Utah County Commission Approves Allred Orchards Addition to Agricultural Protection Area, Carves Out Salem Canal Road

The Utah County Commission voted to add three Allred family parcels to the Allred agricultural protection area but approved a modification excluding the Salem Canal/Gooseneck road right-of-way from the protection boundary. The action followed a public hearing in which county staff, the Allred family and local stakeholders spoke about land use, road access and long-term farming plans.

Peggy Kelsey of the county’s Community Development office briefed the commission on the proposal, describing the three parcels as roughly 36 acres combined and noting that Utah County Code Chapter 26 requires a minimum of 40 acres for an ag protection area but allows variances for fruit production or contiguity. "These parcels are in fruit production," Kelsey said, adding that the Planning Commission and Ag Advisory Board had unanimously recommended approval, including the engineering request to exclude road right-of-way widths.

Members of the commission pressed staff about the legal and practical effects of carving out road rights-of-way from an ag protection area. Commissioners asked whether the existing nearby roads were dedicated (staff said they were not), whether adjacent residents had been notified (staff said all properties within 1,000 feet received notice) and how road dedication or future widening could affect nearby homes.

Robert Kennedy of the county attorney’s office told the commission that ag protection areas typically run 20 years and that the commission makes the legislative determination. He cautioned that ag protections can complicate valid governmental projects when they intersect planned roadways and that careful planning was warranted.

Debbie Cloward, representing Allred Orchards, told the commission the family intends to continue farming the parcels for decades and that they accepted the recommended road carve-outs as a concession. "Our goals are simple. We want to farm for at least the next 30 years," Cloward said. Derek Hall of the Utah Farm Bureau supported agricultural preservation but warned that carving out roadways "kinda negates the whole purpose" of ag protection and makes it easier to take private property in the future.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the Allred addition with a modification excluding Salem Canal/Gooseneck from the protection area but leaving 2170 West (the other roadway discussed) within the protection boundary. The commission approved the motion unanimously, 3–0.

The commission directed staff to update the notice-of-creation and findings-of-fact documents to reflect the modification. The decision preserves the parcels’ agricultural protection status while explicitly excluding the county’s Salem Canal/Gooseneck right-of-way from the protected acreage. The commission closed the public hearing and continued with other agenda business.