Buildings and construction and development, oh my!
In a recent op-ed, Vaughn Cox, a Granite City Council member, seems to think that the recent Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act would allow the ski resorts to expand their development and boundaries up to 25, 50 or 100 percent by exchanging private lands. While the resorts will have some developmental rights at their bases, the bill will not allow development beyond small areas.
In reality, the legislation freezes ski resort boundaries in U.S. Forest Service lands to limit future expansion. If Cox wants to make egregious claims such as those, I urge everyone who has read his op-ed to review the responses of the Central Wasatch Commission here to get the real facts: https://utah.gov/pmn/files/412541.pdf.
The CWNCRA bill would help guide the canyons development, focusing on the environment, public lands and recreation. Without this bill, the resorts would have free rein to develop lands and expand their already-large boundaries in our precious canyons.
Ilan Hammond, Salt Lake City