Provo MSA Development Thread

[UV4EVER]

Wow, it's been a while since I've had time to post on this forum... oh how I have missed it! It's great to see alot of activity going on around Utah and some good Utah threads going now. It's gonna take me a bit to catch up to speed on the latest topics and project as I have been really busy with school and work, but I'm glad to be back! I'm now living in Provo (no longer Springville) and since we're kind of on the topic of Wal-marts in UV, does anyone know why Provo doesn't have a Wal-mart? It can get annoying to drive to Orem or Springville late at night. Maybe Provo could get one of these proto-type Wal-marts? Thoughts?

[Wasatch_One]

Provo's City Council has shunned big box development until recently when a Home Depot was built at the Univ Ave./I-15 interchange...

I dont think a Walmart or Target will ever be built in Provo... the only possible location IMO (depending on how soft the council becomes) would be on the west side of I-15 and Center St. with all the new development going out toward the lake

[delts145]

Ya know, I don't think there is an area other than the southwest end for a Walmart in Provo . If you think about it, the north end, and west of I-15 on Center of Provo, "as Wasatch mentioned," are the only areas far enough away from the current Walmart to warrant a new one. We all know that a Walmart in No. Provo has zero chance of going in. Not only would residents put up a big fuss, but the current commercial owners wouldn't allow it, "even if it were built alla Cedar Hills or Park City". I don't think there's any land parcels left that are big enough to accomodate a Provo Walmart in the central or northern sector.

[dewaalnuts]

walmart shouldn't be built anywhere. one of the worst companies in the country.

[SLC Projects]

Do we need anymore Walmarts? Seems like there's one off of every freeway off ramps.

[delts145]

Group backs UVSC's bid

New area organization calls for university status

By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
OREM — Community and business leaders have formed a group with the goal of pushing Utah Valley State College toward university status.
The group is called "Friends of Utah Valley" — with the last words of the school's title, "State College," dropped because the group anticipates the school's name will change if it is granted approval to become a university, said one of the group's organizers, Stan Lockhart, a Micron lobbyist and husband of Rep. Becky Lockhart, R-Provo.
The group thus far is roughly 200 people strong, all residents or business leaders in Utah County, said Mark Robinson, a Provo attorney involved in the group.
Members have pledged about $10,000, said Robinson, who is finalizing paperwork to make the Friends of Utah Valley a nonprofit organization.
Friends of Utah Valley is independent of UVSC, and the money it raises will be used for its own activities, such as print advertisements and radio spots touting the benefits of the school.
"I think what we're trying to do is, we're trying to create a forum that people in our community can help UVSC," Lockhart said.
Such efforts would include lobbying and educating the public and lawmakers about UVSC, and the need they perceive for a public university in 360,000-resident Utah County.
"Ultimately, UVSC serves this community and it's a great vote of confidence to have a group like this to throw its support behind this institution," UVSC spokesman Chris Taylor said. "You know, UVSC and Utah County share many of the same goals."
Within the next three years, UVSC could receive from the legislature the additional $10 million needed to round out its bachelor degree offerings, add graduate programs and staff, and become a university.
The sooner, the better, according to UVSC officials, although Richard Kendell, the state's commissioner of higher education, will recommend $3 million go to the college for university status this year.
Neither Lockhart nor Robinson are alumni of the Orem college — but they say they want to rally around the 23,300-student college because it's the school most youth in Utah County attend.
Admission to the other school in Utah Valley, Brigham Young University, has become more competitive in the past 15 years, and very few high school graduates from Utah County are granted admission.
Seventy percent of Utah County's high school graduates who are college-bound attend UVSC, college spokeswoman Megan Laurie said.
Friends of Utah Valley estimated on its Web site that only 10 percent of Utah County high school graduates who are college-bound attend BYU.
A BYU spokeswoman could not confirm that number, saying such information is not available.
If most of the children in Utah County will eventually attend UVSC, then members of Friends of Utah Valley want the school to be a university.
"It has greater prestige and credibility and gives them (students) an opportunity to accomplish their goals a little better," Robinson said.
They also advocate for university status because they believe it will fuel the local economy.
They cite a 2006 survey conducted by UVSC's Institutional Research Department that found for every $1 the state spends on UVSC, $6.22 is returned to the local and state economy.
"I think we want Utah Valley to be treated fairly in comparison to the rest of the state," Robinson said.
The group has met several times in the past three months. A Web site is under construction at www.friendsofutahvalley.com.

