Letter to the Editor: Heaven help Logan, Utah

Editor’s Note: To submit a response to this letter, or submit a letter to the editor on a new topic, email your submission to opinion@usustatesman.com

John Kushma is a communication consultant and USU alumnus, he lives in Logan, Utah.

Logan, Utah is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.  “A Heaven on Earth”.  Its early settlers commented on Logan’s majestic beauty referring it to a jewel set into the Cache Valley of northern Utah between the dramatic and widely photographed Wellsville mountains to the west and the Bear River range to the east.  Scandinavian and European pioneers said it reminded them of their mountain valley homes.

Well, these days, it looks like it will take some heavenly divine intervention to help Logan out of a jam, a log jam of development, growth, and civic leaders. 

Logan has become a developer’s paradise.  While struggling for its 21st century identity as a university town, a retirement village, a high tech mecca, or tourist stop-over, this predominately Mormon community with its historic LDS temple landmark is being overrun with urban sprawl.

Logan’s growing pains are turning into a cancer.

Enter the Logan municipal council and planning commission.  Or, exit, as the case may be.  They seem to be baffled and at odds with each other over both a sort and long term community development plan, and at odds with many of Logan’s residents. 

The problem:  A lack of imagination and a limited understanding of the scope of the issue by some council members as it relates to the protection and preservation of the beauty, charm and historic nature of Logan, and of the protection and general wellbeing of Logan’s residents.

Many city residents live in peril that a developer will be given city a permit to build a multi-unit apartment complex in their back yard or a multi-unit housing development across the street, as has happened many times.  A city official once told me regarding development that if I didn’t like his idea of city planning that I should move to another community.  Such arrogance.  He said that development was a good thing.  I agreed.  He said you must have developers to develop.  I agreed to that too.  I told him, however, that within that same logic you must have a virus to develop a cancer.  My meaning was that there is thoughtful, balanced development, and then there is reckless, short-term profit oriented development that benefits only the developer and destroys the community.

Six months now after the debacle one term run of former Logan City mayor Craig Peterson, the city’s new mayor, Holly Daines is left holding the bag of Peterson’s indecisive, lackluster administration, and the many deficient administrations before him.  It’s a mixed bag of greedy developers, inept administrators, and an apathetic citizenry exasperated with the lack of leadership and planning.

Recently, the heat was turned up at municipal council meeting.  The focus was on a downtown rezone which would allow a proposal to build a four story 120 unit apartment complex on a downtown block adjacent to Logan’s Main Street, where, just a few blocks away, a three story multi-unit chain motel is now being built in a historic civic area, much to the indignation of most Logan citizens.  The long-time residents in these areas who will be most impacted by these developments, some living in historic older homes, have been fighting the rezone and development plan for over a year.  In the city’s mind and infinitely limited wisdom, it all boils down to numbers not people’s lives.  It’s a matter of density and units per acre, not individual wellbeing and breathing room. 

Vast tracts of cheap low income housing, multi-unit apartment complexes and homes are already beginning to choke Logan’s north and south entryway presentations on State Highway 89/91 which also serves as Logan’s Main Street.  This eyesore encroachment has become obvious, even to the city officials.  So what do they now suggest?  High density downtown multi-unit apartment complexes to choke the downtown area and  traditional downtown neighborhoods!  All while major buildings are left abandoned downtown that would make handsome and historic high-rise apartments and condos.          

The City’s arrogance and partisan attitude toward kindness, understanding, logic and heritage is wearing down the resolve of the residents, while the resolve of the residents is apparently wearing down the City’s civility and patience.  Logan City Council Chairman, Tom Jensen, said that he just wanted to get this over with allowing the residents and citizens 45 minutes to state their views.  He actually said, “I’d like to just hear them, pass it and move on.”  Such arrogance.  Thank heavens for Vice Chairwoman, Jeannie Simmons, who said this process should take longer, as long as it needs.  She said, “We can be criticized for going too slow, but I believe that careful, thoughtful planning for the future and for today is what we have to do.  That’s our job.”

The problem persists, however.  There seems to be a lack of both understanding and a social conscience among some of the log jam council members and planning commission.  They are lost in their own perception of right and wrong, and adhering to some misguided, overenthusiastic interpretation of “city revenue” at any cost as the most important factor.  They’re not paying attention to their job, as Council Vice Chairwoman Simmons recognizes, which is to preserve and protect for today and tomorrow.

Oddly, not many to none of the planning commission and council members actually live in the community areas that they plan to severely impact. 

Newly elected Mayor Daines is caught in the middle, trying to do the best job she can for Logan, as she sees it.  It’s a hard job.  But promoting short-term amenities like SPIN bikes, flower planters and crosswalks while long term community necessities like the city library, recreation center and traditional neighborhoods are falling apart and in constant jeopardy seems secondary to what’s important to the protection and preservation of Logan, Utah.

Heaven help us.