by Michigan Municipal League (MML)

Over 160 years ago the beautiful city of Layton, Utah was settled by pioneers seeking to establish farms along the streams. The area spans from the banks of the Great Salt Lake on the west to the beautiful Wasatch Mountains on the east. Throughout most of the year these picturesque mountaintops remain snow-capped. Within a year of arriving in the area the settlers began planting crops and building cabins for homes. Back then there were almost 300 people living along the banks of the local streams. Most that immigrated to this area were working class but for a few that were farm laborers in the homelands. As a result, the skills to farm this desert land were learned firsthand.

As the area grew a city center was built near the present day Main Street. In the years to come there were mercantiles, railroads, a sugar factory, an air force base, and a hospital built to the north and to the east of Main Street. To the west the farmers continued to farm and support this area, its troops and its neighbors. This west Layton farming community has remained relatively unchanged until the last few decades. These rural farms are found up and down Gentile St. During the summer months there are roadside stands that abound and fields where people can pick their own fruits and vegetables. Others produce tree saplings and flowers that are grown with great care and pride. These fresh and local produce stands are what most urban cities are trying to re-invent with farmers markets.

The beautiful area has been supported by farmers and the area has in turn shown support for these farmers. In the last few decades as family farms have changed hands and land here and there has been developed the area has changed little by little. The area has grown and continues to embrace the farming heritage. The new residents love the country feeling just minutes from the freeway. Farmers can be seen riding their tractors down the streets. Neighbors push wagons down the sidewalks with recently purchase trees and flowers. The heart of the area is still very much thriving in the new and old residents’ hearts.

Nearby these present day farms lies some farming and commercial land that may forever change this area. In 2006, about the same time as a few of these farms were converted into neighborhoods with single family homes, there was a large land developer that fought to convert 40 acres of commercial property into a large portion of high-density residential with apartments and condos. This was fought with much resistance from the surrounding neighborhoods. The area didn’t want to change and the housing market couldn’t sustain the growth.

After half a decade the forces outside the area are seeking to build again. Riding on the coattails of burgeoning developments like the Daybreak community south of Salt Lake, developers and city planners are yet again planning to bulldoze the heart of the community. Layton city and land owners are seeking to rezone the above mentioned 40 acres as well as another 107 acres of land currently owned by the LDS Church. The plan, as stated by the city’s planner,” will NOT be a Daybreak”. The plan is to take the area and rezone it as Village Center zoning for a plan they call West Layton Village. They have laid out an openly-interpretable plan leaving broad ranges of zoning possibilities up to the developer. The plan allows for 40-70% of this open farm land to be plowed asunder and rebuild as 2 – and 3-story apartments, condos, large commercial, convenience stores, etc.

If allowed this wide open space, just a mile away from the nature conservancy/bird refuge, could be rezoned to allow over 100 acres of high-density residential housing, hotels and other urban areas. Is this area lacking in housing? No, in fact there are still quite a few vacant homes and partially-filled subdivisions that have sat since the housing bust a few years ago. Would this threaten farmers in the area? Yes, farmers and single-family homes would butt up right against this West Layton Village Center. When was the last time you saw a tractor drive around an apartment or sub-division to get to its field? It wouldn’t be built if the neighbors didn’t want it, would it? Well, that is up to you the neighbors. The city has done such a poor job of interacting with the neighboring farms and sub-divisions that most don’t even know anything about it. Those that are well-versed in the 70-page plan to re-face the area have filled city meeting halls to voice their concerns and dislike for the area. These pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears as Planning Commission members checked their watches and told the residents that they had “heard enough of the same complaints and wanted to hear something new”.

What’s the next step? Express your thoughts and concerns about how this area should be developed or remain as farmland. Contact your elected city council members and let them know what you think. You should even take the time to contact as many of them as possible.