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Shelley Osterloh reportingThe Salt Lake County Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to decide tomorrow whether to allow a zoning change, so Home Depot can build on Highland Dr.
Monday, opponents of the plan held a news conference to plead their case against the zone change.
The area in question is on the West Side of Highland Dr. and 3440 South. It's part residential, part commercial, and quite a bit of it is rundown. About half of the 11 acre parcel of land is already zoned for commercial use.
Home Depot already won the first round of the battle, when the Mill Creek township Planning Commission voted last month to recommend the county change the zoning of this area for Home Depot.
Even the opponents admit this area needs some re-development, but they say they want time to do some long term planning. Many don't want what they call a Big Box retailer in this neighborhood. They sight problems with traffic, and negative impact on other long time smaller businesses in the area.
Jerry Thomas, owner Ace Hardware at Olympus Hills: "WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR PROTECTION HERE, WE THINK THAT ...WE PLAYED BY THE RULES, WE THINK HOME DEPOT SHOULD PLAY BY THE RULES, ... THE SAME SET OF RULES, AND NOT SIDESTEP EXISTING PLANNING, NOT SIDESTEP EXISTING MASTER PLANS OF THE VARIOUS COMMUNITIES. THEY DON'T DESERVE A SEPARATE SET OF RULES JUST FOR THEM"
Richard Lee, Mill Creek Resident: "THE BIG BOX PROPOSAL IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH OUR COMMUNITY PLANS. "
But the broker in charge of the land deal for Home Depot says the local community will benefit from increased traffic to the area, and new jobs. He says there's already lots of big retail in the area.
Dave Winnie, Broker for Home Depot: "THERE'S RETAIL TO THE NORTH, SOUTH... OF THIS ...WITH THE SUGARHOUSE AREA, COTTONWOOD MALL, HIGHLAND DRIVE IS A MAJOR COMMUTER POINT BETWEEN THIS DIFFERENT SHOPPING HUBS, WE'VE HAD A TRAFFIC STUDY DONE... THE IMPACT IS MINOR ON THE EXISTING TRAFFIC. "
The Salt Lake county council will consider the Public opinion and the zoning change at is regular meeting tomorrow at 3p.m.
