Mapleton waits to make decision on access road to Gibby property

(Daily Herald) Though the Mapleton City Council was unanimously opposed to the presented specifications of a proposed access road for Dr. Wendell Gibby's future subdivision on Maple Mountain, it voted to continue the discussion until Dec. 16. After a two-hour long deliberation, the council arrived at the decision in order to both give time to potential negotiations between Gibby and neighbors as well as avoid a rash decision that could have the city going back on its word.

In 2007 a deal was struck between Dr. Wendell Gibby, a Provo radiologist, and the Mapleton City Council that allowed Gibby to develop a 47-home neighborhood on his 120-acre Maple Mountain lot, while granting the city certain easements within that lot. Mapleton residents didn't like the idea of so much residential buildup on the mountain, and lawsuits from either side have continued ever since.

The specific issue at hand on Wednesday was the approval of two cross sections for road plans in Gibby's subdivision. The first, with 56 feet of right-of-way, 32 feet of asphalt, and a two-foot curb on either side, was somewhat contested, but unanimously passed. The second, however, with 29 feet of right-of-way and just 24 feet of paved surface, was almost unanimously disliked by the residents and the planning commission.

However, by denying either of these proposals, the council members feared they would be creating an impossible situation for Gibby, which might violate the memorandum of understanding between the two.

This second section was for the mouth of an access road (one of two in Gibby's planned subdivision) that feeds into the intersection of the eastern end of Maple Street and 1900 East. This access road runs between two residents' properties, Dee Thatcher's and Randy Graham's, coming down from a steep and winding path.

Original Article