"We know we are going to have to have an interchange in Farmington," said Farmington City Mayor Scott Harbertson. "We don't like it, but we know it has to happen."
Discussions between the two groups were going on late Tuesday, with UDOT saying it wants Farmington City's opinion, and Farmington City wanting cooperation. Farmington City outlined what it wanted from UDOT during Tuesday's council meeting.
"They keep telling us they would like to include us in discussions," said Harbertson. However, Farmington City believes that every time they ask UDOT for studies proving that the Park Lane corridor would be best, UDOT says those studies are impossible to make.
"We get the comment from UDOT that the transportation committee is unsettled about any land trade with CenterCal, but they can't really provide any studies," said Harbertson. "Then they also say that they can't make that other study on Park Lane."
The land being looked at is where the TRAX station and a parking lot sit. Harbertson and city council members believe that will end up expanding in the future.
Farmington hopes to see a study from UDOT on the possibility of a westerly route and would also like to include more people in the discussions.
"We ought to see if we can get the city, UDOT and major developers together to find a solution to this," said city manager Max Forbush.
One solution the city would like to see looked at is the possibility of an EIS. That statement would include the impact of the different routes on the community.
"This thing can ruin the entire fabric and make-up of our community," said Harbertson. Community impact is one of the criteria for an EIS.
"If UDOT puts broad strokes on the plan, it's going to look like the whole neighborhood will be painted over, and that's going to get a reaction," said council member Cory Ritz.
"We are stewards to our city," said Forbush. "We have to keep the city's best interest in mind."
sroberts@davisclipper.com
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