would be forced to only leave my neighborhood going south then double back to a freeway on ramp north of me. Having lived here for 10 yrs and counting I see the need for better planned roads what I don't see is a need to finalize a road that they have not yet finalized the northen connection for yet. we are putting the cart before the horse. and yes our country life is a whole nother matter. We can't keep looking at why the road was stopped in the past but we can save a city that has too many other dividers in it already. So lets bann together and Save Farmington.

Caution | 11:10 a.m. Aug. 24, 2007

Caution needs to be used in building this extension. Having the Legacy Parkway, Legacy North, James V. Hansen Highway and I-15 all with in a few miles of each other is too much. If this situation existed in any other city along the Wasatch front there would be upset citizens in that area. The effect on the environment and property values are substantial concerns that need to slow the decision making process. If the Sierra Club is how this is to come about than I am grateful.

DM | 7:43 p.m. Aug. 25, 2007

Farmington is a small town sandwiched between mountains and a lake (wetlands). As mentioned it already has I-15, Legacy and Hghwy 89 with a huge interchange growing like some deformed beast or mountain in the middle of it. What is so upsetting is that after Legacy was finally planned, Farmington citizens believed that our freeway location worries were over and people had moved to West Farmington, investing large amounts of their lives and finances into this area. Many brand new large beautiful homes have just been built there. There are also those that have lived there all of their lives in a peaceful rural atmosphere. To suddenly have a freeway in your backyard is not fun.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.