Ogden: the Junction City mega thread

[delts145]

Shape up! New South Davis rec center brings new life to area

By Natalie Clemens
Deseret Morning News
BOUNTIFUL — It may not be called the "Bubble," but that won't keep it from bursting with activity inside.


Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
Swimmers enjoy the pool at the new south Davis recreation center.

The South Davis Recreation Center opened its doors to the general public Monday, March 5. And with more than 180,000 square feet of fun, there's something for everyone.
"It's going to be the top recreation facility in the state," said John Miller, executive director of the South Davis Recreation Center.
The recreation center sits on the same site that used to feature the Bountiful Bubble, 550 N. 200 West.
Construction began on the facility in April of 2005, and the Bountiful Bubble was torn down in August 2006. Miller said he is taking suggestions for a name for the South Davis Recreation Center.
"We don't want it to be called the 'Bubble,"' he said. "We want it to have its own identity."
On Friday, March 2, local dignitaries had the opportunity to tour the completed building.
"This is exciting to me," said Centerville Mayor Ronald Russell. "What's exciting, aside from this wonderful facility, is it shows what we can do when we work together."
The center is being funded by an $18.5 million bond that was approved by voters in Centerville, Bountiful, North Salt Lake, Woods Cross and West Bountiful in August 2004.
The Davis School District also formed a partnership with the center sharing the gymnasium on its main floor with Bountiful Junior High School. The junior high uses the gymnasium during the school day, and the south Davis recreation center has access to it before or after school.
Local high schools will also use other parts of the center. The hockey teams from Bountiful, Viewmont, Davis and possibly Woods Cross high schools will use the ice rink, and swim teams from Bountiful, Woods Cross and Viewmont will utilize the lap pool.


Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
Adam Barder tries out the climbing wall, one of the center's many features.

Miller said citizens of the community have been driving by watching the building being built.
Now those citizens can utilize the center.
The main level of the center houses most of its activities. It features an ice rink, gymnasium, multipurpose gym, lap and leisure pools, and bouldering cave.
The multipurpose gym sits in the center of the facility. It features sports court flooring and is equipped to house activities like deck hockey, volleyball, basketball and futsal. The dasher board that lines the court came from the Bountiful Bubble.
Miller said that eventually there will be bleachers placed on one side of the multipurpose gym so that about 250 spectators can watch the different activities.
Next to the multipurpose gym sits the bouldering cave that features special flooring with 4 inches of padding. Stretching 12 feet, the cave's walls are peppered with artificial rock grips for climbing.
Miller said the cave is different than a traditional rock wall, because it doesn't require harnessing or ropes to climb. He said that additional padding, 8-inch mats, will be placed near the walls for extra protection.
The indoor competition 25-meter stretch pool is down the hall from the cave. It can be used for 25-yard or 25-meter races. Bleachers positioned above the pool on the center's second level provide spectator seating for 500 people.
Across from the competition lap pool is the indoor leisure pool. It features a water playground, spa, lazy river and four lap lanes. During open-plunge time, the four lap lanes can be turned into a water-basketball or water-volleyball arena. Eventually the leisure pool will also have a circular water slide.
"This place kind of just speaks for itself," Miller said of the leisure pool area. "Parents are going to be waiting in the foyer trying to get their kids out of here."


Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
Casey and Jackie Smith try out the equipment.

An outdoor splash pad with water fountains springing up from the ground and a pirate ship will also be added later this year. The outdoor area will include a sunbathing area, a grassy area and an outdoor concessions area.
In the open area around the corner from the leisure pool, a Dance Dance Revolution machine is hooked up to a television for people to play. Miller said he eventually would like to place ping-pong and Foosball tables in the area.
The center's Olympic-size ice rink is on the north side of the facility. It features spectator seating for approximately 750 people.
People must pay additional fees to use the ice rink area. Miller said all the other activities are included in the admission price to the center.
The second level of the recreation center features free weights and pin-selector machines. In one area, more than 30 cardiovascular machines, each equipped with its own television monitor, line the wall with glass windows, facing the center's multipurpose gym.
The second level also has an exercise studio equipped with spinning bikes, exercise balls, pads, steps and more.
"It's limitless what exercise programs you can hold here," Miller said.
Also, five racquetball courts are on the second floor.
"They are fun to play in," Miller said. "I've already tried them out."
The third level of the recreation center consists of a walking/jogging track that circles the facility. People 60 years and older can come to the recreation center for free and walk its track.
Miller said the center is very unique, because it is very open.
"You can see how open it is," he said. "That is something we really like about it. You don't feel closed in."


Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
The new south Davis recreation center features a pool, above, as well as an ice rink, gymnasium, bouldering cave and more.

The center provides child care for its patrons at the price of $2.50 per child, per hour. There is a two-hour maximum.
The facility also has two party rooms and two meeting rooms that people can rent for various events.
Carolyn Jacobson of North Salt Lake toured the facility.
"I've been dying to see the place," she said. Jacobson used to go to the Bountiful Bubble.
"I really didn't like the facilities, because they were so old and small," she said. "I could never get into lap swim, because it was so crowded."
Jacobsen said she is looking forward to swimming at the new center.
"It's very exciting to even think we have a neat facility like this," she said.
She is also excited to bring her family to the center.
"We'll come play racquetball with the grandkids, and I'm sure they'll climb on the wall," she said.
Bountiful City Councilman Tom Tolman said the center is pretty nice.
"It's perfect," he said, adding that local residents will enjoy using its facilities.
Miller agrees.
"Local residents are going to come in here and see the facility and just fall in love with it," he said. "It's a family-oriented facility."
Annual membership pricing:

Family (one or two adults and up to five children that can be claimed as dependents as per IRS standards; additional children are $25 each); resident — $450 plus tax; nonresident — $585 plus tax.
Couple: residents — $375 plus tax; nonresidents — $485 plus tax. (A couple is two individuals who share the same household.)
Adult single (18 and up): resident — $300 plus tax; nonresident — $390 plus tax.
Senior single (60 and up): resident — $225 plus tax; nonresident — $290 plus tax.
Senior couple: resident — $275 plus tax; nonresident — $350 plus tax.
Youth (4-11): resident — $175 plus tax; nonresident — $225 plus tax.
Student (12-17): resident — $225 plus tax; nonresident — $290 plus tax.
Senior walking pass: This is a free annual pass for use of walking-track-only patrons 60 years and older.
Resident: A resident is anyone that resides in Centerville, Bountiful, West Bountiful, Woods Cross or North Salt Lake.
Nonresident: A nonresident is anyone that resides in any other city than listed above.

[wrendog]

Curt Geiger is the man! Bringing all these ski companies to Ogden AND a BYU fan.

[Utaaah!]

Originally Posted by wrendog

Curt Geiger is the man! Bringing all these ski companies to Ogden AND a BYU fan.

True, it's amazing he's been able to accomplish so much with this obvious mental disorder.



Go UTES!

[delts145]

Originally Posted by Utaaah!

True, it's amazing he's been able to accomplish so much with this obvious mental disorder.



Go UTES!

LOL..................

[SLC Projects]

This is great. We are starting to see alot of rec centers opening up or being build. There's even talk that Riverton will soon get one.
Now i just need to get my fat lazy ass off this computer and hit up one of these rec centers. LOL

[delts145]

Ogden plan
River project spawns worries
Investors in waterfront motel fear they may be priced out or victims of city zoning changes

By Kristen Moulton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 03/31/2007 11:20:21 PM MDT



Singh Johel, left, and his business partner Michael Moyal, new owners of the Ogden River Inn, are disappointed with Ogden City, which he believes wants to take away his property and demolish it for the Ogden River Project. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune )

