Geneva Rock’s application to expand Point of Mountain operations put on pause

Operations at Geneva Rock as Dave Kallas, communications director for Clyde Companies/Geneva Rock discusses the company’s desire to expand operations and also to create a conservation area near the existing flight park at Point of the Mountain in Draper on Monday, July 30, 2018. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

DRAPER — Geneva Rock’s application to expand its Point of the Mountain operations was tabled indefinitely in March after Draper Mayor Troy Walker issued a state of emergency.

The spread of COVID-19 and Gov. Gary Herbert’s guidance to limit gatherings to 10 people has forced city and county councils across Utah to move meetings online, or in some cases cancel them, which can have an adverse impact on public comment.

That’s why Walker decided to postpone a vote on Geneva Rock’s proposal. The expansion — which would rezone 27 acres along the Draper-Lehi border for mining, set aside 50 acres for potential future development and preserve almost 65 acres of open space — has been in the works for almost two years, and has faced substantial backlash from Draper residents.

“Given the heightened public interest on Geneva’s application, we felt it would be prudent to postpone the meeting until the public had an opportunity to participate in person,” Walker said in a prepared statement.

“We certainly understand and appreciate their decision ... ultimately it’s OK for us if we need to wait,” said Dave Kallas, spokesman for Geneva Rock. “It’s not preventing us from working right now.”

In February, all five members of the Draper City Planning Commission gave the application a negative recommendation during a meeting that lasted late into the night. Hundreds of Draper residents packed City Hall, many of them voicing opposition toward the proposed expansion during the public comment period.

So many people showed up that over a dozen residents sat in an overflow area in the building’s lobby to listen to audio of the meeting.

Now, with health officials around the country stressing the importance of social distancing, a similar meeting would be completely out of the question.

Although Walker said he would prefer the council to vote on the application in person, all options are on the table. With so much uncertainty surrounding the spread of COVID-19, Geneva Rock’s proposal could be considered in a virtual meeting.

“We will go along with whatever they ultimately decide to do, whether that’s a regular meeting or a virtual meeting,” Kallas said. “Times are so strange right now that I don’t think we necessarily have a preference.”

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2wLZnVg