Little Cottonwood Canyon area homeowners sue UDOT over gondola project

Homeowners near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon have filed a lawsuit to block the Utah Department of Transportation from using land in their neighborhood to build a road for a controversial gondola project.

The Granite Oaks Homeowners’ Association claims UDOT’s plan to use land it owns in their subdivision to provide access to a parking garage and gondola base station violates their property rights.

At issue, according to the complaint filed in 3rd District Court, are taxpayer funds UDOT used to buy a lot in the neighborhood last October that were not authorized for that use under the Utah Transportation Finances Act.

“As part of its effort to foist the gondola project on the taxpayers against their will, UDOT is now running roughshod over the property rights of plaintiff Granite Oaks Homeowners’ Association and its members,” the suit says.

The homeowners contend using the lot to construct a road would violate the covenants, conditions and restrictions in the subdivision and want a judge to stop UDOT from using it for that purpose.

They also claim state lawmakers passed legislation last month to “mask the unauthorized use of DOT funds for the gondola project to benefit Alta, Snowbird and other investors and developers with ownership interests near the proposed parking garage and base station.”

Brent O. Hatch, an attorney representing the homeowners, called the gondola plan government at its worst.

“UDOT and the legislature are using public tax money to pursue a gondola project that is opposed by the majority of Utahns to benefit two private businesses in the canyon and a few developers who purchased the surrounding properties,” he said.

“Now, UDOT is running roughshod over the property rights of the homeowners in the Granite Oaks subdivision to benefit those private interests.”

Why UDOT chose the gondola plan

UDOT selected the gondola as a final-phase project in an environmental impact statement completed in 2023, which started with a goal to cut about 30% of vehicle traffic in the canyon.

UDOT released an animated video Tuesday, June 29, 2021, that depicts what a gondola system would look like in Little Cottonwood Canyon. (UDOT)

The plan calls for tolling and increased bus service in its first phase. New snow sheds are included in a second phase to address avalanche safety before a possible gondola. The 8-mile gondola line would offer service to Snowbird and Alta from a base with 2,500 parking spaces at the mouth of the canyon. Each gondola would carry up to 35 people, and users could expect a car to arrive every two minutes.

The taxpayer-funded project is estimated to cost $750 million to $1.4 billion, with an additional $8 million to $10 million annually for operation and maintenance.

UDOT officials have said the gondola would alleviate traffic congestion and improve transportation reliability, while also aiming to improve air quality and protect the watershed.

UDOT declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the pending litigation.

The Granite Oaks homeowners aren’t the only group to sue UDOT over the gondola proposal.

Other lawsuits

Salt Lake City, Sandy and the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy filed one lawsuit, while local groups Save Our Canyons, Friends of Alta and International Outdoor Recreation Asset Alliance also sued.

The lawsuits were ultimately combined into one, alleging impacts on drinking water, wildlife and that other angles weren’t properly studied, while multiple federal laws were violated. Opponents contend Utahns don’t want to spend hundreds of millions in tax dollars to build what would be a blight on the beauty and environment of the mountain landscape.

Gondola Works, a coalition of canyon users and businesses including Ski Utah and Utah Clean Cities, says more than just skiers would use the gondola because it would be open year-round, easing congestion in the winter and summer. It also argues it would displace only two acres in the canyon and have far less impact on the environment and wildlife than widening the road through the canyon for buses.

Business owners oppose project

In January, more than 50 business owners, professionals and entrepreneurs joined the chorus of opposition against the gondola.

In a letter to Gov. Spencer Cox and the Utah Legislature, the group raises a litany of concerns, including the cost, the fragility of the narrow canyon and that it only benefits two ski resorts.

The letter asks state leaders to reconsider the proposal and pursue “more reasonable alternatives” that protect the canyon and “responsibly” address traffic issues.

FILE: A sign opposed to a gondola is pictured in a yard near the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Cottonwood Heights on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. The Utah Department of Transportation is currently weighing the feasibility of two options to reduce traffic in the canyon: an 8-mile gondola that would take the public to Snowbird or Alta, or an enhanced bus system with a widened road. (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)