Solitude lawyer Wayne R. Budge’s claim that a 593-stall parking lot to be privately constructed on the north side of SR-190 “will benefit the greater Big Cottonwood Canyon community” is little more than a thinly veiled attempt to expand Solitude’s footprint in Big Cottonwood Canyon, under the guise of solving the hot-button roadside parking and traffic issues.
Solitude’s disturbing proposal to destroy a healthy 14.5-acre quaking aspen grove, which serves as a critical natural firebreak in an area deemed “high wildfire risk” by the state of Utah, would irreparably and irreversibly desecrate the canyon’s scenic character and ecological value; disrupt the natural habitats of magical moose and other cherished wildlife; and devastate a landscape accessed by tens of thousands of backcountry skiers, snowshoers, hikers, cyclists, cross-country skiers and sightseers every year. These extreme threats cannot reasonably be mitigated, and any argument otherwise by Solitude flies in the face of basic common sense, as well as the Town of Brighton’s General Plan, which calls for “restoring forest health, limiting new development, and prioritizing transit-first strategies.”
Parking lots are a major known source of water pollution. Solitude’s proposed parking lot, an impervious breeding ground for oil, grease, and chemical runoff, would harm a precious watershed that supplies clean drinking water to millions of Salt Lake Valley residents. The only entity that would undoubtedly benefit from such an ill-conceived and nonsensical plan is Solitude’s parent company, Alterra, a private corporation totally detached from the natural beauty and iconic value of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Additional parking means additional cars. Of what benefit could a gnarlier and nastier “red snake” of traffic possibly be?
Alex Sydell and Annie Kramer, Millcreek
