SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Council is asking residents to read the business plan for the inland port and weigh in ahead of a meeting next week.
"We have a unique opportunity to weigh in on future plans for the Utah Inland Port. The Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) has published a draft strategic business plan and is asking for public comment. This is the UIPA’s first strategic document and will be used over the next five years to direct its partnerships, policies, and programs. Implementation plans of specific projects statewide will follow from the plan’s strategies," the council said in an email to residents.
The council asked residents to read the plan and offer public comment at UIPA's meeting on June 22.
The inland port, a massive import-export center to be located west of Salt Lake City International Airport, is being pushed by the Utah State Legislature. It bypasses the typical customs process by fast-tracking goods from overseas, where they're brought in and then distributed across the region.
The project has been very controversial, facing protests from neighborhood and environmental activists who worry about pollution and increased traffic. Protests have disrupted nearly every meeting of UIPA. They have called for a public vote on the project. It was created over the objections of Salt Lake City, which has negotiated concessions. Still, the city is suing the state over its creation, effectively calling the project a "land grab" and stepping on Salt Lake City's taxing authority.
