This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
South Jordan City has dropped a lawsuit it filed against West Jordan City over a property and zoning dispute — a situation resolved with no apparent hard feelings between the municipalities, whose city officials have promised continued partnership with one another.
West Jordan's City Council in May reconsidered and then approved South Jordan's request to rezone five acres of land straddling their boundaries and unincorporated Salt Lake County. South Jordan will use the land to develop a 5-million-gallon water tank to provide culinary water to its residents.
"You don't typically locate public facilities for your city in a different city on a different city's land," said Kim Wells, a spokeswoman for West Jordan, though she noted in a later email that other cities have dealt with the issue in the past. Overall, she added that West Jordan is "thrilled that we're not going to have to go to court over it."
Skipping a trip to the courtroom may be the only advantage West Jordan gets from the deal. The city won't benefit from property tax revenue on the site, Wells said.
"I don't think we're looking to benefit in any way," she said. "We're happy that they're able to get their infrastructure in place and to move that project forward so that they can get the water they need for the residents and their businesses."
Though West Jordan's Planning Commission had given preliminary approval to South Jordan's request, all seven West Jordan City Council members voted against the rezoning measure in January, prompting the lawsuit.
During West Jordan's discussion of the measure then, council members discussed how a decision to block South Jordan's project could cause tension between the cities. Now that the issue has been resolved, the cities want to put any appearance of discord behind them.
"In the press, it was trying to be predicted that our cities were not getting along and that is not the case," said Mayor Kim Rolfe at the May council meeting.
In fact, South Jordan Mayor Dave Alvord indicated a need for the cities to work more closely than ever moving forward, as the population on Salt Lake County's west side grows.
"Our cities are next to each other in geography and we share a last name, but more than that, I think that we share a destiny together," he said at the meeting. "We need to lobby together, we need to work together, [and] we need to rally together. And so it's in that spirit of friendship and cooperation that I just wanted to thank you for considering this rezone for a second time."
Tina Brown, a spokeswoman for South Jordan, told The Tribune that the city estimates development on the water reservoir will begin as soon as this fall. She said the city will attend West Jordan's Planning Commission meeting Tuesday to get the site plan approved and will then need to secure a bid and get a contract together before the city can break ground.
Twitter: @tstevens95