Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
GARDEN CITY – A developer has started working on plans to bring a 500-unit RV park to Bear Lake and some residents have already said they oppose the idea.
While that might sound good to tourists, people who live there are concerned it could add major traffic and safety concerns to the area.
That's a huge change when you consider Garden City has a population of around 600.
That goes way up during the summer season, but a lot of people are concerned that 500 RVs is way too many.
The proposed park is just off Highway 30, the main road through town, near Hodges Canyon Road.
People who live nearby also are concerned that the only access road for it would be a narrow, residential street.
The area is currently zoned for low–density, single-family homes, so developers are working through the planning commission to try to get that changed.
Former Mayor John Spuhler said that part of Highway 30 already gets backed up during the peak season. He's concerned that much more traffic could not only make the area congested but less accessible to emergency responders.
"Memorial Day to Labor Day, we have as much as we can handle," Spuhler said. "You hear the sirens right now. In the summertime, we have four or five of those a day, and they're all volunteer firefighters. You bring 500 RV units with older people, how are these volunteers going to even service that?"
Spuhler said concerned citizens recently packed a planning commission meeting, the majority of them against the proposal.
He said the commission is now working to get a traffic study done in the area before moving forward.
That of course means it's still on the table, and Spuhler said that would be the biggest single development the town has ever seen.
