Green River might increase in size

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Green River currently covers an area of 12.6 square miles. The City is now considering a petition led by Wilson Produce Company and others to annex an additional 13.8 square miles west of the current city limits
This annexation would more than double the land area of Green River. The land, north of I-70 and east of Highway 6, is owned by private landowners and Emery County. The City intends this to be an industrial park. Potential land users the City is recruiting include a smaller scale oil refinery from Houston and a nuclear power plant, Blue Castle Holdings out of Provo. To date, neither have made impactful development in Green River.
According to annexation law within the Utah Code, the City must have an Annexation Policy Plan that, among other things, considers “current and projected costs of infrastructure, urban services, and public facilities necessary.” Green River adopted such a plan in 2005.
At its regular March 2016 meeting, the City Council stated its intent to allow for the provision of water service but not sewer service to the annexed property; the Council also stated they did not intend to waive impact fees paid by developers, which are necessary to defray the costs of impact on water and sewer plants. The City’s Public Works Director, at the same meeting, stated the city’s water production plant will be able to handle the increased use, as it currently is only at 40 percent capacity (his estimate) at the height of summer (the highest use time period).
The City’s 2005 APP also states that “in areas where municipal services are not presently extended, services will be extended on an as-needed basis at the cost of the developer,” and then reiterates that “all extensions of municipal services will be paid for by the individual developer or property owner. This protects the City from the initial costs, which will be high. However, once built, the City will be responsible for the ongoing cost of maintenance and repair of water and sewer services, curbs, gutters, roads, and sidewalks.
The proposed annexation area currently has no services other than a lightly-used dirt road. Any development will contribute to a “spidering” out of services from the core of town, rather than infilling where services and roads already exist and where they are already maintained.
Within the current General Plan, land is divided by annexation priority into levels one to four, with one being the highest and four the lowest. While 70 percent of the proposed annexed area is within Level Two priority, 30 percent of the area (4.2 square miles of the 13.8 square mile proposed annexation) is within Level Three. Level Two and Level Three are described in the General Plan as follows:
“Level 2 is the planned growth area, consisting of areas immediately surrounding the community. This area is the first level outside the present boundary of the community that the existing utility system can service without major expansion and demand on the present system. The intent of this level is to provide services within the capacity of existing utilities, including those that are already receiving city services outside city limits.
“Level 3 is the future growth, or expansion area. This level is identified on the Annexation Plan generally for 10-15 years. The intent is not to encourage development in this area until levels 1 and 2 are filled in. Growth in this level shall relate to more long-range plans, and the primary intent is to protect water-sheds, control flooding, protect and manage the sources of potable water, provide a buffer between residential areas and those that are reserved for open space, wildlife, recreation, etc. This area will generally project low-density growth to ensure that property owners may use their lands as they desire over longer periods of time without infringement.”
Though review of any annexation petition by the Planning and Zoning Commission before the petition goes to the City Council is required by the APP, this proposed annexation has not appeared on any Planning and Zoning Commission meeting agenda to-date
The planning Commission has not provided its recommendation on the annexation. The direct exclusion of the Planning and Zoning Commission is concerning in that it indicates a circumvention of the established processes and duties of the Commission, along with a lack of public input.
This annexation is potentially a major linchpin for light and heavy industrial growth in Green River. The City should advocate for smart growth where full public participation is encouraged and welcomed. Any growth, especially growth of this scale, should be taken seriously and involve public discourse and input. In the Planning and Zoning Commission’s 2014 survey of the community created in order to update the City’s General Plan, “improving the economy” was the number one concern of respondents. This indicates many people in town would like to voice their opinions on this issue if given the opportunity.
As part of the required process of annexation, a Public Hearing is scheduled for April 12 at 7 PM at City Hall, in conjunction with the City Council’s regular monthly meeting.