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H.B. 179

This document includes House Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Tue, Mar 3, 2009 at 10:20 AM by jeyring. -->              1     

STATE-OWNED LAND AMENDMENTS

             2     
2009 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Kerry W. Gibson

             5     
Senate Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies a provision relating to specified critical land.
             10      Highlighted Provisions:
             11          This bill:
             12          .    modifies the definition of "critical land" to include a parcel for which part of the
             13      land is exchanged;
             14          .    authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to exchange a portion of a critical
             15      land parcel if certain conditions are met; and
             16          .    authorizes the Division of Facilities Construction and Management to H. [ donate ]
             16a      exchange .H certain
             17      land it owns to a public transit district for a specified purpose.
             18      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             19          None
             20      Other Special Clauses:
             21          None
             22      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             23      AMENDS:
             24          63A-5-222, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 250
             25      ENACTS:
             26          63A-5-223, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             27     


             28      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             29          Section 1. Section 63A-5-222 is amended to read:
             30           63A-5-222. Critical land near state prison -- Definitions -- Preservation as open
             31      land -- Management and use of land -- Restrictions on transfer -- Wetlands development
             32      -- Conservation easement.
             33          (1) For purposes of this section:
             34          (a) "Corrections" means the Department of Corrections created under Section 64-13-2 .
             35          (b) "Critical land" means:
             36          (i) a parcel of approximately 250 acres of land owned by the division and located on
             37      the east edge of the Jordan River between about 12300 South and 14600 South in Salt Lake
             38      County, approximately the southern half of whose eastern boundary abuts the Denver and Rio
             39      Grande Western Railroad right-of-way[.]; and
             40          (ii) any parcel acquired in a transaction authorized under Subsection (3)(c) as a
             41      replacement for a portion of the parcel described in Subsection (1)(b)(i) that is conveyed as part
             42      of the transaction.
             43          (c) (i) "Open land" means land that is:
             44          (A) preserved in or restored to a predominantly natural, open, and undeveloped
             45      condition; and
             46          (B) used for:
             47          (I) wildlife habitat;
             48          (II) cultural or recreational use;
             49          (III) watershed protection; or
             50          (IV) another use consistent with the preservation of the land in or restoration of the
             51      land to a predominantly natural, open, and undeveloped condition.
             52          (ii) (A) "Open land" does not include land whose predominant use is as a developed
             53      facility for active recreational activities, including baseball, tennis, soccer, golf, or other
             54      sporting or similar activity.
             55          (B) The condition of land does not change from a natural, open, and undeveloped
             56      condition because of the development or presence on the land of facilities, including trails,
             57      waterways, and grassy areas, that:
             58          (I) enhance the natural, scenic, or aesthetic qualities of the land; or


             59          (II) facilitate the public's access to or use of the land for the enjoyment of its natural,
             60      scenic, or aesthetic qualities and for compatible recreational activities.
             61          (2) (a) (i) The critical land shall be preserved in perpetuity as open land.
             62          (ii) The long-term ownership and management of the critical land should eventually be
             63      turned over to the Department of Natural Resources created under Section 63-34-3 or another
             64      agency or entity that is able to accomplish the purposes and intent of this section.
             65          (b) Notwithstanding Subsection (2)(a)(i) and as funding is available, certain actions
             66      should be taken on or with respect to the critical land, including:
             67          (i) the development and implementation of a program to eliminate noxious vegetation
             68      and restore and facilitate the return of natural vegetation on the critical land;
             69          (ii) the development of a system of trails through the critical land that is compatible
             70      with the preservation of the critical land as open land;
             71          (iii) the development and implementation of a program to restore the natural features of
             72      and improve the flows of the Jordan River as it crosses the critical land;
             73          (iv) the preservation of the archeological site discovered on the critical land and the
             74      development of an interpretive site in connection with the archeological discovery;
             75          (v) in restoring features on the critical land, the adoption of methods and plans that will
             76      enhance the critical land's function as a wildlife habitat;
             77          (vi) taking measures to reduce safety risks on the critical land; and
             78          (vii) the elimination or rehabilitation of a prison dump site on the critical land.
             79          (3) (a) Except as provided in [Subsection] Subsections (3)(b) and (c), no interest in the
             80      critical land may be sold, assigned, leased, or otherwise transferred unless measures are taken
             81      to ensure that the critical land that is transferred will be preserved as open land in perpetuity.
             82          (b) Notwithstanding Subsection (3)(a), exchanges of property may be undertaken to
             83      resolve boundary disputes with adjacent property owners and easements may be granted for
             84      trails and other purposes consistent with Subsection (2)(b) and with the preservation of the
             85      critical land as open land.
             86          (c) The Department of Natural Resources may transfer title to a portion of the critical
             87      land described in Subsection (1)(b)(i) in exchange for a parcel of land if:
             88          (i) the parcel being acquired is:
             89          (A) open land; and


             90          (B) located within one mile of the portion of critical land being transferred; and
             91          (ii) the purpose of the exchange is to facilitate the development of a commuter rail
             92      transit station and associated transit oriented development.
             93          (4) The division shall use the funds remaining from the appropriation under Laws of
             94      Utah 1998, Chapter 399, for the purposes of:
             95          (a) determining the boundaries and legal description of the critical land;
             96          (b) determining the boundaries and legal description of the adjacent property owned by
             97      the division;
             98          (c) fencing the critical land and adjacent land owned by the division where appropriate
             99      and needed; and
             100          (d) assisting to carry out the intent of this section.
             101          (5) (a) Notwithstanding Subsection (2)(a)(i), the division or its successor in title to the
             102      critical land may develop or allow a public agency or private entity to develop more wetlands
             103      on the critical land than exist naturally or existed previously.
             104          (b) (i) Subject to Subsections (3)(a) and (5)(b)(ii), the division or its successor in title
             105      may transfer jurisdiction of all or a portion of the critical land to a public agency or private
             106      entity to provide for the development and management of wetlands and designated wetland
             107      buffer areas.
             108          (ii) Before transferring jurisdiction of any part of the critical land under Subsection
             109      (5)(b)(i), the division or its successor in title shall assure that reasonable efforts are made to
             110      obtain approval from the appropriate federal agency to allow mitigation credits in connection
             111      with the critical land to be used for impacts occurring anywhere along the Wasatch Front.
             112          (6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, corrections shall have access to
             113      the cooling pond located on the critical land as long as that access to and use of the cooling
             114      pond are not inconsistent with the preservation of the critical land as open land.
             115          (7) The Department of Corrections, the division, and all other state departments,
             116      divisions, or agencies shall cooperate together to carry out the intent of this section.
             117          (8) In order to ensure that the land referred to in this section is preserved as open land,
             118      the division shall, as soon as practicable, place the land under a perpetual conservation
             119      easement in favor of an independent party such as a reputable land conservation organization or
             120      a state or local government agency with experience in conservation easements.


             121          Section 2. Section 63A-5-223 is enacted to read:
             122          63A-5-223. Authority to donate land for commuter rail station and related
             123      development.
             124          The division may H. [ donate ] transfer title to .H a parcel of land it owns in a county of
             124a      the first class to a public
             125      transit district for the purpose of facilitating the development of a commuter rail transit station
             126      and associated transit oriented development if H. :
             126a          (1) .H the parcel is within one mile of the proposed
             127      commuter rail transit station and associated transit oriented development H. [ . ] ; and
             127a          (2) the division receives in return fair and adequate consideration. .H




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-20-09 11:31 AM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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