See that arid hillside covered in sagebrush? Looks pretty ordinary, doesn't it? Now try seeing it through the eyes of a developer. Voila! An 18-hole golf course, McMansions with RV parking garages, equestrian trails, fishing ponds, spouting fountains...
These days it seems there's a dream -- or scheme -- attached to almost every large parcel of land in Tooele Valley. Many of these dreams are approved by government officials. Some actually begin construction -- perhaps the model home is built first, then a street leading to it.
However, that's as far as many big-dream developments get. In the end, residents of the subdivision are left with empty promises and unfinished infrastructure, towns are left with streets to nowhere and lamp posts in dirt fields, and government officials are left to account for wasted taxpayer time and money.
Stalled and failed developments plagued Tooele Valley even before the latest economic downturn. How much worse could the problem become now with buyers and financing both dwindling?
Last week, a Las Vegas-based developer reported he had no funding lined up at the time his master-planned golf course community outside Grantsville was approved for rezoning by the Tooele County Commission. This is worrisome. Taxpayers have a right to ask why projects like this are approved and announced with considerable fanfare despite having no financial backing. If the market's not convinced, why are our planning officials?
Another development in Grantsville proper, Dolorosa Estancia, was loudly trumpeted as the town's first gated luxury community when it was approved. More than two years later, this ambitious project is a long brick wall encompassing a grand total of five homes, some of which are still unfinished. This is also worrisome. Taxpayers have a right to expect that developments will be completed within a reasonable amount of time, and will not create a lingering eyesore within a town.
Some massive developments blessed by local officials seem to be endlessly floating on the horizon. The Saddleback project in Lake Point, which was proposed several years ago, is one example. The 2,000-home North Star Ranch in Grantsville, which was scheduled to break ground earlier this year, may become another, given that construction hasn't begun and the developer has repeatedly requested to downsize the project.
It's all right for developers to dream big. But it's up to government officials to ensure that those dreams have a sound basis in reality before letting projects go ahead.