[SLC Projects]

UVSU.....................insteed of UVSC. That's going to take a little getting use to. LOL.

[i-215]

Man, that'll be crazy...

The U
USU
SUU
CEU (not a university, more like a high school than a college)
UVSU?

Too many U's....... Although I have seen billboards for UVSC. They are now calling themselves "Utah Valley State," dropping the word "college" from the ads. I really think they want to get rid of the "c" word forever.

[Utaaah!]

Not too long ago it was UVCC (Utah Valley Community College). I'm still getting used to the fact that the school offers 4-year degrees -- and now it's competing in NCAA Division 1 athletics. It's come a long way fast.

[delts145]

KATE MCNEIL - Daily Herald
With temperatures in the teens, nearly 50 men from Layton Construction began pouring a concrete foundation for Utah Valley State College's new Digital Learning Center at 2:45 a.m. Friday.

The nine-hour project required 300 truckloads of concrete from four batch plants to fill a 3-foot thick, 30,000-square-foot matting to support the new library.

"It's quite the tight rope act," said Bruce McDonough, project director.

The 190,000-square-foot library will rise from this concrete mat and, once completed in June 2008, will become the largest building on UVSC's campus.

The $48 million, five-story library is a crucial step toward achieving university status.

Project manager Brian McBeth estimated Friday's pouring project to cost around $300,000 just in concrete and $1,500 an hour in labor. Using four pouring trucks, the concrete was poured on top of 1 million pounds of reinforcing steel that will hold loads up to 5,500 pounds of pressure per square inch.

"This is the largest continuous pour we've ever done," McBeth said.

The new Digital Learning Center will have a 150-seat lecture hall, 100 public computers, 40 group study rooms, five classrooms, a cafe and a bridge connecting it to UVSC's main corridor. The current library, not deemed fit for graduate study, will be used for student services such as advisement and counseling.

The library sits on a previous student parking lot, directly north of the Sorensen Student Center. UVSC lost 250 parking stalls due to the construction but added 600 stalls in the Victor parking lot on the northwest side of campus, said Chris Taylor, UVSC spokesman.

The 94-degree concrete will stay warm for three days, despite freezing temperatures. Construction workers will then pour another 5-inch slab onto the foundation and begin placing structural steel in February.

In March, UVSC was granted $46.75 million from the state Legislature for the project, representing the largest amount of one-time funding UVSC has ever received from the state.

Excavation of the site began in early September.

Layton Construction also built the original Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University and the Draper library. This is its first project at UVSC.

Layton employees broke for Christmas Day and continued the project Tuesday.

[SLC Projects]

That's going to be one cool looking library when it's finish. I should go take some pics of this project, that's if it started yet.

[delts145]

OREM — The SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem will be expanding, thanks to the donation of two buildings through the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation.
The deal, finalized Thursday, includes two buildings on two acres directly east of the SCERA center at 745 S. State, Orem.
SCERA will use one; the other will be a rental.
The former Teleperformance building will be used as a scene, prop and costume shop, and SCERA will lease out the All-State Building — both in the area of 300 E. 800 South.
Ray Noorda, the former Novell CEO, died Oct. 9. The Noorda family also recently donated $1 million to expand and renovate the Orem Fitness Center.
"The Noorda family has long supported the SCERA and the arts, and we are so grateful to them for their vision and generosity," said SCERA CEO Adam Robertson. "We could not have gotten a better Christmas present, and this donation helps us immeasurably."
The two donated facilities and property will expand the SCERA space by more than 50 percent, Robertson said.
The SCERA, built 1933 as a cultural arts provider, has not previously had a scene shop, leaving construction of scenery to be done on-stage or outside.
The addition of these buildings will allow the SCERA to keep some of their "speciality" set pieces and use them in future shows or rent them out, Robertson said.
The SCERA will begin using the facilities within a week.



related story:

Remodeled SCERA gets rave reviews


MARC HADDOCK - Daily Herald
The remodeled XanGo Grande Theatre at the SCERA Center for the Arts is getting good reviews.

