By an 8-0 vote Tuesday, the Salt Lake County Council pledged $250,000 from its open-space fund, while Utah Open Lands agreed to raise the estimated $1 million balance of the land cost.
The deal hinges on acceptance from Sorenson Development Company, which owns the 192-acre parcel east of Ruth's Diner, and has a competing offer to consider. An appraisal - expected early next year - will be brought back before the council, whose members are willing to consider contributing up to $400,000 in additional cash.
Meantime, the potential partners heralded the public/private union as key in protecting a portion of the canyon that developers have eyed for more than a decade.
Wendy Fisher, Utah Open Lands executive director, said a barrage of phone calls from concerned Emigration Township residents got the group's attention. She told the council the meadow has long served as a popular spot for bicyclists and hiking enthusiasts to spy on the area's wildlife.
"Any development there destroys the ambiance and the natural value it has now," agreed Councilman Jim Bradley, a former Emigration Canyon resident.
Twenty-eight acres of the parcel are flat - highly coveted by developers and the reason for the high price. Yet Fisher is hopeful the remaining 164 acres of undevelopable "hillside" would be included in the deal, if approved by Sorenson.
"We'd like to see the entire area protected forever," she said.
On another land front, the County Council on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the 16 acres known as Grandeur Peak, near the mouth of Parleys Canyon.
The council has earmarked $290,000 in open-space money, also for Utah Open Lands, which would hold the conservation easement in the Grandeur Peak deal.
"We want to prevent the further creeping of homes up the hillside," said Rita Lund, a member on the county's open-space trust fund committee.
Tuesday's conservation efforts resurrected the council's pledge - also a drumbeat during this year's political campaigns - to evaluate land preservation across the entire county. As the new council takes shape early next month, it must determine the areas "most in need of open-space protection - rather than just be reactive," said Councilman Russell Skousen.
djensen@sltrib.com
