Open Space

I love living in Draper! One of the reasons I love it is because of our incredible Corner Canyon.  I, like most of you, supported the Corner Canyon Open Space Bond. I have a proven track record in voting to purchase, protect, and develop trails and open space for everyone to enjoy. I will continue to be a leader on this issue. But, talk is cheap. Look below for specifics on what I have done as your mayor to protect our open space.

  • I negotiated with former Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, current Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, and the Salt Lake County Council to create a comprehensive conservation easement that encompasses over 95% of the Suncrest purchase. The property not in the easement was sold for $7.3 million, which allowed us to pay off the 5.6 million dollar Suncrest Purchase bond and build brand new trailheads at Coyote Hollow and Peak View. I worked with the council to fund a full-time police officer to patrol and protect our great asset of Corner Canyon. That is fiscal responsibility at its best.  

  • As a council member, I helped negotiate and then voted to buy the remaining Suncrest Development (2500 acres for 5.6 million dollars). We preserved open space, and we prevented 4,500 more homes from being built on the mountain.

  • We now own over 7,000 acres in Corner Canyon and beyond.

  • We’ve invested nearly $20 million in trails and open space.

  • We have built 116 miles of trail in the last 10 years (still going).

  • We built the Draper Suspension Bridge by working with local construction companies, Sandy City, and Salt Lake County.

  • We built the Mountain Bike Skills Park in Little Valley, and we built the Draper Cycle Park.

  • We’ve made Potato Hill Trailhead improvements.

  • Built a brand new $2 million-dollar part city park in Suncrest.

  • Built a new Coyote Hollow Trailhead to alleviate traffic on the neighbors.

  • Built a new Beautiful large Peak View Trailhead for bikers, hikers, and horses.

  • We created a Hoof & Boot Trail along with several other hiking-only trails.   

It takes effort, knowledge, and relationships to make things like this happen.  It takes experience and vision to keep us out of legal trouble. None of the good stuff you see happens by chance, and someone who is learning on the job couldn’t get it done. I will work to continue to develop our open space for all uses.

I know what to do, I’ve done it, and I am ready to continue doing it – securing our quality of life.