OGDEN - Michael Moyal and Balwinder Singh Johal are in a pinch.
In early November, they bought the Ogden River Inn, a run-down motel - it was known as a flop house for drug dealers - and its long-vacant restaurant building perched above the Ogden River.
They ousted nearly every tenant and posted new rules that do not abide drugs or other illegalities.
But five months after buying the inn, Moyal and Johal, a native of India who has operated BC Chicken in Ogden for a decade, wonder if what they thought was a gold mine might instead turn out to be fool's gold.
Their plan was to spend about $300,000 to upgrade the motel and reopen the restaurant, where they wanted to serve Indian cuisine at tables near windows that face Ogden's mountains and from a patio next to the rippling water.
They hoped to make enough money to replace the old buildings with new ones in five or six years.
Their land is part of the Ogden River Project, a long-dormant redevelopment effort that is coming to life. But the Ogden River Inn, in the heart of a redeveloping commercial district, has become prime riverfront property
It fronts Ogden's downtown main street, Washington Boulevard, just up the street from where millions of dollars are being spent to build The Junction mall.
"We figured it was a gold mine," says Moyal, a transplant from Arizona and California who fell in love with Ogden - and its opportunity for real estate investors - on a visit here three years ago.
Now they aren't so sure.
"We didn't buy this to run as a dive motel. We bought it to clean it up, make it nice, make it pay for itself so we could afford to go to the next level of development," says Moyal.
They fear the city - whose officials they say want them to tear down the buildings to make way for commercial buildings and loft housing - will force them out.
"The city is trying to [make us] spend money we don't have," says a bitter Moyal. "Since we don't have it, they're graciously offering to give our property to one of their buddies."

River redevelopment
Moyal and Johal became owners in the Ogden River Project at just the wrong time - or right time, depending on one's perspective.
The project was conceived six years ago as a way to finally make something of the river running through the heart of downtown, while also helping reduce blight and creating economic opportunities on 60 central acres. Now, it is finally getting under way.
The effort was stalled for several years as Ogden focused its time and money on The Junction. Then, by a vote of the 2005 Legislature, the city lost its right to use eminent domain and threaten its use for redevelopment.
But the river project is hot, now that The Junction is under construction, the Legislature has given cities back the right to use eminent domain and real estate investors are flocking to a reviving Ogden.
"Businesses are wanting to move downtown," says Mayor Matthew Godfrey. "The market is right."
Increasing interest in real estate development downtown was one reason city planners persuaded the City Council in January to put a six-month moratorium on zoning changes and building permits in all parts of the project that the city does not yet own.
It was that moratorium, passed Jan. 2 but backdated to Dec. 20, that froze Moyal's and Johal's ability to do anything but maintain their inn and vacant restaurant building.
In the interim, the Ogden River Project's 12-acre first phase, where the city of Ogden bought and demolished 40 homes and businesses this winter, is attracting commercial developers.
Buyers are lined up for all eight lots, which will house shops, restaurants and some loft housing.
The first, Bingham Cyclery, plans to begin construction this month on its building on Washington Boulevard, just across the river from the Ogden River Inn. The Sunset-based chain of five Wasatch Front stores plans a bike shop that will offer rentals and a patio restaurant.
Although the first phase will be almost entirely commercial, later phases to the west - and across the river - will include 600 patio and townhomes, as well as apartments.
Bill Wright, the city's community-development manager, said he continues to negotiate with property owners to buy the approximately 90 homes and businesses in the rest of the project.
It will close on purchases when it is able to acquire all the property, demolish old structures and offer the raw ground to developers.
Godfrey said there is no fixed timetable for the later phases, although he thinks the project could move quickly.
The mayor does not expect that the city will avail itself of the new eminent domain law, which would have to start with a petition from landowners.
The mere existence of a city's right to eminent domain, however, can affect negotiations.

Property rights
Godfrey says it is not Ogden's intent to push Moyal and Johal off their property.
But he expects them to work with the city to come up with a development plan, an effort under way between business-development manager Scott Brown and Moyal.
Moyal and Johal say they bought the property only after being assured by one of Brown's staffers, Ryan McFarland, that the city had no plans to develop their part of the river project for five or six years, which dovetailed with their timetable.
McFarland could not be reached for comment on this story.
Shortly after they bought the inn and began jumping through the hoops to get the zoning and permits in place to reopen the restaurant and remodel the hotel, they heard numerous city officials deride the inn as worthy of nothing but a wrecking ball.
Their request for a business license was denied, but after an appeal, they were given a six-month temporary license.
The Planning Commission denied their request to rezone the vacant restaurant building, and the city said their site plan was not sufficiently detailed to pass muster.
Midway through their dealings with the city, Moyal and Johal were told of the moratorium, which stopped them from making any improvements to the property.
So far, the options proposed by business-development manager Brown are too ambitious for his pocketbook, Moyal says. He fears that, come June, the new zoning will bar the restaurant and prohibit any substantial improvements to the motel.
Without the revenue from both, the partners say they will be forced to sell to the city or another buyer.
At Moyal's request, Craig Call, Utah's Salt Lake City-based property ombudsman, is looking into whether the city's moratorium was legally justified.
But Moyal and Johal are not optimistic.
"They want big names. They want the Larry H. Millers coming in here. They don't care about Michael and Singh," Moyal says.
kmoulton@sltrib.com

