12/12/2023
From the Ogden Valley News
Weber County Commissioners Defy Community: Vote to Approve Eden Crossing Action Items
By Shanna Francis
A large crowd assembled in the County Commission Chambers at the Weber Center in Ogden on the evening of December 5—most of them wearing red—to show their opposition to two county commission agenda items that were being considered at a Weber County Commission meeting. The items were connected to the controversial development plans called Eden Crossing, which is being proposed by long-time Eden developer John Lewis who moved to Eden from California with many of his extended family to set up a long-term development company in the Valley after graduating in the field. To date, Lewis had developed numerous subdivisions across the Valley; however, primarily in Eden. One of his first subdivision being Fairway Oaks, located directly north of Patio Springs subdivision in Eden. Another early development was Moose Hollow, located near Wolf Creek Resort, which was promoted as “affordable housing.”
The two action items on the December 5 agenda included:
1. Action on an ordinance to amend the street regulating plan for New Town Eden and Old Town Eden (even though it is alleged that a street-regulating plan was never legally adopted for New Town Eden) and a proposed amendment to the architectural theme requirements and standard of the form-based zone to allow a wider range of style options.
2. Action on an ordinance to amend the Weber County Zoning map, rezoning and possible development agreement on approximately 20 acres of land at approximately 5204 East Highway 166 in Eden from the AV-3 (agricultural) zone to the form-based zone. This parcel is accessed off of 166 about halfway between Eden’s Valley Market and Carlos and Harley’s.
A public hearing was held to take comments for and against the two proposed actions. In a last-minute notice, however, distributed by the Weber County Commission office, it was announced that the county would only take ten comments in favor of the proposed action items and ten comments against them. In addition, it was announced that each speaker would only have three minutes to express their views. Also, speakers were required to sign up to speak 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the public hearing on a sign-up sheet inside the chambers. This meant that those participating by Zoom were not able to sign-up and be heard.
Once the meeting began, a sea of red began filling the commission chambers to overflowing, with most of those attending wearing red as an indication of their strong disapproval of the proposed Eden Crossing proposals. So many attended, some had to stand outside the meeting room behind glass windows. Even families with young children attended with kids in tow. According to one count, 275 attended the meeting in person with another 140 attending online. Clearly, those against the proposed actions were in the majority, which was indicated by the overwhelming amount of red attire, which represented the desire to stop the high-density development that is being proposed in the middle of an agriculturally zoned area surrounded by single-family homes.
Because of the limitation on public input, some of the ten speakers wanting to express their views against the proposals, yielded their three minutes to two acting attorneys representing a large group opposing the street-regulating plan and rezone, the attorney’s being financed primarily by a variety of community members from within and outside of Ogden Valley.
Speakers in favor of and against the proposed actions were alternately allowed to express their views. While the crowd was full of people ready and wanting to speak against the proposed actions, apparently, speakers in favor of the proposed changes were a bit more difficult to come by, as two of the ten included both the mother and father of one of the applicants. Also, long-time Gage Froerer supporter Laura Warburton and her husband Bruce expressed their support, and even an employee or contractor for the petitioner.
Ultimately, despite the overwhelming public sentiment against the rezone and new street-regulating plan, the commissioners voted against the people in favor of the petitioner. On the first item, on the amendment to the street-regulating plan, all three commissioners—Sharon Bolos, Gage Froerer, and Jim Harvey—voted in favor of it. On the second vote, on the rezone, Bolos voted against it with Froerer and Harvey voting in favor of it.
While the commissioners approved the action items, another first hurdle Eden Crossing petitioners had to overcome so they could move forward with initial plans—a high-rise hotel, condos, and a shopping plaza—many challenges still remain: a slowing economy, legal challenges, overwhelming public antagonism toward the project, inflation and the rising prices to complete an already-begun sewer project that was counting on the approval of the rezone (the commissioners approved federal ARPA funds to help finance a new sewer line for the petitioner that took a detour to accommodate the Eden Crossing rezone, even before the commissioners approved the rezone), no secured water rights to serve the development being proposed, no approved sewer district or treatment facility to treat the sewer that the high-density development would generate, and the possible incorporation of Ogden Valley that could take place in less than a year that would require the developer to deal with new city leaders to complete their proposed project who may not be as accommodating as the current county commission has been. Clearly, there remains, many more Eden bridges to cross before Eden Crossing’s hurdles can be bridged.
