The area where the development is planned is a floodplain. The risks associated with building in such an area include potential damage to properties and environmental contamination in the event of flooding (sewage treatment facility).

The development is expected to put a significant strain on local infrastructure. Business owners, residents and visitors alike believe the current infrastructure is inadequate especially during Moab’s peak seasons. Concerns include a substantial increase of traffic congestion and strain on public services.

The Moab area offers world-class opportunities for hikers, runners, rafters, base jumpers, cyclists, climbers, OHV enthusiasts, and more. The quality and accessibility to these unique opportunities are vital to the local economy. Residents and visitors agree that this development will significantly diminish the appeal of the “National Park-worthy” area and create congestion and access issues to residents’ and visitors’ favorite trails.

Many are concerned that the development will negatively change the character of Moab, transforming it from a humble, nature-oriented community into an over-crowded, urbanized area. Residents fear the loss of the small-town feel of the town that they take pride living in.

Legislators at the State level passed a law that was so specific in its language that it could only apply to the more than 500-home Kane Creek Development. The law took away the county’s autonomy and seated developers to take control the Kane Creek Improvement District

Questions are raised about the long-term sustainability of this large-scale development being built in such a precarious area, both in terms of environmental impact and the ability of the local community and infrastructure to support it over time.

The size of the project is a threat to Moab’s Main Street businesses, existing hotels, and outfitters, both by competing for employees, and as the project attempts to pull visitors off Main Street while simultaneously impeding recreation along the Kane Creek Road. The sprawl created by this project is the known enemy of gateway communities, where success depends on protecting close to town landscapes in their natural state and concentrating commerce on Main Street.

Situated within canyon walls, the parcel has only one narrow road for entry and exit, raising concerns about potential bottlenecks during emergencies and the possibility of blockages that could hinder emergency service personnel from reaching those in need.

The developers have applied to change a seldom used farm and ranch use water right to a large municiple water right to supply the development. This would draw water out of the sandstone aquaifer under Behind the Rocks and out of the Colorado River itself. The uncertainty of this water supply is a concern for Moab residents, as Moabs nearly tapped out water supply may be called upon to fill in if the developers main water supply fails. The development is about a quarter of the size of the City of Moab, so this is not a small concern.

Both the private property propsed for development and the immediate surrounding area have numerous documented and some not yet formally documented archaeological sites. The area was a home for indigenous peoples who are now descended by the Puebloan tribes and they left numerous petroglyphs, pit houses, pottery and other artifacts, storage structures, and at least one grave around this site. Archaeological and historical protection law does not generally protect anything but graves on private property. The developers were required to survey the lower areas of their parcel but not the upper areas. A large resource extraction opperation is currently occuring and planned for expansion at a place where several sites are mentioned in various public and non public records. While we can’t be certain what, if anything, is being destroyed by this operation, we are deeply concerned by the high likelihood of loss or damage to an unmonitored area.