Heading into the south end of Cache Valley, after traveling through miles of open fields and towering mountains in Sardine Canyon, drivers pass by some scattered homes and businesses to eventually find spacious, open fields, interrupted by only a few buildings — primarily a museum and a dairy.
Soon, travelers may also be welcomed by another sight as the sweeping expanse opens up: a storage facility.
On June 9, the Cache County Council voted 4-1 to rezone 8 acres of agricultural land in the area to commercial use. The parcel sits on unincorporated county land close to Wellsville, near U.S. Route 91 and 3900 South.
The request was made by Travis Baldwin after he and Mike Baldwin were approached by the property owners. Both men co-own a storage business in Smithfield.
In a previous county meeting, Mike Baldwin said the duo was looking to construct a new storage facility on the property near Wellsville.
Before the council’s vote, Brian Abbott, the county’s development services director, told council members the new business is slated to be constructed in a space that the Cache Open Space Advisory Committee had determined was a scenic view — one worth protecting.
He also told them the nearby American West Heritage Center was opposed, as was Utah State University, which owns land managed by the museum.
Tony R. Moser, the heritage center’s director, wrote a letter to the council with concerns that the storage facility would undermine visitors’ experience at the museum, which aims to capture how the valley felt from 1820 to 1920.
“The uninterrupted view of farmland leading into our site sets the tone for the historical period we interpret,” he wrote. “Any commercial development would fundamentally change that experience.”
During a public comment period, Travis Baldwin told council members that he had used artificial intelligence to experiment with berms, bushes, river rock, and trees to blend the potential storage units in with the surrounding landscape.
“Then we can color the storage units a light brown,” he said. “… We’re good neighbors. We’re not there to put a big eyesore coming into Cache Valley.”
Margaret Bosworth, a partial owner of the 8 acres that were rezoned, urged the council members to think of property rights.
“I love Wellsville and everything,” she said. “… But I think you need to look at property right owners — the rights and lost revenue for our family, and what we want to do with that piece of ground.”
Deborah Van Noy, the treasurer and secretary of the Utah Agricultural Land Trust, said the owners could make money from the acres by pursuing a conservation easement instead.
“They would be very valuable,” she said.
Council members JoAnn Bennett, Kathryn Beus, Nolan Gunnell, and Mark Hurd voted in favor of the rezone, saying they wanted to respect the landowners’ rights. Bennett also said the area already has several USU buildings.
“A lot of agricultural buildings,” council member David Erickson responded.
He cast the lone “no” vote.
“I know it would have an effect, no matter how much you try to hide it,” Erickson said. “It would stand out.”
Council members Sandi Goodlander and Keegan Garrity were not present for the decision.
“This is a tough one,” Gunnell said before voting. “… I love the idea of vistas and corridors, but at the same time, I love the idea of property rights.”
