PROVO, Utah (AP) - A Utah developer who wanted to build a drug treatment facility near a natural waterfall has filed a suit against Utah County after the county blocked private development at the tourist attraction.
The lawsuit filed by developer Richard Losee on Wednesday argued that the conservation easement passed unanimously in December violated county code.
The conservation easement limited use at the falls in order to preserve its amenities.
Former Commissioner Nathan Ivie, who proposed the measure in one of his final moves as county commissioner, called Losee’s lawsuit “mind-boggling.” Ivie said that the county “went through the legal process, and we had a public hearing.”
“It’s pretty clear what the public wants,” Ivie said. “The public wants Bridal Veil Falls preserved and protected under a conservation easement.”
In the lawsuit, Losee’s lawyer Bruce Baird argued that it was unlawful to classify the Bridal Veil Falls as “surplus property” because the value of the attraction was more than $1,500, the Daily Herald reported.
Ivie responded that, “the county goes through (the process of) declaring property surplus all the time for sale, lease or easement purposes,” including the North Utah County Equestrian Park worth about $10 million, which the county listed for sale in December 2019.
Losee’s lawsuit has been filed in the state’s 4th District Court.
Reports had indicated last year that Losee had requested to build a tram and drug treatment center at the waterfall attraction. Losee is the owner of Cirque Lodge, an addiction recovery center in Orem. The Utah County Commission had rejected a similar development proposal from Losee in 2018.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.