Thirteen acres.
That's all that stands in the way of an election to determine whether Granite -- an eroding community of about 2,000 people at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon -- should become the county's newest township. Such a city-like designation would enable the unincorporated burb to protect its boundaries from future annexations.
The trouble is, a petition drive meant to put the proposed Granite Township on the 2010 ballot didn't quite measure up.
While supporters gathered signatures from property owners representing 25 percent of the community's overall land value (they needed 10 percent), they failed to meet the threshold for land area by 13 acres. They needed 177 acres. They got 164.
It's not that they didn't have enough people sign the petition. It's that some signatures were thrown out because the residents didn't identify themselves as "trustees" over their property. Those dismissed signatures would have added 49 acres to the petition's tally.
So backers of Granite Township are pounding the pavement to fix the error.
"We are in the process of going back to those homes right now," Granite Community Council Chairman Mike Hansen said, "and getting this cleared up."
The relaunched petition drive has taken on more urgency as a group of property owners representing 12 acres near Dimple Dell pushes toward annexation. The group presented its plan to the Sandy City Council on Tuesday.
Those residents have submitted no formal petition to Sandy, but Granite supporters see it as yet another possible encroachment by their metropolitan neighbor into a community that traces its roots to pioneer days, when Mormon settlers established a quarry in Little Cottonwood Canyon to harvest stone for the Salt Lake City LDS temple.
If township advocates succeed in certifying their petition -- which contains the names of hundreds of community residents interested in voting on a proposed township -- Granite's borders would be locked down with no opportunity for annexation until at least the 2010 general election.
If voters then sign off, Granite would become the county's seventh township. The others are Magna, Kearns, Copperton, Millcreek, White City and Emigration Canyon.
$338 million » Value of all privately owned land within the proposed Granite Township.
$84 million » The combined land value of all properties listed in a petition to put the proposed township on the 2010 ballot.
1,766 » Number of acres within the proposed Granite Township.
164 » Acres included in the Granite petition.
13 » The "unlucky" number of acres short of getting the petition certified.
7 » The "lucky" number of townships in Salt Lake County if Granite gains that status.
