For now, Wasatch County residents will not see plans for additional development from Philo Development near the Wasatch Highlands area. That’s because the Wasatch County Council on Wednesday stopped Philo Development’s request for a legislative development agreement. The agreement would have allowed the developer to build about 144 lots on about 740 acres of land owned by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, or SITLA, while current zoning would allow development of up to one unit per 160 acres. A legislative development agreement is often used as a workaround for developers, but it can also benefit municipalities and local governments. Wasatch County has utilized such an agreement twice with the 75-foot-tall SkyRidge community lodge and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Heber Valley Temple. Local governments can ask for circumstances like more affordable housing or open space with such agreements. The legislative development agreement sought by Philo Development was required to be heard by the county in a public meeting, held on Wednesday. The County Council informally voted down the request.  County Councilor Spencer Park said it seemed there would be high risk with “not a lot of reward” for the project. Councilor Colleen Bonner agreed.  “I think we’re more of a pro-responsible growth, and this doesn’t seem responsible,” Bonner said.  Councilors Michael Murphy and Luke Searle echoed the sentiment.  “It kind of seems like they’re shooting for the stars, but they land on the moon as far as the density requirement,” Murphy said. “There are too many units for that area.” Searle added, “And legislative development agreements, I’d hope that we use them sparingly and that we’d see benefits coming from that.” When asked to outline the benefits to the county, Philo Development’s Greg Whitehead referenced access to public land.  “Our intent is to build the trails and connect the trails that are already there, as well as build a nice riverwalk park,” Whitehead said.  Though County Councilor Erik Rowland said it’s an exercise of “damage control” to work with Philo Development’s legislative development request on the heels of challenges with situations like the Wasatch Highlands preliminary municipality proposal, for which Whitehead is the primary sponsor.  Rowland said the legislative development agreement request does not align with the county’s vision, which is outlined in the recently updated General Plan.  The General Plan discourages density in Wildland Urban Interface areas to limit infrastructure costs and protect natural resources. A small portion of the 740 acres of SITLA land lay within Wildland Urban Interface areas. Water was also a major issue for the County Council, and most councilors agreed there may not be enough to support high density on the land.  Whitehead acknowledged the seemingly unanimous opposition to the legislative development agreement.  “We’re not welcome to develop in Wasatch County is what that sounds like,” Whitehead said.  The County Council has never fully backed development on the land, owned by the Christensen family and SITLA, while Philo Development has been involved.  The matter dates back to 2004 when SITLA applied for a rezone of the property, which the county denied. SITLA sought another rezone in 2019, which was also denied. The rezoning would transition from land where development is limited due to the remoteness of services, topography and environmental issues, to the mountain zone, which allows development in mountainous areas of the county that may or may not have ready services.  But Philo Development CEO Chad Staley said the group has been shuffled between the county and Heber City for further discussions.  “I think it’s probably important to recognize that this has been a process that we’ve been engaged with the county for the last four years, or nearly four years,” Staley said.  The County Council, which held the discussion in a work meeting where no formal action is usually taken, unanimously agreed that a legislative development agreement with Philo Development should not be pursued in its current form.  “I don’t think there was any point at which the county was championing this project,” Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau said. The post Wasatch County says ‘no’ to a development agreement with Philo Development appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less