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HERRIMAN — Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams' veto of the controversial, nearly 8,800-unit housing development near Herriman will stand.
Salt Lake County Council Chairwoman Aimee Winder Newton announced Tuesday the council will not hold a veto override meeting to reverse McAdams' decision last week to veto the development's rezoning.
"After last week’s council meeting when the council unanimously voted to put the Olympia Hills development back on the agenda to either rescind or amend the ordinance, we began having productive conversations with key stakeholders discussing project density and overall infrastructure that included roads, water and sewer," Newton said in a prepared statement.
But since the veto was announced, "those discussions have ended," Newton added.
McAdams announced last week, several days before his 15-day window ended to overturn the project's zoning, that he'd decided to veto the project, citing slower-than-hoped-for negotiations.
The mayor's veto came after outrage from south valley residents about the proposed Olympia Hills development, which would be similar to the Daybreak community in South Jordan but much more dense, estimated to bring about 30,000 residents, according to county planning documents.
Before the County Council approved the zoning change earlier this month for the 930-acre development, mayors from the surrounding cities of Herriman, South Jordan, Riverton and the Copperton Township protested the zoning change, worried it could become the state's densest community ever.
Angry residents called for a veto and filed a referendum application as a backup plan to possibly put the zoning change on a ballot if they could collect enough signatures.
Prior to the mayor's veto, however, the County Council already decided to reconsider the project at its next council meeting to either rescind or amend the zoning change. But that discussion, originally expected for Tuesday, was canceled when the mayor vetoed the project.
Now, the project and discussions with its developer, Doug Young, go "back to the drawing board," as McAdams put it last week.
"We are deeply grateful to the residents and the city leaders who have worked with the county on this issue to raise valid questions and concerns," Newton said in a statement. "It's important that decisions regarding growth, development and rezoning should take into account transportation, water and other issues to ensure that our growth doesn't outpace our infrastructure."
McAdams said in a tweet Tuesday he was "glad to learn" the County Council was letting his veto stand.
"Thanks to all the residents who weighed in with concerns about density, traffic, etc.," the mayor said. "Together, we can come up with a more acceptable proposal."
