More residents are trying to flee from Aspen plan
The as-yet-to-be-incorporated town would be located on 8,366 acres in Daniels Canyon, south of Heber City.
But residents in the area and a local water company, anxious to avoid belonging to the planned resort community, have filed four petitions to annex into the nearby town of Daniel.
The Daniel Town Council has accepted two petitions for review: those of Storm Haven, and the Daniels Domestic Water Co. The other two, filed by separate groups of residents on Little Sweden Road, have yet to be officially received for review.
Daniel Mayor Mike Duggin said the 100-or-so Little Sweden residents west of U.S. 40 originally were supposed to be part of Daniel when it incorporated in February 2006 but were drawn out of the final incorporation map.
Six residents on the same street east of U.S. 40 filed a petition Friday morning.
Of the four petitions, the Storm Haven annexation petition would do the most damage to Arizona developer Dean Sellers' plans to incorporate the town he wants to call Aspen. It would eliminate a sufficient number of residents (Sellers needs at least 100) to incorporate.
But that isn't the point, Sellers said.
"We're in this for the people, not for the money," he said during a news conference Friday.
The Storm Haven petition includes residents of the three subdivisions — Storm Haven, Tammy Lane and Crazy Acres — all located in the vicinity of Sellers' land.
Storm Haven resident Kasey Bateman and others gathered enough signatures to have what appears to be a valid petition, which Daniel's attorney and recorder are reviewing. Their petition was filed with Daniel seven hours before Sellers filed his petition for incorporation with Wasatch County.
Wasatch County officials said Sellers' petition appeared to comply with the requirements of HB466, passed by the Utah Legislature in February and signed into law by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. in March.
Everything complied, except for that pending annexation petition.
But Sellers' attorney, Steven Clyde, said the Storm Haven annexation petition is "fatally defective and deficient in so many ways."
Despite a threat of litigation on Monday, the Daniel Town Council unanimously voted to accept what is known as the Storm Haven annex for review and a similar petition by the Daniels Domestic Water Co., against which Sellers has brought a lawsuit. The water company is a nonprofit corporation that serves some Daniel residents with drinking water.
Recent comments
Of course he's in it for "the people" - his people!...
There's a new one | Dec. 10, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Sellers has threatened to sue any one that does not agree with...
Daniel Girl | Dec. 10, 2007 at 11:19 a.m.
Looks to me like the developer has failed to persuade his neighbors...
Charles H | Dec. 9, 2007 at 7:16 p.m.