The renovated theater features a refinished floor, a new paint job, new seats, new wall treatments, new lights, new carpeting, and upgraded sound. The theater opted to keep the old seats, which are metal and more durable than new theater seating, but replaced the cushions, the backs and the upholstery.

Robertson said he was pleased with the results of the renovation -- the first of five phases planned to revitalize the 73-year-old Orem institution over the next four years. He said the SCERA started with the greatest need.

"We realized that we needed to fix our biggest black eye," he said. "We have great plans for the next four years to add to this."

The renovation is largely funded by a $1 million donation from XanGo, the Lehi-based company that makes and markets juice made from mangosteen fruit.

XanGo also produced a 30-second promotional spot that will be shown prior to movies in the renovated 750-seat theater, the largest movie theater in Utah County.

Basil Harb, an architect with Gould/Evans who headed up the design team for the project, said the firm focused on retaining and updating the original Art Deco theme of the theater. He said the building's role goes beyond entertainment.

"One of the great things about the SCERA is the support of the community," he said.

Tony Shields, project manager for Jacobsen Construction, said the SCERA had been an important part of his life, since his grandparents lived a few blocks from the theater and he had attended movies there many times.

"I started coming to the SCERA when I was 5," he said, adding that it was a happy coincidence that he ended up working on this project.

Shields said logistics in the five-week project had been a challenge. The temporary carpeting was installed Tuesday evening, just in time for Wednesday's opening.

Phase II of the remodeling will include upgraded systems, a raised stage, an improved sprinkling system, a more sophisticated catwalk and work in areas above the ceiling. The fly system and stage improvements will come in the third phase so the theater can host live plays, concerts and other public performances. Plans also call for a redo of the concessions area, lobby and vestibule.

Robertson said that by the fifth year, SCERA will have "a functional and beautiful performing arts venue with all the bells and whistles."

Orem Mayor Jerry Washburn praised the SCERA for rebuilding the theater with improvements that are more than just a cosmetic approach.

"I'm glad they didn't just go with a Band-Aid approach," Washburn said. "This building is a great foundation for the community arts program. It has got a great location and a great future."

[UV4EVER]

I attended UVSC this last semester. By the time school got out a few weeks ago they were already laying the foundation for the library. Oh, and by the way, the name of the university is not official yet. We took a survey that asked for student input on a few things, including the name. The choices that they offered were

Utah Valley University
Utah Valley State University
Fulton University (Named after Ira and Mary Lou Fulton)
Wasatch University
Central Utah University or
other

I voted for Wasatch University although I also like the UVU and Fulton University names. I think Wasatch University can give it more of an identity of its own. The vote doesn't determine the actual name; they just wanted student input.

[SLC Projects]

Wasatch University does have a nice ring to it.

[i-215]

As confusing as it may be, I still like "Utah Valley State." I think it has a nice ring to it.

[delts145]

I don't know, I'm kind of leaning toward using something other than another U.
I like Fulton and Wasatch.

[delts145]

I guess I don't like the name Valley or Ville in a title. To me it usually sounds very generic and averageville.

UVSC is contemplating a new name


Possibilities all end with the word 'university'

