Salt Lake County, City Councils pass resolutions opposed to gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon
The Salt Lake County Council and the Salt Lake City Council both passed resolutions supporting alternative solutions to the Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) announcement of the preferred alternative of a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
The Salt Lake County Council’s Common Sense Solutions Approach resolution, signed jointly with Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, proposes that the proposed gondola not be constructed in favor of finding other alternatives to improving transportation at the mouth of the canyon.
Sandy City Mayor Monica Zoltanski presented at the County Council meeting yesterday and shared that only 23% of residents who responded to a survey supported the construction of a gondola.
“Consider the hundred thousand residents that I represent who say ‘Phased approach yes, gondola no,’” Zoltanski said.
The Salt Lake City Council also passed a joint ceremonial resolution with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall to look for a “lower impact, adaptive approach” to address the congestion in the area.
Many Utahns are opposed to the proposal to build a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon due to the large price tag of an estimated $550 million and the potential environmental impact of the gondola system, particularly on water resources in the canyon.
UDOT is currently allowing public comment on the proposal online until Oct. 17.