A new feasibility study for the modified West Hills proposal has indicated the town could be financially successful near Kamas and Hideout, paving the way for the incorporation process to proceed with a public hearing set for early next year.The West Hills boundaries created by sponsor Derek Anderson, a Salt Lake City real estate attorney, have been redrawn at least three times since the new town was first proposed last year. Each map so far has run into issues because of the state’s population requirements for town incorporations as property owners have asked to be excluded from the project.The total proposed acreage for West Hills is now 3,635 acres, according to the latest map. It’s the second feasibility study conducted by LRB Public Finance Advisors, the firm that previously found West Hills could feasibly exist along S.R. 248.Now, however, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office is no longer accepting or granting exclusion requests, including those submitted by property owners that were not previously included in the boundaries. The law also states that Anderson doesn’t need prior approval from a landowner to include them in the proposed boundary.According to the latest study, if West Hills is incorporated but does not construct a government building office, the town would have a revenue margin of 5.56% — a financially viable option for incorporation.“An additional levy is needed to balance the proposed budget and provide sufficient funding for the study area in year one only,” the study added.The study estimates 103 people would live within the current proposed boundaries, which meets the state’s requirements of at least 100 residents. By 2029, the study claims around 574 people would reside in West Hills, or a 557% increase in population in five years. Eastern Summit County community members have regularly expressed concerns about the town size and development timeline. There are also no public facilities that currently exist within the West Hills boundary.Despite the projected 5.56% revenue, the study notes there is still risk associated with the proposed town.“As West Hills does not presently generate retail point of sale revenue, the fiscal sustainability of the study area is contingent upon proposed commercial and industrial development,” the study said. “In the event that this development does not transpire or proceeds at slower rates than modeled in this study, it is likely that total revenues would not offset total expenditures.”In a letter to LRB Public Finance Advisors, Summit County Community Development Director Peter Barnes said it would make more sense for the area to incorporate into Kamas rather than go through the process to create a new town.“The revised property boundary has resulted in a geographically disjointed land area that exacerbates the existing challenges,” Barnes wrote. “The lack of an obvious center and the additional fingers (somewhat arthritic fingers) of properties extending to the north will make the provision of services unnecessarily complex and inefficient.”Anderson said the redrawn map is smaller in size than the original proposal. He’s been adamant he’s done his best to conform to landowners’ desires as much as possible, hence “the unique shape.”“Our goal is to come up with a plan that would create more land use freedom and flexibility for landowners and to limit or reduce the current tax burden imposed by the County. We believe the feasibility study shows how we can accomplish these goals and do even better than what is projected,” Anderson said on Tuesday. “We were able to significantly improve our proposal based on comments made last public hearing and look forward to additional feedback during the next meeting so we can continue to refine our path forward.”The public hearing is set for 6 p.m. on Jan. 6 at South Summit Middle School. Summit County residents are invited to submit questions for LRB Public Finance Advisors about West Hills for the second public hearingAfter the public hearing, a petition for incorporation will be filed. Anderson has until September 2025 to garner enough signatures to make it onto the general election ballot.The signatures must total at least 7% of the assessed land value and 10% of the land area, based on the value and acreage of each signer’s property, according to the state. It will be the registered voters who live within the proposed West Hills to decide if the area will be incorporated or not, if the process gets to that phase.Summit County does not have the authority to approve or deny the creation of a new municipality, nor can it vote on the incorporation as a government entity or property owner.The post West Hills public hearing set for January appeared first on Park Record.