NORTH SALT LAKE -- They're giving up and heading to court. Declaring that negotiations to resolve a land dispute with Salt Lake City have failed, North Salt Lake officials Monday asked Judge Darwin Hansen to move forward in the lawsuit with their southern neighbor. At issue is a disputed 80 acres of land that North Salt Lake owns within Salt Lake City boundaries. The lawsuit was filed in June in retaliation for Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's announcement that he would condemn and purchase 13 of the 80 acres at prices far below market value. That would have blocked any other additional development on the southeast portion of North Salt Lake's benches.

"Our side filed in 2nd District Court to move forward with litigation by giving the judge a 'notice to submit,'" said Attorney Brent Hatch, whose firm was hired by North Salt Lake.

For almost six months since Anderson moved for condemnation of the land, the two cities have bickered over which county will try the lawsuit and whether or not North Salt Lake will be able to succeed in its motion to have its acreage disconnected from Salt Lake City.

Officials anticipate that in the first hearing -- which could take from two weeks to two months --the judge will make a decision on a venue and will rule on Salt Lake city's motion to dismiss North Salt Lake's effort to disconnect the property, according to Hatch.

Officials in North Salt Lake had initially planned to develop 20 acres of land for resident housing, use 10 for a cemetery, and preserve the other 50 acres for open space and trails.

For the past three years, the North Salt Lake city council has approached the Salt Lake City council over this land which lies between their borders.

When Rocky Anderson held a rally, the situation escalated.

sclarke@davisclipper.com