Though the Mapleton City Council was unanimously opposed to the presented specifications of a proposed access road for Dr. Wendell Gibby's future subdivision on Maple Mountain, it voted to continue the discussion until Dec. 16. After a two-hour long deliberation, the council arrived at the decision in order to both give time to potential negotiations between Gibby and neighbors as well as avoid a rash decision that could have the city going back on its word.
In 2007 a deal was struck between Dr. Wendell Gibby, a Provo radiologist, and the Mapleton City Council that allowed Gibby to develop a 47-home neighborhood on his 120-acre Maple Mountain lot, while granting the city certain easements within that lot. Mapleton residents didn't like the idea of so much residential buildup on the mountain, and lawsuits from either side have continued ever since.
The specific issue at hand on Wednesday was the approval of two cross sections for road plans in Gibby's subdivision. The first, with 56 feet of right-of-way, 32 feet of asphalt, and a two-foot curb on either side, was somewhat contested, but unanimously passed. The second, however, with 29 feet of right-of-way and just 24 feet of paved surface, was almost unanimously disliked by the residents and the planning commission.
However, by denying either of these proposals, the council members feared they would be creating an impossible situation for Gibby, which might violate the memorandum of understanding between the two.
This second section was for the mouth of an access road (one of two in Gibby's planned subdivision) that feeds into the intersection of the eastern end of Maple Street and 1900 East. This access road runs between two residents' properties, Dee Thatcher's and Randy Graham's, coming down from a steep and winding path.
The crux of the argument was when city engineer Gary Calder highlighted slides from the study that predicted the passage of large trucks through this pinch point as a near impossibility. The narrowness of the mouth combined with the small radius of the curve that immediately follows presented a scenario wherein large trucks would take up the entire road from curb to curb.
Additionally, the study showed that between 60 and 70 percent of all traffic from the subdivision, a total of 47 homes, would feed through this access. Combined with snow, this could be a recipe for disaster, many residents pointed out.
"The Thatcher's (residents living on the South edge of the road) bedroom is ten yards away," said Steve Aldana, founder of savemaplemountain.com. "I would be horrified to know that the only thing between me and that road is a snowpacked jersey barrier. It's more akin to a luge than a road."
Many citizens voiced the concern that the council, in the face of overwhelming opinion to the contrary, would yield to Dr. Gibby in an effort to dissipate the pending lawsuits.
"It's damaging to the coffers of Mapleton City, and they just want to get this behind them," Thatcher said.
Nearly every resident made an appeal to the council that it make the right choice despite the litigation. However, nearly every council member then voiced disappointment that the residents thought pressure from Gibby would dictate their choice.
"I can't speak for other council members, but I can't imagine any of them being coerced into making a decision," council member Ann Tolley said.
"I am concerned about the Thatchers, because they are greatly impacted because they are downhill," said Councilman Brian Wall, listing snow, drainage, and kicked up rocks as concerns.
"It goes against all my engineering knowledge is that safer is smaller, thinner, and tighter," he said.
Judy Gibby closed the public hearing with an appeal to compromise.
"It makes me sad that so many people don't feel a compulsion to give someone their property rights," she said. "I feel it is just an attempt to stop development." She noted that she and Dr. Gibby had attempted to cooperate with neighbors, with which neighbors disagreed.
Posted in Mapleton on Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:15 am Updated: 2:08 pm. | Tags: Mapleton
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