[delts145]

Rail station plan irks residents

By Cathy McKitrick
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 04/11/2007 01:50:50 AM MDT


WOODS CROSS - Some residents in this small South Davis County city are less than thrilled with the prospect of having a commuter rail station just across the street from their homes.
Ed Goble, who has owned his home on 800 West near 900 South for 17 years, voiced concerns about diminishing property values, increased traffic and rising crime that he believes the station's two park-and-ride lots will cause.
"We're the only neighborhood in this rail corridor this close to a park-and-ride," Goble told planning commissioners Tuesday. "I think you need to ensure our safety."
According to Goble, traffic in front of his house is already a problem.
One recent fender-bender shot a car 30 feet into his yard, Goble told UTA Commuter Rail Manager Steve Meyer after the meeting.
Goble had hoped to convince UTA to eliminate the site's second access closest to his home. He passed out a drawing showing how one access point at the north end would suffice if traffic looped circularly through the 225-stall parking lot .
Goble pointed out that two UTA park-and-ride lots in Midvale have single access. He also said his design would actually provide UTA with more parking stalls.
UTA's Meyer was not convinced that Goble's was a better design.
"You need to give it a chance," Meyer told Goble, noting that UTA
does the best it can with grading and landscaping to mitigate such impacts.
"You'll have fewer cars in front of your house" - if the parking area has two access points from 800 West, Meyer told Goble.
Glen Benson, who lives a few doors north of Goble, questioned the value of this commuter rail station to residents in Woods Cross. For riders heading south, it will be the last stop in Davis County before entering Salt Lake County.
"If I want to take my family to the Jazz game, it would be cheaper to drive and pay for parking," Benson said.
Goble was further irked that commuter rail - which he believes only 5 percent of the population will use - could cost him 10 percent of his property value.
Meyer said he had statistics sto the contrary.
The Planning Commission had previously approved UTA's site plan for the station, with the caveat of a field trip that further explored the concerns of the neighborhood.
"I'm as concerned as the residents are," said Commissioner Ryan Westergard. "But I need to rely on the engineers. A single access point concerns me because of emergency access.
"I would feel more comfortable with two accesses and I think the street out in front will be safer as a result," he said.
Commission members unanimously agreed that UTA had fulfilled its obligation regarding the previously approved site plan..
The commuter rail line linking Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties, along with eight stations, should be open by spring 2008, Meyer said.

[delts145]

