HERRIMAN, Utah -- Some Herriman residents say their mountain is the wrong place for more housing, and they spoke out at a meeting held Wednesday night. But more homes might be built in the area, whether they like it or not.
Officials with Herriman City said they've received nearly 500 development applications to build homes here on the mountain. Residents expressed their concerns to the city council, saying they do not want to see this area covered in homes and pavement.
"We moved out here for the tranquility," said Becky Peterson, a resident of Herriman City.
Peterson, along with dozens of Herriman residents, packed the city council room on Wednesday night to Show their support for preserving the mountain in Herriman.
"I take my grandkids up there on a couple different occasions, I don't want to lose that,” Peterson said.
Developers said, with the economy picking up, they want to build more.
And they argue that if homes go up, they would create open space and trails, at no cost to the city. But the trails committee, who has been studying different options for the area, said that's not enough.
“There's room for growth in Herriman besides on the mountain, and I think a lot of those areas need to be looked at instead,” said Kami Jones, Chair of Herriman City Trails Committee.
But the final decision comes down to the property owners. The 3,000 acres of undeveloped land is privately owned.
“People move to Herriman because they love the feel of it out here, they like the open space and so it’s not surprising to see they're so supportive of preserving the mountain,” Jones said.
Several residents said they understand the property rights of the current owners but want the city to be able to buy the land if the opportunity arises.
Members of the city council said this is a very long process, and they don't know when a decision will be made. They're still accepting comments from residents.