By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
OREM — Utah Valley State College chiefs are trying on for size new school names. And all end with the word "university."
Deseret Morning News archives Utah Valley State University, Utah Valley University and Central Utah University are three names school officials are discussing among themselves and with the community as they move toward their goal of turning the school into a university.
State lawmakers, if they decide to do so, would change the school's name at the same time they crown the school with university status.
Yet UVSC employees and members of the college's board of trustees want to present suggestions to the decisionmakers, said Val Hale, UVSC's vice president for institutional advancement and marketing.
"There's no topic that gets the public more interested and passionate than naming the institution," Hale said.
Higher education experts have estimated that $10 million is needed to transform the 23,000-student Orem college into a university. The money is necessary to pay for a host of campus and academic services, including graduate programs and more undergraduate degrees.
UVSC officials want the money to come from the state's coffers over the next three years.
But they believe the sooner they receive the money, the better.
"If (legislators) were to proceed this year (with a mission and name change), they would make that decision by the end of February," Hale said at a recent meeting with the college's trustee board.
Hale recruited seven trustees and the student body president to talk to Utah County residents about name preferences.
In October and November, UVSC's marketing and communications office interviewed students and people at the Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce about the names UVSU, UVU and CUU, said Megan Laurie, the office's assistant director.
Several hundred people took an online survey through the alumni Web site, and those results were considered with the other surveys.
"This was very, very informal polling," said Laurie, stressing that the samples of people surveyed were not randomly chosen.
The school tallied 1,742 votes from the printed and online surveys and discovered the following results: UVU was the frontrunner, with 842 votes; UVSU received 787 votes; CUU received 113 votes.
Central Utah University was popular among people who want a name that isn't as geographically specific as the words "Utah Valley" imply.
A name with the words "Central Utah" has, in fact, been associated with the school for decades.
Local school districts ran the school in the 1930s when it opened; but by 1945 when state officials took control, it was named the Central Utah Vocational School.
The school has also been called Utah Trade Technical Institute, Utah Technical College at Provo and Utah Valley Community College before receiving its current moniker in 1993 when it began offering bachelor's degrees.
"It's funny because there are those who feel 'Utah Valley,' the name, is the way to go," Hale said. "There are others who feel 'Utah Valley' is too confining ... it tends to put too much of a geographic (focus) on the area of the school."


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[SLC Projects]

Crews pour footing for new UVSC library
OREM — Layton Construction Company crews poured nearly 3,200 cubic yards of concrete on top of 1 million pounds of steel to create the "mat footing" for Utah Valley State College's new library, called the Digital Learning Center.
The 190,000 square-foot library building — which will have 40 group study rooms, 100 public computers and expanded book collections — will rise from the mat footing. The mat covers approximately 30,000 square feet of surface area, and is almost three feet in depth.
The concrete was poured Dec. 22. The library is expected to be finished in the spring of 2008.
The placement of the concrete was one of the largest single concrete placements undertaken by Layton Construction, Utah's largest commercial contractor.
UVSC's current library has been criticized for being too small. The DLC is part of UVSC's efforts to become a university, as it will accommodate graduate-level research.

[delts145]

Firm wants production of NAND chips to start soon

By Brice Wallace
Deseret Morning News
LEHI — Contractors are preparing the interior of the massive building. Employees are coming on board. Supplier and vendors are setting up shop nearby.
Things are falling into place for IM Flash Technologies to begin production of NAND flash memory chips — used in a variety of consumer electronics, removable storage and handheld communications devices — sometime during the first quarter.
One step is hiring employees, and a Jan. 13 "meet and interview" event is designed to help the company meet its needs for production operators. About 200 have been hired, but IM Flash needs about 300 more.
IM Flash has 1,181 employees — about 400 are engineers — and figures to have between 1,850 and 2,000 by March. Meanwhile, about 3,000 contractors are at the former Micron Technology Inc. building, prepping the insides to accommodate the production lines and prepare other infrastructure for the company, a joint venture of Micron and Intel.
"We are under the most aggressive ramp-up in the history of the semiconductor world," said spokeswoman Laurie Bott. "The site is being developed to compete on a global scale in nanotechnology, and it's just very, very exciting. When you walk through here, it's just a 'wow!' at what's being accomplished."
IM Flash is about halfway through a $2 billion investment over a two-year period to build-out and equip the site, and it expects salaries over the next decade to total about $1.1 billion.
About 60 percent of the former Micron facility will be used to support the chip fabrication operations. So far, about 6.75 million construction man-hours have been spent on IM Flash, and about 4.5 million more will take place. To provide a sense of how massive the project is, placed end-to-end, the fabrication project blueprints would be 26 miles long.
"We're on schedule and are looking forward to being operational," Bott said. "And we want the Utah community to know that we are offering not just a job, but we will train someone and offer them a career."
Entry-level production operators will receive training at either Boise or Manassas, Va.; will receive $11 per hour to start; and will be eligible for performance bonuses for team members plus benefits including a matching 401(k), medical, dental, vision, holiday pay, a time-off plan and night-shift differential. The company also offers development programs for employees to pursue careers in either technical development or production leadership.
"We are looking for candidates interested in joining our Lehi team of production operators," Shawn Siddoway, recruiting manager, said in a prepared statement. "These are trainable, entry-level positions offering excellent wages and an outstanding career in the high-tech world of semiconductor technology."
"We hire and promote from within," Bott said. "The next step would possibly be a technician operator. Most of our management started at this level."
Bott said the company faces a couple of issues as it ramps up hiring. One is that most people know the operations by the Micron name and may not be familiar with IM Flash Technologies. "There are a lot of individuals who don't know yet who we are or what we do," she said.
Another is the tight labor pool.
Job openings for production operators, technician operators, engineers, administration and other positions are posted at the company's Web site, www.imftech.com.
Micron and Intel announced the venture in November 2005. Boise-based Micron owns 51 percent of IM Flash. Intel, based in Santa Clara, Calif., owns 49 percent.
Micron representatives at that time said only that Lehi could see "hundreds of jobs" as the new company ramped up operations. In March 2006, the company pegged employment at the facility at 1,850 over 18 months. At that time, it received a state tax-rebate incentive equating to up to 30 percent of new incremental state revenue over a five-year period after the plant is operating, estimated to be about $15 million.


