Millcreek - a township of 65,000 residents right in the heart of the Salt Lake Valley is having growth issues just like some surrounding neighborhoods. These awesome communities right near downtown Salt Lake City and up against the beautiful Wasatch Mountains were developed in the 30's, 40's and 50's. These areas are of course incredibly desirable locations due to their convenience and mature vegetation. Many young families buy modest homes here to eventually turn the property into their "dream home". Here is where the conflict arises, "dream home" and comfortable place to raise their family is "monster mansion" and "eyesore" to someone else. Situations like these make a planning commission position thankless!
Jeremiah Stettler of the Salt Lake Tribune recently reported on the issue using this story: "The home wasn't much, but its location in east Millcreek made it a tantalizing purchase for young parents John and Stephanie Peterson, who hoped someday to replace their decades-old bricks and mortar with a bigger house better suited to their growing family.
But another dream had unfolded nearby in a tree-clustered neighborhood near Evergreen Avenue. There, Mario and Cheryl Nunez bought a home where occasional deer, raccoons and ducks provided a scenic solace from metropolitan Salt Lake City.
Just beyond their property line stood a towering black locust tree, planted in the late 1840s with seeds carried across the Midwestern prairie. A steel plaque identified it as the 28th sapling planted by Mormon pioneers.
But soon, the black locust was cut down to make way for a new upscale home. And for this reason, the Petersons discovered that their dreams for building their dream house might be downsized.
So these Millcreek residents -- on opposing sides of a sometimes-volatile development debate appealed to community leaders for help. Their message was the same: Protect our homes.
Salt Lake County has received hundreds of e-mails (close to 600, by the latest estimates) weighing in on plans to tighten Millcreek's building standards to prevent so-called "monster homes" from disrupting neighborhoods.
t's a breathtaking amount of public comment that reflects the divisiveness of this 2-year-old policy battle in which planners are seeking to balance the property rights of those wanting to up-size their homes and neighbors who want protection from houses that snug up to property lines, erode privacy and reshape skylines.
This debate that has intensified in recent weeks as the Millcreek Planning Commission pitches its latest plan for controlling growth. That proposal -- slated for discussion Thursday -- combines restrictions on building height, lot coverage and property setbacks with a standard that allows for larger homes, so long as they are compatible with surrounding neighborhoods.
Little consensus, and no clear majority, appears in the hundreds of pages of e-mail correspondence obtained from the county. And both sides claim to speak for the Millcreek majority.
At one point, county planner Tom Schafer lamented in an e-mail: "This issue has, I fear, assumed such emotional weight within the community that I don't believe anyone will truly be happy with any outcome."
That prediction may hold true this week as the Millcreek Planning Commission takes up its latest planning proposal. Both sides have expressed displeasure with the draft: one because the building restrictions go too far and the other because they don't go far enough.
Stephanie Peterson has a lot riding on that debate.
"We are planning on living here forever," the young mother of three explained. "If we cannot build a home that can accommodate our family, we probably will have to move."
But the same is true of resident Cheryl Nunez, who speaks about the neighbor children playing in her yard because there is not enough room on their own property. She hopes for building standards that will allow for a little more green space to keep her neighborhood's tree-scaped, historic atmosphere intact. She doesn't want rooftops to chase away the scenic seclusion, and occasional critters, outside her Millcreek home.
"We will keep at it," pledged Mayor Peter Corroon, "until the community councils say, 'Yes, this works' or 'No, we don't want it.' "
Salt Lake County has received hundreds of e-mails on proposed building restrictions for Millcreek. Among the comments offered:
"This is really about a few people's greed. The days of trusting people are gone. Someone needs to be willing to stand up and do the right thing." -- Barb Hansen
"Our desire is not to build an oversized property that would encroach on our neighbors or create a monstrosity or eyesore for our neighbors. Our intent is solely to provide a comfortable home for our family, which is something that myself, my wife and my children are certainly entitled to." -- John and Stephanie Peterson
"There needs to be some balance that achieves harmony and grace without radically altering the existing character of the neighborhood. While private-property rights are an important part of our heritage, we must preserve rights that all of us have to enjoy the character of our overall community." -- Jack and Itha Rampton
"Salt Lake County should simply enforce the existing standards in place now, rather than creating more restrictions on an area that wants to remain vibrant and diverse." -- Bruce Hutchinson
"Would you want a huge house built right next to you? Blocking your views and invading your privacy? Do you want to look out your window and see the wall of a house three to four times bigger than yours where you once saw trees and mountains?" -- Thuy Nguyen
"It seems there are more pressing issues that we, as a community, could work on like things that actually increase values like getting neighbors to not park cars on their lawns or perhaps eliminate some of the natural landscapes that are all weeds." -- Al Jager
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