Photo by Bob Hembree
Page City Council Votes to Preserve Entire Frost Park as Public Open Space
Council Overrules Planning Commission in Heated 5.81-Acre Property Debate
By Bob Hembree
The Page City Council voted Wednesday night to rezone the entire 5.81-acre Frost Park property to Parks and Open Space, dramatically expanding beyond the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation to preserve only a narrow one-acre strip behind neighboring homes.
The decision culminated years of controversy over the undeveloped city-owned land bordering Lake Powell Golf Course off Vista Avenue, with passionate debates about view preservation, public access, and municipal governance playing out during the July 30 council meeting.
Councilor Alleges Staff Ignored Council Direction
Councilor Debi Roundtree delivered an impassioned critique of how city staff handled the rezoning process, alleging they failed to follow previous council direction to work with citizens on creating a public park.
"This 5.8 is supposed to be it was supposed to be a city park in March and in 2023, three times the board unanimously gave direction to the planning and zoning to meet with the citizens and turn part of it into a park and see if there was a small portion of it that could go back to the city," Roundtree told her fellow council members.
She expressed disappointment with staff implementation of that direction, stating, "When I asked Darren about what was going on in planning and zoning, obviously they were not directed to follow the council's direction. They actually met with a few homeowners, and you can see that it has been designed to preserve a few homeowners views. That was not the intention of that city group."
Narrow Strip Designed to Protect Private Views
The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended rezoning only a 70-foot-wide strip totaling one acre immediately behind homes that border the property. Councilor Preller, who attended the neighborhood meeting, confirmed the limited scope, describing it as land that "would be a difficult to sell and develop that one acre part of Frost Park."
Roundtree revealed she had been told directly by city employees that the plan was designed around view protection: "When I asked, I was directly told by two city employees that it was handled, that those citizens would have their views. And that when I saw the plat and saw it's drawn, that has nothing to do with utilities or nothing else. It protects those few homeowners and their views."
View Preservation vs. Public Access Debate
The core controversy centered on whether the city should use zoning to preserve private views for adjacent homeowners rather than creating broad public access to the scenic property.
"So once again, we are back to are we going to set a precedent as this board to preserve views?" Roundtree asked. She drew comparisons to other areas where view preservation wasn't provided, noting "The citizens that have come in who thought when they bought their property on the other side of town that their airport was going to be moved and now they're having hangars built in their backyard."
Councilor David Auggie reinforced the council's general opposition to view-based zoning: "I think it's always been a position. I've been on the council about five years and it's always been the position that we don't zone things so that like this open space here where they have their protected views. And I think that's been the issue for the last 30 years or 35 years."
He concluded with a simple philosophy: "If you want it and you want to protect it, buy it."
Historical Context of Decades-Long Controversy
Roundtree emphasized the property's troubled history, stating it "has been bounced around for 35 years and every single time this board is approved for it to be the park and preserved for all citizens to be able to maintain that view."
She expressed frustration with repeated failed attempts: "Something behind the table happens and things like this happen. A developer is going to buy it only I'm really disappointed and you can tell that I'm being emotional about this item."
The property is informally known as Frost Park after Page's first city clerk, Jimmie Frost, who signed the city's incorporation documents in 1975. As previous coverage noted, the memorial park concept emerged in the 1980s when "Jim Frost, a Page city employee, died in the late 1980s when the idea of a memorial park began."
Limited Community Participation in Process
The neighborhood meeting held on May 19, 2025, drew only six local residents, according to the staff report. City Attorney Josh reported that "none of the residents present were opposed to this requested zone change request as it was presented to them."
However, Roundtree suggested this limited participation reflected broader community frustration: "Why they're not here is because the level of apathy of the things that have occurred in regards to this piece of property that they have given up because they are so apathetic to how these things are handled."
She referenced a larger citizen movement that had previously supported the park concept: "I was a part of that group. These hundreds of people, many of them spoke out in this meeting. They were not trying to protect views. They were trying to protect a view for all citizens."
Public vs. Private Benefit Philosophy
Roundtree emphasized the distinction between preserving views for adjacent homeowners versus creating public access: "That this is a special piece of property that all citizens have the opportunity to use and to enjoy that amazing view and a walk within town. And the purpose of the citizens group was to do that."
The debate reflected broader principles about municipal governance and fair treatment. "This cannot set a precedent of approving views," Roundtree argued. "We cannot begin to set a precedent for other homeowners."
Parliamentary Maneuvering Leads to Expanded Preservation
The path to the final decision involved several failed motions and parliamentary procedures. Roundtree initially moved to reject the limited rezoning and preserve the entire parcel, but the motion died without a second.
Councilor Amanda Hammond then proposed sending the matter back to Planning and Zoning "to reconcile to zone the entire parcel for parks and open space." After discussion about whether that was necessary, the motion was modified to have the council directly act.
Councilor Hedinger ultimately crafted the successful motion: "I move to adopt ordinance number 740-25 as amended with sections one and two reduced to a single section to say that the zoning of parcel... Remove section two so that the entire parcel is designated as parks and open space."
Municipal Governance and Trust Issues
The controversy highlighted ongoing concerns about transparency in city decision-making. "The citizens need to trust this council that when they make an anonymous direction that those things happen and not these types of deals behind the table," Roundtree stated.
Her criticism extended to the broader process: "This needs to stop. The citizens need to trust this council that when they make an anonymous direction that those things happen and not these types of deals behind the table."
Implications for Future Development
The decision ensures that the strategically located 5.81-acre parcel near Page's scenic rim will remain available for public use rather than private development. The property borders the Lake Powell National Golf Course and offers views of the surrounding landscape that has made Page a popular tourist destination.
The council's action represents a significant expansion from the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation and establishes important precedents about public access to scenic properties versus protection of private views.
As Mayor Bill Diak noted in previous coverage of the controversy, "The only way to protect a view is to buy it," though he had also suggested compromise might be possible. Wednesday's council vote ultimately sided with broad public preservation over the narrow view-protection approach originally recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The Frost Park decision concludes a decades-long controversy while establishing clearer principles about how Page will balance private property interests with public access to the community's scenic assets.