FRUIT HEIGHTS -- The foothills that stretch along Davis County once teemed with wildlife. But time changes things. Now the hillsides bustle with creeping residential development, which every year climbs higher into the foothills.
The increasing population and development is what prompted the county to create a hillside master plan. The hillside plan, authored by Centerville city planner Aric Jensen and fashioned after the now complete Lakeshore Plan, involves the preservation of tracts of open space among the foothills and near the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.
After a number of public hearings on the subject, the Fruit Heights City Council is preparing for a visit from county planners to discuss the master plan further.
"It's basically a way to get the county and cities on the same page," explained Fruit Heights Mayor Rick Miller. "We're trying to see what would be in the best interest of the community [regarding the foothills]."
According to a Dan Jones poll conducted in 2002 when the plan was originally drafted, 92 percent of county residents said they want open space preservation on the foothills. The poll, which was commissioned by the Davis County Council of Governments, had a four percent margin of error.
"The majority of the citizens have said they would be willing to pay some sort of taxes for trails," Miller said. However, he said he has no numbers to reveal at this time, as the plan was not originally discussed in dollar amount.
"There are a lot of things that it [the plan] encompasses," he continued. "One is the preservation of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail."
Another involves hillside access for off-road vehicles. Miller said both these and other issues -- such as how much it will cost the city -- must be taken into consideration before anything is set in stone, and that the Fruit Heights council members are diligent in helping to formulate the best options for their city and its residents.
The hillside plan is aimed to affect all foothills along the Wasatch range that stretch across Davis County.
County planners will meet with city council members sometime within the next month to discuss further the master plan and what role the city will play in the plan.
"We're looking at areas to promote," Miller said. "Right now we're just trying to get things ratified."