OGDEN — The city council is reviewing a proposal to annex land near the western border of Ogden and zone the area for industrial use, but nearby residents don’t want to lose the rural feel of their neighborhood.
The council voted to review a petition filed by David Phipps for the annexation of several large undeveloped parcels at approximately 3024 Midland Drive, which is in unincorporated Weber County.
The property is about 15 acres and is designated in Ogden’s General Plan for industrial uses.
On Feb. 2, the city planning commission reviewed the petition and voted 4-3 to recommend that the area be annexed and rezoned for manufacturing and industrial use.
But to the east of the property is a private road that provides access to a small neighborhood.
Robert and Toni Godwin live in the neighborhood and say they don’t want to see the area change from rural to industrial.
The Godwins say they purchased their home because of its rural flavor and worry that new uses for the adjacent land would impact their way of life.
“We are strongly opposed to this idea,” Toni Godwin said.
“When we first moved into this neighborhood 20 years ago, there were farms and dairy cows everywhere. We’re still trying to hold onto that rural feeling with what we have left, but we feel like it’s slowly being eaten away.”
If the land is annexed, the Godwins want the city to establish a meaningful buffer between their property and the annexed land.
“If they do go ahead with this and have a big industrial area, we feel the least they could do is provide us with some kind of buffer or something so we can be sheltered from it a little bit,” Toni Godwin said.
Alan White also lives in the neighborhood in a home his grandfather built in 1946. He, too, is worried about what the annexation will mean for him, his family and the value of his home.
“We don’t want to see big industrial buildings in our little neighborhood,” he said.
“We live here because it’s got that country feel, but we’re also relatively close to the conveniences of the city. We don’t want to lose that country feel.”
Kimberly Jackson is another resident of the neighborhood and has approached the city with similar concerns.
The council will vote on the annexation request at a later council meeting.
Comments