SANDY, Utah — Utah’s paragliders are concerned that recent plans for development in Lehi will make their pastime unsafe.
Project Airtime Founder Chris Santacroce has been a full-time, professional competitive paraglider for 30 years and believes developments near their landing zone, the Southside Flight Park, will endanger everyone trying to land safely.
“What you see is nothing but clear air out in front of this hill. No terrain, no buildings, no nothing. Even a couple hundred feet down the hill there’s still nothing,” he said.
“It could be the end of the fun and safe Southside that we know,” said Santacroce.
Development plans, right below the park, will include 100 townhomes, 300 apartments and commercial space.
Heather Maslowski, a local paraglider, says there are currently no rules in place to restrict the height of these buildings, or even require the builders to ensure any flier’s safety.
“Large buildings create turbulence behind them and you can’t see turbulence but it affects a canopy in such a way that it could cause it to fall out of the sky,” she said.
She created a petition last year, asking for the governor’s oversight on the project. Since then, it has gathered more than 7,000 signatures.
"The danger of it is a bit analogous to plugging a boulder in the middle of a ski run, right?” She said. “You can survive, you can go around it, but is it smart? Is it safe? No."
Last year when the plans were first announced, the developers GWC Capital told FOX 13 News they were working with the flight community to find a solution, making “significant changes” to the site plan to accommodate wind flows.
