Nibley annexes another chunk of land near Hollow Road

By Denise Albiston

April 5, 2004 | NIBLEY -- In order to impose city ordinances on nearly 20 acres of land in Cache County, the City Council Thursday voted to annex the property into the city limits.

Hal Fronk, owner of the property near 4900 S. Hollow Road, petitioned the council several weeks ago to consider annexing his land into Nibley. Since the property has now been incorporated into the city, Fronk now intends to begin the process of subdividing the area into 10 two-acre lots for a housing development.

"The people who live around this area will be better served if it is annexed into the city," said Councilman Scott Wells.

City Manager Larry Anhder said if the property is annexed into the city, then they can require larger two-acre lot sizes, whereas the county only requires half-acre lot sizes. He said the city will also be able to restrict the drilling of wells and use of septic tanks. He added the property is near Nibley's water source and it would be in the city's best interest to require the developer to use the city's sewer and water lines that already exist there.

"It's more attractive for a development to be in a city than in the county because of the services," said Councilman James Waite.

Brian Anderson, a resident of the city, voiced his concerns with Hollow Road. He said many of the streets in Nibley are being heavily used and show the wear-and-tear. He said safety needs to be a concern on this road, like many other roads in the city. He added placing more housing in the area may burden the road more than it could stand.

"At some point, there will be more houses then Hollow Road can accommodate," said Steve Schiener, resident of Hollow Road.

Waite said the good thing about annexing this property into the city is that the city requires a much larger lot size then the county. He said once all the land is used up in that area, then there won't be any more houses. He said at least by annexing the property into the city, the city can exercise some control over the use of the land.

"I don't think we'll ever get to the point of exceeding the max capacity of Hollow Road since the lot size is so large, it limits the amount of housing for the area," Waite said.

Wells said Hollow Road is a unique situation. He said that residents owning property in the area often own into the middle of the street or to the opposite side. He said it wasn't that long ago the city asked if residents in the area wanted the road widened and improved. He said many of the residents wanted the improvements, but not everybody. He added without full support from everybody in the area, there is little the city can do with street.

In other business, Tim Gibbons, a land developer with Landmark Companies, donated $500 to help fund Heritage Days. He said he was donating the money to help with an event that is important to him and the community. He added that Nibley is his home and he wanted to extend his gratitude to the city.

"I have lived in Nibley all my life. I think a lot of the city and appreciate working with you," Gibbons said.

Cache County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney James Swink was also sworn in as the city's new prosecuting attorney. He said he believes that it is not always a great experience when somebody is given a ticket or has an altercation with the law. He said his goal is to treat each individual with courtesy and kindness, while still holding them responsible for their actions.

"As city prosecutor, my main ambition with the city of Nibley is to treat all people that come into this courtroom with fairness, but to also hold them accountable," Swink said.

Alan Spendlove and James Malouf, two owners of land located in the city's industrial park, also announced to the council that all the owners of property located within the park had came to an agreement concerning a concept plan to revise the park. Spendlove said he thinks everybody is happy with the decision and they would like to begin development within 90 to 100 days.

"We have haggled this thing around, and I think we have came to an agreement that will meet the needs of the land owners and the city," Malouf said.

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