West Provo Agriculture

My friend and Council colleague, Dave Knecht, serves on the West Side Planning Committee with me. This Committee has been tasked with recommending policy to the Council to guide land use decisions in West Provo. On Wednesday he sent out an email to his distribution list which said, in part,

"Recently the Provo City Council formed a West Side Planning Committee and one of the main questions being asked is:
What is the purpose of Agriculture in Provo, now and in the future ?

Unless there is a compelling answer to this question, explaining the need and value of local agriculture by this Friday, then there will likely be NO agricultural element in the new West Side Plans and eventually every square inch of farmland on the West Side will be developed if at all possible." (bolded emphasis is from the email).

Since then I have received, or have been forwarded, many responses from upset residents of Provo. I have decided to address this issue here on this blog, in an effort to efficiently respond, and in the interest of transparency.

I have communicated with Councilor Knecht, to let him know that I disagree with how he characterized the situation, and he has looked over this blog post and has had a chance to clarify or dispute what I have written. He has told me that wrote his email based on his understanding at the time, and it is obvious that we took "Purpose" question to mean different things.

First, let's start with the area of agreement: the first paragraph. I agree that one of the main questions being asked of the committee is, "What is the purpose for agricultural preservation?" Agricultural preservation is one of the main topics that we have been studying and discussing. It is one of the factors that we are attempting to understand so that we can find the right balance. The question, "What is the purpose for agricultural preservation?" isn't a combative question, for which if there isn't a satisfactory answer then all agricultural uses will be exterminated. It is an honest question to help us define what are we trying to accomplish through agricultural preservation. What goals are we trying to achieve? What would successful agricultural preservation look like? These are important questions that will help shape the policies that we recommend.

Next, the area of disagreement: the second paragraph. I disagree that "there will likely be no agricultural element in the new West Side Plans" under any circumstances. Not one member of the committee has expressed any interest in this. Quite the opposite, all of the discussion has been about balancing the wishes and interests of all stakeholders. I can't speak for others on the Committee, but for myself, the reason I have invested huge amounts of time and effort to be on this committee is because of my fear that West Provo would be developed with no vision or plan and we would lose what makes West Provo so special.

The Friday deadline (which has since been pushed to Monday) was for Committee members to submit their thoughts so that we can continue our discussion next Tuesday. There is a separate request for information and opinion going out to large land owners in West Provo, with a proposed deadline of January 19th. The point is we are still discussing these topics and there will be many opportunities for the public to weigh in on the plan as it is developed. Your input is always welcome, but there is nothing magical about today being your last chance to save agriculture in West Provo.