LAYTON – A new development plan in Layton is undergoing a steep review as 70 acres of sensitive land is getting prepped for development.

But that has neighboring residents worried about potential safety issues, because the land sits in a steep hollow on the south of Antelope Drive, near where two homes were destroyed from a landslide on Sunset Drive and just east of the proposed development where three homes were destroyed in a landslide on the 1400 east block of Heather Drive several years ago.

The planning commission recently granted preliminary approval for the proposed Eastridge Subdivision located just east of Church Street at approximately 1450 East Antelope Drive, and is set to include 52 townhomes, 76 single-family cottage homes and 140 single-family custom homes.

According to the developer, Hawkins Homes & Communities, approximately 52 acres of the site will be graded to meet strict slope requirements determined by the engineers to mitigate potential slope concerns. The other 18 acres will be left in its current natural state.

Layton resident Daniela Harding is concerned because of the nature of the sensitive land.

“This land is really hard to build on, but the city has not been on the side of our citizens, but rather on the side of the developer. It has been really frustrating,” Harding said. “My neighbor’s home on Sunset Drive was demolished because of this sensitive land and now this developer wants to move a bunch of dirt and build hi-density homes. We are not opposed to land being developed, but we are opposed to the amount of density he wants to put on this land.”

The developer contends they have done numerous tests and are following protocol for building on sensitive land.

“We have spent the past several years working with professional engineering firms, including Layton city’s outside consultant, to meet and/or exceed the requirements of the city’s development and sensitive lands ordinances,” Hawkins Homes & Communities Land Development Manager Mike Flood said. “We feel the engineers and staff have exhaustively analyzed, scrutinized, and recommended for approval, a responsible plan that meets the unique character of the property, while addressing neighboring communities’ concerns.”

What also concerns residents are the cuts and fills that will be required for the steep slopes in the proposed development. When the planning commission gave preliminary approval to the developer a few weeks ago, residents were surprised the planning commission did not adequately review the cuts and fills, per the city’s ordinance requiring all cuts and fills be 10 feet or less, unless the developer has received specific approval by the city.

“Basically, because of the topography of the land it will be necessary for the developer to cut into the land and remove a lot of the fill dirt. We know that one of the proposed cuts on this land is supposed to be 45 feet on the southwest side. By not reviewing each cut as required by code, it compromises the ability to evaluate the soil integrity thereby potentially putting our residents, and the residents of the future development, at a greater risk,” Harding said.

In a city work meeting held last week, Layton City Community Economic Development Director Bill Wright said the review of cuts and fills typically doesn’t happen until the final plat has been submitted, but because of the concerns raised by the residents, the planning commission will go back and review the engineering design for the cuts and fills of anything over 10 feet of height at their next meeting on April 14, then bring their decision to the city council on April 16.

As the plan moves forward with the city, neighboring resident David Paulsen said, certain precautions need to be in place.

“We are not against development at all. We understand and know it is good for the community. But we are for responsible development because we are worried about these homes, since we’ve lost homes up here before,” Paulsen said. “We are asking the city to put restrictions on the development, such as putting vibration and tilt modeling on homes within 100 feet while development is undergoing.”

Mayor Bob Stevenson reassures citizens saying that this land has undergone extensive geo-tech engineering studies, receiving approval to move forward with the development. The land will also be graded and have a land drain system will be in place to drain water, which is now done in almost every subdivision in Layton at this time.