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Council approves 96‑acre Tavace annexation into Cottonwood Heights; county staff flag peninsula/access considerations
Summary
The council approved a citizen‑sponsored annexation that transfers roughly 96 acres to Cottonwood Heights; staff noted the annexation creates a peninsula providing access to a Salt Lake City Public Utilities water tank but said roads in the development are private.
Salt Lake County officials on April 8 approved a citizen‑sponsored annexation of roughly 96 acres into Cottonwood Heights, a move county staff said includes a peninsula that provides access to a Salt Lake City Public Utilities water tank.
Lisa Hartman, Salt Lake County associate deputy mayor, told the council the proposal — referred to during the meeting as the Tavace annexation — would move about 96 acres from unincorporated county land into Cottonwood Heights. Hartman said the peninsula is an access road up to a Salt Lake City Public Utilities water tank; the utility expressed neutrality so long as it retained access and ownership of the tank.
Hartman and staff described reasons the county typically discourages peninsulas, noting they can create long‑term maintenance obligations for the county. In this case, Hartman said, the roads within the development are private and the access road to the utility tank is owned and maintained by Salt Lake City Public Utilities, limiting county maintenance exposure.
Hartman said the parcel mix includes a 50‑acre vacant parcel owned by a different developer (Walker Development, LLC) adjacent to the Tavace residential development. Much of the annexed land has steep slopes (more than 30% grade) and is not currently developable; county staff said the most likely near‑term scenario is a small number of residential lots that would be consistent with nearby Tabacki (Tabachi/Tavace area) development. Hartman also said the land to the east is owned by a combination of the U.S. Forest Service, Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City Public Utilities, making further canyon‑side annexation unlikely.
The Cottonwood Heights city council approved the annexation in February. County staff said Cottonwood Heights seeks submission of the annexation paperwork to the Lieutenant Governor by April 19 to make the annexation effective July 1. The county council approved the annexation on a motion by Council Member Pinkney, seconded by Council Member Moreno; the transcript records a voice vote in favor.
The county presentation included a brief history: part of the Tavace area was inside Cottonwood Heights at the city’s 2005 incorporation, deannexed in 2012 and has since been the subject of intermittent jurisdictional changes, Hartman said.
The council did not receive public comment on the annexation during the meeting. Staff listed next steps as submitting the legal descriptions, maps and required materials to the Lieutenant Governor’s office by April 19.
