The Utah Supreme Court on Friday ruled that more than 50 landowners can disconnect from Bluffdale's southwest corner and temporarily become part of unincorporated Salt Lake County.

If everything goes according to developers' plans, that land will then become part of developer-friendly Herriman by October or November. Builders would begin building houses in January.

Friday's ruling was a bitter pill for Bluffdale leaders, but Mayor Claudia Anderson tried to put a positive spin on the long-awaited decision.

She said her city would continue to focus on preserving the rural feel that residents want.

"Bluffdale has always been a small city, and now it will be even smaller," she said. "Although the court has taken something away from Bluffdale, its small-town feel and rural values remain solidly intact."

The high court's decision to uphold a 3rd District Court ruling drew cheers from developers. The case had been pending for three years, but CEO of The Sorenson Group, James Lee Sorenson, said he has been struggling to garner approvals from Bluffdale for 14 years.

"This has been a long time coming," Sorenson said Friday afternoon, calling the decision a victory for property rights. "It lets us move forward with the disconnect process . . . and it opens up the opportunity for affordable development for residents in the state."

Developers' attorney Bruce Baird blamed Bluffdale for forcing the legal battle. He said the city dragged its feet and backtracked during negotiations.

As he laced up a pair of casual shoes in preparation for a visit to England following Friday morning's ruling, Baird joked that he would finally be able to enjoy his trip.

"My clients have suffered for a very long time," he said. "We look forward to a long and happy relationship with Herriman."

Herriman Mayor Lynn Crane, who also was preparing to board a plane when he got word of the decision, pointed out that his city has tried to stay out of the suit.

In 2004, Crane indicated that the likelihood of annexing the land into Herriman would be "pretty great," but on Friday he simply said his city would "evaluate all available options."

"This provides us the opportunity to look at annexation and the best way to move forward," he said.

Meanwhile, Bluffdale's mayor said that it "may be best for everyone that the proposed development be part of a different community."

She said her city was "bullied by developers" who wanted to change the feel of the community to generate more profit.

But the 3rd District decision the Supreme Court upheld blamed Bluffdale. District Judge Anthony Quinn had said it was impossible to negotiate with the city's administration because of pressure by residents, and that "leaving the property in the city will only prolong this dysfunctional and contentious process."

Annexation into Herriman would mean more units - and more cash for developers.

Herriman has less-stringent zoning guidelines that allow about four times the density as Bluffdale.

Sorenson said that would mean a wider variety of housing types that would keep costs down for homebuyers. He added that the resulting larger population base would attract more commercial development, helping Herriman achieve long-term sustainability.

But Dave Millheim, managing partner with Development Associates, said that the issue "was never about density."

"This was about private-property rights, following rules and the city's ability to service the project," he said. "We hold no ill-will toward Bluffdale. We're going to go into Herriman and build a quality project."

sgehrke@sltrib.com