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Show Hinckley Journal of Politics Spring 2000 Growing in Utah: The Quality Growth Act of 1999 By Jill M. Burton By the late J 990*5 demographic changes and patterns of land development in Utah, had aroused wide public concern over how to keep growth compatible with quality of life. This essay identifies major public-policy issues at stake, involving conflicting worries, hopes, wants, and expectations. It describes the legislative struggle which produced the Quality Growth Act of 1999, including stances taken by different interest groups, and roles played by individual legislators - in the House - and by political party alignments. The Act's main features are outlined, including goals it incorporates, issues it addresses, the Quality Growth Commission it creates, and overall significance. The essay also notes some of the major challenges ahead. Introduction The Wasatch Front is a place surrounded by majestic mountains that sometimes disappear into the clouds on a rainy day. It is a place with raging rivers that sometimes thunder and roar with an overabundance of water during the spring run-off. And, it is a place where the brilliant pink and orange colors of the sunset seem to eternally set on the rocky landscape. But now, it is becoming increasingly a place whose majestic mountains, farmlands, woodlands and wetlands disappear into streets, business buildings, schools, and homes. It is more and more a place with highways that thunder and roar with an overabundance of traffic, a place where inefficient and costly patterns of development have been a standard for far too long. This place is Utah, and it is home for many of us. The issue of growth is not new. Many cities and states have struggled with it for years. Los Angeles, and other parts of California; Portland, Oregon; and Maryland are a few well-known examples. Each area has faced the problem of growth, and has developed or attempted solutions. Some initiatives have been considered successful and others considered failures. Growth is occurring all around us, even in Utah, especially along the Wasatch Front. On a regularly recurring basis, growth issues headline Utah newspapers: "Homes in Utah among least affordable in U.S." (Davidson 1998); "Leadership, not lip service needed jiH Marie Burton received a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Communication and a minor in Business from the University of Utah. She served as co-editor for this edition of the Hinckley Journal of Politics. The author extends a special thanks to her family, the staff at the Hinckley Institute, and Representative Kevin S. Gam for their support and encouragement. to save open space"(Karras 1999); "Envision Utah is outlining ways to prepare for growth" (Dillon 1998); and the list goes on. Newspapers are not the only media using the growth issue in their reports. Local television and radio stations have begun building some of their news programming around growth. For example, KSL Television reports on the Wasatch-Front commute with its "Exclusive Traffic Link Cameras," and KSL News Radio programming includes, "Traffic and Weather every ten minutes on the nines." Growth is not a straightforward issue nor is the word itself easily defined or understood. The purpose of this essay is to explore, and contribute to the development of the public's understanding of, the growth issue in Utah. Clearly, the question surrounding this issue is not whether we can stop growth, or even slow it down, but whether can we manage it effectively. This is not an easy task; therefore it is no surprise that growth is one of the most difficult and pressing issues facing Utah's political leaders. House Bill 119: the Quality Growth Act of 1999, sponsored by Representative Kevin S. Garn (R-Layton), was brought before the 1999 Utah State Legislature and eventually enacted. The focus of this essay is on this specific growth legislation. It (1) begins with a brief discussion and overview of growth; (2) introduces the Quality Growth Act of 1999; and (3) discusses the strengths of and challenges to the Act, and the outlook for the future of managing growth with this piece of legislation. The author served as a Legislative Aid to Representative Kevin S. Garn during the 1999 Session of the Utah State Legislature, and was actively and directly involved in the legislative process concentrating on the Quality Growth Act of 1999. This included attending meetings with the various interest groups involved, committee hearings on the bill, and press conferences, and being in the House and Senate when 7 |
