CLINTON, Utah — While some residents are trying to gather enough signatures to stop a new development in Clinton, others say this is something they think the area needs.
John Price is a farmer and realtor in West Weber County. "We do mostly hay and cattle, we do a little bit of produce, pumpkins and squash.” He also leases some land in Clinton to farm. "All the ground that we lease out there has a timeline, has an expiration date,” added Price.
That's because there is a new development of 341 units planned for that area, made of mostly townhomes. Michael Hatch is the developer. "We would like to cater to first time home buyers, housing is super expensive in Utah,” explained Hatch. “The state has let us know that there is a housing crisis and we need to solve it."
But, some Clinton residents are upset that including other planned builds, there will be about 500 townhomes in one spot. So, they are trying to gather signatures to ask voters on next November’s ballot to decide if they want this rezoning or not, to possibly allow a variety on homes and more open space.
"I get the argument,” added Price. “Everybody saying that they don’t want it, I understand why. And I agree to an extent. But I also see what’s happening and I also see the need for development. Those who are providing open space, the farmers, the ranchers, they can’t sustain it, they cant afford to keep that open space open any longer. So development is coming.”
"We have three times the amount of open space that they city requires, what that does is it creates a whole bunch of parks,” said Hatch.
They don't have a price set yet but plan to keep the townhomes under 500,000 dollars, so first time home buyers can qualify for state programs. "Townhomes are attached to each other which means they share a foundation wall, they share roofing, they share everything is cheaper to build on a townhome. A single-family home of a similar size to a town home is probably 1,000 dollars more a month,” added Hatch.
Price said as a realtor, he sees many people who want to stay in the Davis County area, so he thinks developments like these give them a chance to do so. "The majority of the people who need to buy a home or wanting to buy a home are those who are in need of the most affordable option, and that’s what we have to try and provide."
