One of Heber Valley's Crown Jewels

Memorial Hill View Corridor

by Robin Johnson

Public sentiment in respect of Memorial Hill and what it represents to the citizens of Midway is one of the big concerns expressed in public meetings and on social media. Even citizens who are not against the C-4 proposal express concern for keeping the Memorial Hill central to Midway.

Two perspectives on the view corridors of Memorial Hill are represented in the comments. Some are worried about the view from the top of the hill looking down on hundreds of residential and dozens of businesses within twenty acres, especially adding in the large parking lots or high rise parking buildings needed for the area while others are concerned about the loss of viewing the hill itself whether walking or driving through Midway due to height allowances for building two to four stories high. Additionally some of the buildings will likely qualify for an additional ‘decorative feature’ height allowance, for example a clock tower, to make the buildings appear more Swiss European.

When citizens first began posting on social media about their concerns with the C-4 zone, besides losing views of Memorial Hill and views from the top of the hill, citizens were concerned at losing the annual 4^th of July fireworks show traditionally set off from the top of Memorial Hill as currently presented. C-4 currently proposes 30 units per acre, due to the high number of proposed building that could catch on fire from the size of fireworks that are shot from the hill now, the size would need to be substantially reduced when the property is developed.

During the council’s May 24^th public hearing Michael Henke, city planner, made comments about Memorial Hill and public comments followed.

In a power point presentation Henke showed a picture of the six parcels of property south of Memorial Hill being considered for inclusion in the proposed C-4 zone. He said, “This is a picture of that area … this is looking over that property.  …  As a city we’ve enjoyed this property for quite some time.” Henke also said that he believes many people think of this property as fields, and not as a commercial district which about three quarters of the property is currently zoned.

“We have a very nice view of Memorial Hill right now off of Main Street, with our current zoning if a building is built up to the sidewalk, or two feet from the sidewalk, that view would be lost right now … that’s difficult for everybody to understand and to accept, but if you stand in front of Midway Automotive and you look at Memorial Hill, you really can’t see any of Memorial Hill because the building completely blocks it from Main Street already.”

Midway Automotive is built to the current code height of 35 feet. Henke said, “That’s what the current zoning allows and that’s what’s allowed in any residential district, is 35 feet. So we have tried to make sure that the visual impact is mitigated for those who live in the area.”

Height allowances increase gradually in the proposed C-4 zone, with three tiers. The outer tier allows 35 feet, the middle tier 45 feet, and the center tier 55 feet. Henke said there are two ideas for increased height, one “is to have a higher height limit in the center to have a real authentic central plaza like you see in some European cities. That’s why the height has increased in the center.” The second “is to really mitigate the visual impact for surrounding properties, and along Main Street keep the height the same that’s allowed already … then slowly step it up to the center where it will be 55 feet. So the farther, a lot of visual impact is where you’re standing and your visual perspective. The idea here is that if you are standing outside of the zone the 45 feet doesn’t look any higher than the 35 feet because the distance is increasing.”

Zelda Isaacson was the first citizen to comment in the public hearing.  “I’m not very close to where all these projects are going on but I have the distinct feeling that our open space is disappearing. When I was a little girl the population of Midway was 711. That’s what the sign said when you entered Midway. And that was wonderful. It’s wonderful to me, it’s why I moved back home. I was born and raised on the Kohler farm which is owned by Grant Kohler. Some changes have been made out there and I have no objection to that. But I do worry about Memorial Hill getting crunched. I love that Memorial Hill. We’ve already had one little house that’s choked off the Memorial Hill on the west side. I am wondering, how close to Memorial Hill is this C-4 going to be?”

Henke said, “None of it touches the base … at least 25 feet.”

“To me that was wonderful. My brother, Alvah, he was on the committee that wanted to preserve the Memorial Hill. And I guess as much as they could they made it as nice as it is. If we build a whole pile of things around it … Crunch! Crunch!” 

Henke said, “Sorry, Zelda.” 