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[delts145]

County's office vacancies at all-time low

But that means rents will go up, report says

By Amy Choate-Nielsen
Deseret Morning News
OREM — There's good and bad news for Utah County business owners, according to a year-end 2006 real estate report issued Tuesday from Commerce CRG.


Deseret Morning News archives

The good news, according to the real estate services company, is business is booming, with all-time low vacancy rates for office, retail and industrial space.
The bad news is, even with new commercial growth on the horizon, the dearth of available space means rent rates are going to go up — because they can.
"The law of supply and demand would say when you have occupancy rising like it is, you better start securing your leases because rates are going to go up," said Jon Anderson, partner and principal broker at Commerce CRG. "There's no question that rates will go up with that kind of supply dwindling."
According to the report, Utah County saw an increase of 250,000 square feet of retail space in 2006, yet the vacancy rate still fell 1.5 percent. Overall, the county has 6.3 percent of its retail space available for rent.
Office vacancies in the county are down to about 7 percent, though several office projects, such as the Mid Town Plaza in Orem, are planned to alleviate some of the need. At the same time, many of the projects have already sold leasing contracts for their buildings, and they haven't even broken ground.
Industrial availability is at 2 percent, which is a record-breaking low, according to the report.
For developers, that's good news.
"We always like the demand," said Rich Bennion, developer and owner of Bennion Investment Group. "We always want the demand to exceed the supply. Now we're getting into the situation where demand is starting to exceed supply."
One reason for a shift toward a lack of commercial space can be attributed to the limited amount of space already available, added to an especially robust Utah economy.
Developers may also be hesitant to build an excess of commercial space if they remember the high number of vacancies from two or three years ago.
At the same time, out-of-state companies may be fleeing to Utah as a refuge from more-expensive retail rates and taxes found in other nearby states.
"Sometimes you get a 'me too' kind of phenomenon," Anderson said. "If companies are going to Phoenix, other corporations will listen and go to Phoenix, too. When that isn't happening any more, they look around and see that Provo and Salt Lake are a lot cheaper."
Commercial real estate also follows residential trends, Anderson said.
In 2006, Utah County's residential permits exceeded those of Salt Lake County. The statistic could be attributed to a greater land mass availability for development, or it could be a sign of Utah County's growing economy.
"You look at what's going on in Alpine and Lehi and American Fork — and anything just over the Salt Lake County/Utah County border — many of those people are working in Salt Lake, but they can buy more home at a better cost in Utah County," said Jeff Thredgold, chief economist for Zion's Bank. "Utah County for a long time has been, perhaps, the second most critical metropolitan area in the state. Behind Salt Lake County, there's Utah County, and that's not going to change any time soon."


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