They tricked us. They came to our doorstep bearing a basket of pancake mix and syrup, introducing themselves as the new neighbors. They listened to me talk about living up here, how much we love it, how we were good friends with the people who owned the house before them. They met our kids, our dog . They smiled as I shared about our dirt road life, but the goodie basket was a Trojan horse. There were clues along the way. They said they were four families who went in on the house together, but that they wouldn’t really be up here in the winter. No, not much in the summer, either. I discovered an LLC owns their property, an LLC associated with the sponsor of the West Hills incorporation push. A house down the road was also bought by “a group of friends,” but it’s under another LLC affiliated with the sponsor. Turns out he is connected to at least five LLCs which own lots in the area. All of these properties are inside the twisted but technically contiguous boundaries of the proposed municipality. What is the goal of these flapjack wielders? The town proponents claim the town is for “self-governance” purposes. That’s all well and good (though I think based on specious reasoning), but why would LLCs from Salt Lake City care about local representation of agricultural land in Summit County? Lots are being scooped up wherever possible, and people are asserting (contested) full-time residency, but very, very rarely is anyone in these “friend-group” houses. Same goes for the tiny homes that cropped up on these LLC-owned properties. It seems to me they are piecing together a hand-shaped puzzle at the cost of our way of life in a community which relishes the hard-fought pleasures of living off the beaten path. I feel betrayed by their chummy, red herring intentions. I believed them. I ate their pancakes. And now they’re coming right through our gates and seizing their spoils. I implore you to vote “no” to West Hills. Katie Guffey Kamas The post Trojan horse in West Hills appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less