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Neighbors voice split views at Box Elder County hearing on West Corinne agricultural protection area
Summary
Residents gave mixed testimony at a public hearing on the West Corinne Agricultural Protection Area: some urged protection for farming and the local dairy, while others raised zoning, truck-traffic, public-safety and property-value concerns. The hearing was closed for later deliberation.
Box Elder County commissioners opened a public hearing on a proposal to designate a West Corinne Agricultural Protection Area, drawing a mix of support and opposition from residents and stakeholders.
Maurice Carter, who lives adjacent to proposed APA parcels, said long-term neighbors worry about how agricultural practices could affect nearby homes and property values. “My daughter says APAs are one-sided agreements,” Carter said, adding that certain practices such as large manure stacks could make nearby homes “not be livable.” Dennis Patterson, another neighbor, told commissioners he has observed heavy traffic and what he described as code violations at the nearby dairy and said the operation “has become, for lack of a better word, a toilet for about over 7,000 cows,” describing frequent truck traffic and safety risks.
Supporters said the APA protects farming uses and the local agricultural economy. Hannah Fries, who identified herself as a Box Elder County resident and an employee of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, said Box Elder County remains one of the state’s largest agricultural producers and that the dairy is “a huge driver of the commodities that we grow.” Lisa Marble, a nearby resident, told the commission that the practices described by opponents are ongoing regardless of APA designation and that the APA would help protect farming activities.
The commission closed the public-comment period after multiple speakers and did not take final action at that time. Commissioners indicated the hearing record would be considered as they move toward any subsequent decision on the APA designation.