“I’m not sure that we are going to remember the quiet little Midway that people like to come here because of the quiet and solitude. My grandparents moved here, came here from Switzerland in 1884. My father bought the farm and most of Dutch Fields … I’m just really anxious that we do not stuff Midway so full.”

Blake Myers said, “As a field engineer and surveyor I worked on hundreds of projects and that’s some density there, that’s cramming stuff in. As far as losing the beauty of the hill, that’s obvious. Some of us believe that that is Midway’s Memorial, if you’ve ever been up there and seen the plaques and the names on the walls, and all the names that are there from every war from Indian Wars, clear up to the Gulf-Persian war.”

Leslie Miller said, “Your very opening statement, Michael, was … this is property where we look up to Memorial Hill. That’s a view corridor. And there’s nothing in this that’s really talking about the view corridor, or allowing enough boundary around Memorial Hill which a lot of people view as sacred, to accommodate what that place is. That’s a community gathering place. People walk there, they walk their dogs there. That’s a special place and that could be the center of your community even if it’s a commercial district. I think you really need to spend some more time there.”

Mickey Oksner, former planning commission chairman, helped with the city revision of Midway’s general plan last year. He said, “I can’t tell you how much open space and views, and the things we’re discussing tonight that were considered by everybody involved, and I think the document that came out was one that represents that thinking.” He said he is proud of the document the planning commission and others worked on and emphasized the original plan for the tourism overlay zone was “single story buildings” with “clear views of the mountains in the background” like Riverwoods in Provo.

Katie Nobel said Pure Midway thinks “there should be a Memorial Hill dedication spot that is a requirement. A place for reflection, meditation, and remembering what the hill is all about.”

Sheila Siggard said, “And also a statement about Memorial Hill. Thank you, Zelda. For those of us who know some of the men who are on that plaque, that is a sacred place. I say … change the zoning, put some green space there, so we can respect Memorial Hill and those men from our town, who preserved our freedom. It’s a hallowed place, and don’t ever forget it. Those people who suggest putting things right at the base of the hill aren’t even on the same page as those of us who love and honor our treasure of Memorial Hill.”

Mary Thomas said, “My husband’s a Utah boy and he brought me here ten years ago during Swiss Days and we never left. And you can understand why, for all the same reasons that you all are here. But politics and platitudes aside, change is inevitable. I have climbed Memorial Hill thousands of times by now. I have parked my car in front of the garage at the bottom of Memorial Hill and I am probably the only one who’s ever done that. I have never seen anyone at the bottom of Memorial Hill looking up; many, many, many people at the top of Memorial Hill looking down. So the space there by Memorial Hill where we are considering a C-4 space, doesn’t seem to me that much of a heart thumping space necessary for our consideration as a holy spot in Midway; the top, yes, the bottom, maybe not so much.

Andrea Allen was concerned about how parking would look from the top of Memorial Hill. She said the “code states improve the efficiency of parking areas by allowing multiple use and shared parking spaces, curves, cuts, and circulation drives. Again we’re looking at the parking issue and … nowhere in the C-4 code, it doesn’t exclude large parking structures … with the amount of … parking, parking will be a major problem so you are going to have to address over 1500 parking spots, what’s that going to look like when we walk up Memorial Hill?”

All of the members on the city council have deep roots in Midway. Kent Kohler’s position could easily represent any city council member. He said, “With respect to Memorial Hill, my father’s name is up on the plaque, and I have other ancestors, their names are on that plaque, so it means a great deal to me.”

Perhaps thinking about the C-4 zone, or even anything proposed should this property develop under the current C-2 zone ordinance, should include preservation of Memorial Hill’s view corridors, from the top and from bottom. Memorial Hill currently sits in Wasatch County, and the Memorial is just as important to many residents in Heber, Charleston, Daniel, Wallsburg and other towns as it is to Midway residents. That will remain true even if the property is one day annexed into Midway City. The hill just happens to be on Midway’s borders. Memorial Hill is Heber Valley's crown jewel.