Geneva Rock wants to expand its gravel mine at Point of the Mountain - Salt Lake Tribune

Geneva Rock is trying once again to expand its operations at the Point of the Mountain through a proposed zone change that would allow the company to begin mining 27 additional acres of land.

This is the second time the company has tried rezone the area, located in Draper and bordering Lehi.

The proposal has been met with fierce opposition from residents and air quality activists since 2018 when the company tried to expand its operations by 73 acres. However, it died during its first public hearing because the company dramatically reduced the proposed acreage, causing Draper Mayor Troy Walker to ask the company to proceed with its original proposal or withdraw and submit a new proposal with the reduced acreage.

Geneva ultimately decided to withdraw the proposal and try again at a later date.

That later date has come as activists, Draper residents and Geneva officials are set to appear before the City Planning Commission beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Draper City Hall to consider the revised proposal and allow the public to voice concerns and ask questions.

“It’s frustrating because we got the [Draper] City Council to weigh in on the subject and they were very clear they didn’t want Geneva to mine those areas because of its location and the increased population in the area,” Macfarlane said.

He said allowing Geneva to expand its mining operations at the Point of the Mountain is “increasingly dangerous” for residents in Lehi and Draper because of the silica found in the mining dust. Silica is a known carcinogen and Mcfarlane says it has been found to negatively impact brain development in fetuses and has been linked to brain disorders like dementia.

Adrian Dybwad, a concerned Draper resident who lives next to Geneva’s operation, said he and other residents are going to show strong opposition to the proposal. He is suspicious of Geneva’s intentions with the 27 acres pointing to the mass grading the company did a couple years ago.

“Instead of asking for a mining permit, Geneva went ahead and just started mass grading — AKA mining — without input from Draper or Lehi residents,” he said. “The move was meant to prevent the public from giving their input.”

If Draper City and Geneva Rock don’t reach an agreement, the city has warned, then the state will likely intervene, superseding the city’s authority on the issue.

Muriel Xochimitl, Draper City spokeswoman, said that Geneva’s application has undergone a rigorous review process by several experts and departments in the city to ensure the legality of the proposed changes.

“We want to make sure that the interests of our residents are considered while preserving the rights of private property owners,” she said.

While the proposal is asking to develop 27 acres, the company wants to reserve about 50 acres as open space for future development. Geneva also plans to give another 64 acres to Draper as open space.

The proposal says that the 50 acres of potential development will likely be used for residential and commercial development. However, Dave Kallas, Geneva spokesman, said that the company could potentially ask for a rezone to mine that area.

“Area 3 isn’t being requested for mining, but we did want to preserve the ability to use that for further development,” Kallas said.

The planning commission could vote to recommend the City Council approve or reject the application. It could also decide to table the plan.

Xochimitl said she didn’t know what the commission would do because it will make the decision after weighing arguments on both sides during the hearing.

The Salt Lake Tribune will update this story.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/02/27/geneva-rock-wants-expand

2020-02-27 19:04:50Z
CBMiSGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNsdHJpYi5jb20vbmV3cy9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDIwLzAyLzI3L2dlbmV2YS1yb2NrLXdhbnRzLWV4cGFuZNIBAA

Bagikan Berita Ini