Fruit Heights council moves to ratify 2023 general plan vote amid heavy public objection over golf course and trails

Fruit Heights City Council opened a lengthy public comment period on Feb. 3 before moving to correct a procedural error tied to its 2023 general plan. Council member S10 formally moved to approve Resolution 2026-03 "to ratify the vote" taken on April 11, 2023, a step city staff said would resolve a legal question about the plan's validity and preserve the city's compliance with state requirements.

The vote-correction item drew dozens of residents, many who urged council members to delay any ratification. Jim Snow, a Fruit Heights resident, told the council the 2023 motion did not meet the statutory three-vote requirement and said ratifying the plan would "turn our private secluded backyard into a public thoroughfare." Jeremy Hanson and several neighbors criticized the planning process, saying consultants placed trails and potential redevelopment sites on maps without confirming land ownership or consulting property owners.

Mayor Jean (speaker S1) said the proposed ratification is intended to fix a past procedural error rather than to finalize the content of the general plan, calling it "housekeeping." The mayor and staff stressed the distinction repeatedly: ratification would correct an irregular vote record while the council and planning commission could still pursue content amendments, public outreach and annual review.

City staff and legal counsel argued the motion is driven by state compliance concerns. S10 and other staff members said that completing the procedural correction reduces the city's risk of state penalties and maintains Fruit Heights' place at the planning table while council and staff consider amendments. S2 (city council) and others suggested options including directing staff to explore alternatives to using Davis County Golf Course as a potential housing site and instituting a targeted review period before any redevelopment could proceed.

Residents voiced three recurring concerns: inadequate public notice for the ratification item, specific map features that showed trails crossing private yards, and the appearance that the plan allows future development of Davis Park Golf Course. Tara Markin, citing the mayor's campaign promises on transparency, asked why the council would press ratification before broader community input.

The council debated procedural steps the city could take after ratification, including directing staff to report back on alternatives to the golf-course scenario and using pending-application rules or an application-freeze period while the legislature's session plays out. At the time the transcript excerpt ends, S10 had moved to approve Resolution 2026-03; the record provided does not include a roll-call vote outcome.

What happens next: council members discussed and staff recommended follow-up actions including an immediate tracking of resident-submitted concerns, a joint annual review with the planning commission, and a staff report on whether menu options in the moderate-income housing component could be adjusted to remove the golf course as a potential site. The council also discussed using the next council meeting to schedule ordinance or amendment hearings if members direct staff to do so.