The promise came after the city denied America West Development developer Ron Martinez his mixed use proposal and Martinez felt the city denied him to keep renters and high-density pockets out of the city. He accused Farmington officials of “backroom dealings” which they continue to deny. Martinez believes the city has an agenda to keep renters and poor people out, which was brought to the attention of the ACLU.
The next set of accusations toward the city came in October in a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, quoting a statement from planning commission chairman Kevin Poff about Farmington disliking both renters and poor people. Farmington City has also been re-zoning much of their older neighborhoods from R-2 to R, making them only single-family dwellings.
The ACLU says Farmington City needs to have affordable housing available, especially with the way the economy is right now. “It’s impractical for a community to keep people out if they want to continue growing,” said ACLU attorney, Marina Lowe.
Both the Martinez denial and the sudden re-zoning issues have brought Farmington City to the attention of the ACLU, who wants to make sure the city lives up to its own standards of providing affordable housing. The ACLU sent a letter to Farmington City saying, “As Farmington’s own Affordable Housing Plan states, ‘it is important for a city to provide housing opportunities for residents, regardless of economic status.’”
“They (ACLU) forgot to check the facts,” said Farmington City manager Max Forbush. “The letter was driven by a lawyer from Ron Martinez.
“What people need to keep in mind is that Farmington City is still growing, and we will have affordable housing along the corridors of transportation,” continued Forbush.
Farmington City Mayor Scott Harbertson said a plan is currently under construction to allow citizens 65 years and older an allowance, even in the R zones, to convert their homes into rentals for young couples or someone going to school. Harbertson said that age may even be brought down a bit.
“We want to allow those who would like to live in Farmington but can’t afford a home here the chance to still live here,” said Harbertson.
And when it comes to the question of whether or not Farmington City is trying to keep poor people out, Harbertson said, “we are not, in any way, trying to avoid or look at eliminating affordable housing.”
Martinez, however, disagrees, “I think the fathers of the city have an agenda.” His development would be right by the current FrontRunner Station, and he plans to move forward with it once the lawsuit is settled.
“I think they manipulate developments to fit their agenda.”
Forbush said the city will still work with Martinez and that cities naturally have affordable housing near transportation corridors. Those corridors in Farmington, at the moment, remain mostly empty fields.
sroberts@davisclipper.com
I am a landlord with rental property in Farmington and I can tell you without doubt that the city administration is not biased against landlords or rental units. I think they do a very fine job in all areas. The accusation that the mayor and council operate in secret is a total outrageous lie, they are amongst the most honorable elected officials in the entire state. Certainly the ACLU must have something more worthy of their attention than squandering time and effort over this silly accusation from this hustler with bad taste.