Statewide it's tough to say. But by the conclusion of Nov. 8, we'll know what residents in Sandy really think.

Sandy is home to Utah's first referendum that will either give giant retailers a collective "welcome to town" or "don't let the door hit you on the way out."

As campaigning has heightened in recent weeks, so has the clamor of trickery and deception in this Salt Lake County suburb where such retailers want to locate in a 107-acre, out-of-use gravel pit.

Here's a gravel-pit primer.

What will voters see at the ballot box?

Ballot language, authored by the Utah Supreme Court, reads: In November 2004, the Sandy City Council voted in favor of Ordinance No. 04-45. If approved by the voters, the ordinance will amend the zoning category applicable to the "Gravel Pit" (approximately 1000 East and 9400 South), to allow a number of new uses that are prohibited under the current zone. A vote "For" will approve those changes.

Shall Ordinance No. 04-45 be approved?

What does a "for" vote mean?

A "for" or yes vote is a nod in favor of The Boyer Co.'s plans.

Those plans call for a Super Wal-Mart and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse to be built in the southern and central area of the 107-acre pit. Boyer has also laid out plans for smaller retailers and restaurants running along Ski Connect Road, a five-lane, curved road that makes up the entrance of the property. Retail covers more than 56 acres.

The property's northern 31 acres is planned to be covered by housing with more than 300 townhomes and apartments.

What does an "against" vote mean?

An "against" equates to a no for Boyer's plans and preserves existing zoning.

What is the existing zone?

Talk of what to do with the gravel pit began as early as 1976. The Sandy City Council approved a Special District-Mixed Use zone for the land in June 1988.

It authorized nine "permitted uses" including: offices, banks, hotels, single-family residential, and open space. Boyer's plan for the big-box and smaller retailers were not allowed in that zone. That's why the Salt Lake City developer asked Sandy to rezone the land.

Will the existing zone allow Boyer to build 1,200 apartment units if the current plans are scuttled?

One of the conditional uses of the existing zone allows multifamily housing at a rate of 12 units per acre. The City Council would have to grant a conditional-use permit for a developer to build at that capacity.

There are 11 other conditional uses allowed in the existing zone. They include a reception center, light industrial and recreation centers.

The existing zone specifically prohibits 27 other uses, including supermarkets, state liquor stores and dance halls.

What about a 107-acre park?

Turning the pit into a regional park was an early rallying theme for residents opposing the big-box rezone. That included a campaign that saw "park - not parking lot" signs posted around the city.

A regional park, however, is too expensive for the city to buy, build and maintain. Save Our Communities (SOC), the resident group that forced the referendum, acknowledges that.

Heavy criticism has been directed at SOC members as some opponents say they tricked registered voters into signing referendum petitions by promising a park if Wal-Mart was blocked.

SOC officials say that didn't happen and add that the park has been an idea discussed for decades. Some members thought the city had committed to preserving the land as open space during hearings in the 1980s and beyond that.

What about open space?

Sandy intends to buy 8 acres on the northwest corner of the pit and turn it into soccer fields. SOC criticizes the move because Boyer already plans to turn the land into a retention basin used to hold rainwater coming off other areas of the development. They also complain that Boyer is taking credit for open space that the city is buying.

Sandy officials defend the move saying that more than half of Sandy's parks are retention basins that serve both functions.

The plans also call for another 6.5 acres in the southeast corner of the pit to be donated to Sandy as a park. There also are 5.5 acres of trails throughout the property.

Why does the city back the project?

The City Council voted, 5-2, in November to change the zone for Boyer's plans. That zone never took hold because of the referendum.

Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan says the two big-box retailers will leave the city if the project isn't permitted to proceed. Wal-Mart, at 10425 S. State St., and Lowe's, at 203 W. 9000 South, have told Sandy officials their current stores are too small and they have sold the properties.

Dolan says Sandy can't afford to loose the sales taxes that flow into the city if the two leave.

How much revenue do the retailers bring to Sandy?

Currently the city gets about $600,000 annually from the two big-box retailers.

The city thinks that total will double at the location because the stores will expand in size.

Friends of Quarry Bend - another resident group that backs the project and is funded by Wal-Mart - argue the shopping center will generate $3 million in annual sales taxes and $2.6 million in property taxes.

The idea that the city will get more sales-tax revenue is a contentious issue because SOC believes the money will be siphoned from other existing businesses.

Why is SOC opposed to the project?

Members believe Boyer's plans will have too many impacts on the area. The big-box retailers will cause traffic problems and other nearby commercial establishments will suffer, the group says.

The group views the land as a "gateway" to Sandy and hoped for compromise that saw the development come without the big boxes.

SOC is often criticized because of its connections to the Sandy Mall, another shopping center just blocks from the gravel pit at 9400 South and 700 East. Some feel that the Sandy Mall is organizing the opposition to stifle competition.

One SOC founding member is Cynthia Long, who has managed the Sandy Mall for 25 years. SOC members say they haven't received any financing from the Sandy Mall in nearly a year, although John Milliken, a principal in the Sandy Mall's ownership group, did give the group some funding.

That connection has dimmed recently as the shopping center came under contract with an out-of-state buyer months ago. The sale is still pending.

SOC member Gary Forbush is running against Dolan for the mayor's seat.

jsantini@sltrib.com