Opinion ID: 2543536
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: 1070 East

Text: ¶ 44 The trial court held that 1070 East was created by a grant of easement from Hermes to the County and was not a public street. It came to that conclusion because of the terms of the grant of easement, including the fact that the right-of-way was to be used for the express permitted purpose of only ingress and egress of all pedestrian and vehicular traffic of the County and that Hermes held a right of reversion on the right-of-way. The trial court also justified its decision under section 17-27-1001(3) of the Utah Code, which grants deference to a County's land use decisions, including Ken Jones's determination that 1070 East is not a street. ¶ 45 In reviewing the district court's decision, we look again to the definition of a street in the county code. A street is a thoroughfare that is (1) dedicated or abandoned to the public or (2) made public by private right of use and the principal means of access to abutting property. See Salt Lake County Code of Ordinances § 19.04.515 (1997). The street designated 1070 East cannot be considered public by right of use because it clearly has not previously existed, let alone been used by the public, for a period of ten years. See Utah Code Ann. § 72-5-104 (Supp.2000). Thus, to be public, 1070 East must be dedicated as public in the instrument of its creation. It was created by a Grant of Easement for Public Right of Way, which was conveyed by Hermes to the County. This instrument reads, in pertinent part: Hermes[,] GRANTOR, as a requirement and in consideration of the passage of [Ordinance 1275] hereby GRANTS to: SALT LAKE COUNTY, ... GRANTEE, an easement for a public right of way for the express permitted purpose of only ingress and egress of all pedestrian and vehicular traffic of GRANTEE and its permitted assignees, and successors in interest, over and above ... certain real property.... Reserving upon GRANTOR, the right of the automatic reversion of said easement to the GRANTOR, in the event that GRANTOR acquires those certain lots. [20] Ordinance 1275 required Hermes to convey a twenty-five-foot-wide public right-of-way to the County to provide access to the north (or front) side of the Croxford property from 7240 South, which is unquestionably a public street. The instrument creating the right-of-way accordingly describes the right-of-way as being public, and for the purpose of providing ingress and egress of all pedestrian and vehicular traffic of the County and its permitted assignees. A County ordinance defines a private roadway as a roadway in private ownership which is controlled and maintained by the owners and not the County. Salt Lake County Code of Ordinances § 14.12.010(L) (1992). Clearly, 1070 East does not fit that definition. It is owned and controlled by the County. ¶ 46 We therefore hold that the right-of-way is public. The County does not contend that it has taken any measures to restrict who may use the right-of-way and does not dispute that as a matter of fact, it is open to the public. Nor do we think that because Hermes has an automatic reversion in the event that it ever acquires the Croxford property, the right-of-way is necessarily made private and not public. In sum, because 1070 East is a public way, it is subject to county zoning and roadway ordinances and the CUP.