Cove Fort residents oppose Silvertree Farm rezoning request amid concerns about emergency services, water and incomplete application

The Millard County Commission heard more than a dozen residents and the applicant during a contested public hearing on an application by Silvertree Farm Inc. to rezone roughly 37 acres near Highway 161 in Cove Fort from Range and Forest to Highway Commercial.

Duffy Williams, who identified himself as president of Silvertree Farm Inc., urged the commission to grant the rezoning and framed his request in terms of equal property‑rights and prior approvals around his parcel. "If my neighbor receive command the financial benefit that comes with it, how can I be denied?" Williams said, asking the commission to treat his property consistently with neighboring approvals.

Residents pressed several concerns in public comment. Multiple speakers—John Pratt, Jessie Pratt, Nathan Pratt, Anna Leah Pratt, Ben Pratt and others—said the application materials are incomplete or inconsistent (the notice lists 37 acres while the application lists 53.8 acres in one place), that required site plans and infrastructure proposals were missing, and that they had not all received proper notice. John Pratt also alleged there is video evidence of the applicant threatening to shut down a local shooting area and said he had records related to prior incidents.

Natasha Lewis and others warned the commission that Cove Fort lacks adequate emergency‑response infrastructure, saying volunteer fire capacity is limited (about six volunteers and a 50‑yard water tanker) and that response times from professional responders would be 20–30 minutes. Lewis said several volunteer firefighters had been told they would not be allowed onto the applicant’s property, creating concern about fire access. "There is no professional firefighters or EMTs close — 20 or 30 minutes away," Natasha Lewis told the commission.

Speakers argued the change to Highway Commercial could allow multiple small commercial parcels to be subdivided and sold, fundamentally changing the town’s character. Ben Pratt said the paperwork indicates the applicant may be seeking the ability to divide and sell parcels rather than a single project, which would create a strip of commercial development along the highway.

After public comment, the commission closed the hearing and shifted to questions about the relationship between the applicant’s existing conditional‑use permit and the proposed zone change. Staff (Adam Richards, named) explained that existing nonconforming uses may continue, but new non‑commenced uses could be disallowed if inconsistent with a new zone, and noted vesting and case‑law complexities if prior permits are claimed.

Williams responded to commissioner questions, stating he had invested funds and secured permits and rights. "I have put $3,290,000 in the property since May," Williams said, and he referenced sewer, water and building permits and specific investments such as a 16,000‑gallon sewer tank he said was being installed.

The transcript records closing the public hearing and continued questioning; the record in the provided excerpt does not show a final adoption vote on the Cove Fort rezoning. Commissioners requested additional materials and legal comparisons before taking final action.