Agenda Item Title:
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Council Member Houseman and Administration providing Central Wasatch Commission update and requesting Council discussion on Little Cottonwood Canyon transportation priorities.
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Presenter:
Council Member Houseman
Lynn Pace, City Attorney
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Description/Background:
On July 27, 2021, the Council received a briefing and update from representatives of the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) as to the current status of the Little Cottonwood Canyon transportation study and the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) that UDOT has prepared for the consideration and evaluation of canyon transportation options. The City Attorney, Lynn Pace, has been asked by Mayor Bradburn to coordinate and facilitate the Administration’s participation with UDOT and the CWC as to the development of the EIS for canyon transportation options, and to coordinate with UDOT and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) as to transportation improvements within Sandy City that will connect with and complement those anticipated canyon transportation improvements. The Administration has created a committee, comprised of representatives from each of the affected City Departments, who meet regularly to discuss and work on these issues.
UDOT has announced that it will accept public comments and feedback on the draft EIS until September 3, 2021. Since Sandy City is located at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon, these canyon transportation decisions will have a greater impact upon Sandy City than upon any other local community. For that reason, the Administration feels strongly that Sandy City should prepare and submit a response from the City to the draft EIS. We also feel strongly that in order to maximize the influence of our comments, the City’s elected officials should, to the extent possible, speak with one, united voice as to these issues. We would like to prepare and submit a joint statement from the Mayor and the City Council. To that end, following UDOT’s presentation at Council meeting, Mayor Bradburn would like to solicit the feedback and recommendation from Council members on this important policy issue. Accordingly, please be prepared this Tuesday to discuss and to share your thoughts as to the content of the response that the City should prepare and submit to UDOT on the draft EIS and the proposed canyon transportation options.