So says Mark Hurst, chairman of the recently formed Holladay Citizens United. The group is worried that a long-awaited plan to redevelop the 57-acre Cottonwood Mall property could die if officials deny public funding for costly infrastructure upgrades.

That, he said, could cause the developer to pull out and leave the area to languish. The old enclosed mall, which first opened in 1962, is currently being demolished, except for Macy's at its north end.

"We heard there could be a vote about this as soon as Jan. 15," Hurst said of his group's motives. "We felt we had to let our voices be heard before that, so we scrambled to get this put together."

Now registered with the state as a political-action committee, Holladay Citizens United boasts about 50 members, who coughed up $7,500 for the first mailer, Hurst said.

Developer General Growth Properties executive Kris Longson said his company has nothing to do with the group's efforts. But Hurst, "in the interest of full disclosure," has acknowledged that Longson is his neighbor.

Holladay Citizens United's concern is the possibility that the Granite School Board will refuse to participate in turning over some of its future property-tax dollars to the project. If that happens, its no vote as an affected taxing entity could help kill it.

The taxing entities - the school district, county, city and other service providers - have been asked to forgo 78 percent of future property-tax revenues from the project's first 20 years.

Granite official David Garrett acknowledges that the developer "didn't have a lot of room to move anything around" without district and city support.

Holladay Citizens United worries that without the project, Holladay could lose the bulk of its sales-tax base - and property taxes would likely have to increase to fund basic city services.

"Holladay incorporated in 1999, specifically with the Cottonwood Mall as the centerpiece of our tax base," Hurst said. "Something has to be built there, and it has to be a project that works."

Garrett's worry: the district would lose an estimated $52 million over 20 years.

This despite the district and other entities getting 22 percent of new property-tax collections generated by the project. For the district, that could total nearly $1 million each year.

A Friday e-mail to The Salt Lake Tribune from Utah Taxpayer Association Vice President Royce Van Tassell stated his organization's opposition to the Cottonwood Mall project.

"The tens of millions of dollars cities and developers want to take out of Utah classrooms is staggering," Van Tassell wrote.

cmckitrick@sltrib.com