Residents warn commission that proposed Warner rezoning could worsen traffic and drainage near Mountain Green

At the Dec. 10 planning commission meeting, residents raised safety and infrastructure concerns about a requested rezoning for roughly 51.299 acres near Mountain Green Middle School.

Katie Diebel, who lives in the Rome area, asked directly about the public benefit of changing zoning and highlighted traffic delays at the Trappers Loop/Old Highway intersection: “My biggest question is, what is the public benefit of, changing the zoning?” She asked whether the developer would coordinate with UDOT and whether intersection improvements — which she said are not scheduled until near the Olympics timeline — would be accelerated.

Tom Johnston, who lives on the corner near the middle school, described a prior emergency after heavy snowfall when neighbors “helped to pump a neighbor's backyard out to prevent it from flooding their basement,” and urged commissioners to consider watershed and runoff management. He also described frequent near misses and safety concerns for children at school drop‑off and pickup times.

Staff and the county zoning administrator responded that drainage, traffic mitigation and other technical infrastructure requirements are typically resolved during subdivision review and through required traffic impact and geohazard studies; access to Trappers Loop would also require UDOT approval. Commissioners acknowledged those concerns but noted the rezone stage addresses policy consistency and that detailed engineering comes later.