Letter To The Editor

The Garden City Viewscape and the Beach Development Ordinance

Bryce Nielson

            It is interesting to see how things changed over time.  The Garden City Beach Development (BD) ordinance was developed in the mid 1970's by Al Harrision and the BLRC.  It was initially designed to be a lake wide model.  It focused on setbacks from the lake, height restrictions and other issues.  We really didn't want huge hotels lining the beach like you see in Hawaii and many other locations.  Garden City adopted it but at the time Pickleville had not been incorporated.  This is probably the reason Sweetwater Resort built their condos without a height restriction.

            It was applied along the entire shoreline in the Town without regard for adjacent zoning.  At the time, Garden City was "strip town".  Lots of agricultural barns and buildings, no trophy homes on the foothills and a narrow little intersection with Sterling Service on one side and the post office on the other.  LaBeau's was the only drivein in town.  Even the church was an old white building.  What cabins that were along the lakeshore were truly cabins and trees were sparse..  Pulley's and the Bear Lake Motor Lodge were the only restaurant/motel in town.

            The BD zone was well thought out at the time but as the years passed development came/went and the Town changed.  On the shores of beautiful Bear Lake, growth was inevitable.  A person's view of Garden City and its development depends on when they moved here.

            We all want beautiful views of the Lake.  Today they don't exist in town unless you are fortunate enough to have a lakeside cabin.  Trees (+35') and vegetation now line the highway planted by property owners to create a buffer from the highway.  During the summer, with leaves on, a visitor driving down SR 30 will not see the lake.

            Where does that leave the Town and its future development.  The public officials need to assess the current viewscape.  The only public block of land with no buildings (lots of vegetation however) is the Garden City Park.  That needs to be preserved.  Not much can be done about the roadside vegetation unless it is in the utility lines at which point it is "hacked off".

            We are lucky though.  From the scenic overlook down US89 all the way to Town, the lake is prominent.  If you are driving in on US89 from Yellowstone, the lake welcomes you before you get to the Marina,  If you are drifting in from Wyoming along SR30, the lake views between Laketown and Gus Rich Point are unsurpassed.  If you are staying at Harbor Village or Ideal Beach the tall condos provide views for people who are only here for a short time.

            No one wants new development next to them.  We are a population of NIMBY's (not in my back yard).  We are opposed to development unless it is our idea.  Should Garden City  be frozen in time?  Envision Bear Lake documented that it should grow.  It also said that economic development should be clustered in the center of Town.  For services and jobs, economic development is a necessity.  Who would have ever thought that Ace Hardware would be successful in this small town?  We cannot predict the success or failure of ambitious business entrepreneurs or what their plans are.  Our job is to guide future growth in Garden City that is in concert with what exists and what we visualize for the future.