Davis Conference Center expanding




By Tammy Walquist
Deseret Morning News
The Davis Conference Center will soon be able to host up to 1,800 more conference attendees after the completion of an expansion in early 2008.
Ground was broken on the 40,000-square-foot addition April 11. The new area will feature an 18,000-square-foot exhibit hall that could be expanded to 24,000 square feet. The expansion almost doubles the size of the current 41,000-square-foot center.
Scott Lunt, Davis Conference Center general manager, said the need for the expansion came more quickly than anticipated because of the DCC's rapid success since its opening in 2004.
"In our first year of operation we did over 750 events in this facility," he said. "(We) reached in one year what it normally takes 4-5 years to accomplish."
The feasibility study on the expansion found that it will boost Davis County's economy by an estimated $15 million, making the center's total economic impact $30 million.
Wilf Sommerkorn, director of the Davis County department of community and economic development, said the county is happy with the center's success thus far.
"In the initial feasibility study we did for the conference center, we designed it with the idea we might be able to expand it in future," he said. "The idea was that it would be at least five years, but we are surprised and pleased we are adding an expansion as soon as we are."
The county is financing the expansion with a $9.96 million sales-tax revenue bond issued last year. The bond will be repaid from transient taxes such as hotel room and car rental taxes.
Sommerkorn said the DCC can draw a greater variety of groups with the expansion.
"The exhibit space will allow us to attract ... larger conferences which brings in more people from out of the area and around the state," he said. "Bringing in those kinds of groups will have greater economic impact."
Barbara Riddle, president of the Davis Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said the Davis Conference Center will be a good showcase for businesses considering Davis County as a permanent location. Its location, with easy access from I-15 and the airport and its proximity to restaurants and entertainment, can be a draw for conference attendees. The expanded exhibit space is also a plus.
"We've been limited with the types of groups we can bring in because of the size of our facility," she said. "We were missing the exhibits component. Having that expansion now, ... we can bring in a greater number of people."
The day before the groundbreaking, Davis County commissioners awarded the $7.6 million bid contract to Ascent Construction of Centerville. Once Layton city building permits are signed, construction will take 285 days.


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[delts145]

Layton development plan tabled

By Joseph M. Dougherty
Deseret Morning News
LAYTON — The Layton City Council has decided to exercise caution in the wake of geologic disasters.


Keith Johnson, Deseret Morning News
Layton resident Dave Weaver looks out a window of his home at a 70-acre piece of land that a company wants to develop. Weaver and other residents believe the land is too unstable to be developed.

On Heather Drive in August 2001, three homes were destroyed and three more were relocated when the land behind them slowly dropped 9 feet. The Heather Drive landslide touches part of a 70-acre parcel that a developer would now like to develop into a high-end subdivision.
That 2001 incident helped prompt the Layton City Council on Thursday to unanimously table a request from a developer to rezone the land, located around the north and south forks of Kays Creek.
Councilman Steve Handy remembers 2001, when neighbors scrambled to help homeowners remove their possessions before the homes were demolished.
"I never want to be a part of anything like that again in my life," Handy said. "No one could control what happened there."
When city residents learned that the developer, Adams Property LLC, had requested a rezone for the land below their homes, memories came flooding back for them.
About 120 residents showed up at the Layton City Council meeting to urge more study before a rezone is granted.
"We want it to be known that our group is not against development," resident Dave Weaver told the council. "We're only concerned about development in geologically sensitive portions."
Weaver spoke in behalf of a resident group called the Falcon Ridge Community Coalition. He presented the council 21 questions gathered from residents relating to the safety of the slope, what geotechnical studies need to be completed, who would review them and how the development would impact wildlife and traffic in the area.
Mike Flood, representing Adams Property at the council meeting, told the council and residents that his company plans to be a responsible and forthright neighbor.
"This does have a lot of history, of which we're aware and concerned about," Flood said.
He said the company plans to have extensive testing done in the area so planners could know what density to work with to start designing a subdivision.
On Monday, Weaver told the Deseret Morning News that a geotechnical study completed in 2006 was insufficient in its scope. Rich Giraud, a geologist with the Utah Geological Survey, agreed.


Keith Johnson, Deseret Morning News
A test trench shows various layers of earth at the site where Adams Property LLC wants to build high-end homes in Layton.

"They really didn't have a good handle on the landslide hazard," he said. "They had not mapped landslide areas."
Adams Property has commissioned another geotechnical study, which is under way, and Giraud and Layton officials haven't seen the results yet.
Two giant trenches extend from the bottom of the slope behind Weaver's neighborhood and show the soil strata. But parts of the walls have caved in — just one more sign for Weaver that the area is unstable.
Giraud said surrounding properties could be at risk if development arrives, but surrounding properties could be made safer. However, making the area safer could be too expensive for a developer.
Weaver said he thinks about the possibility of a landslide every day.
"We're already in a tenuous position as it is," he said.
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. last year formed a group of local and state government officials and geology experts to figure out what the state could do to help local governments deal with geological hazards after landslides last spring claimed several homes and threatened neighborhoods across the state. The group has now developed draft recommendations, which it plans to discuss at a meeting Wednesday before seeking public comment.


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[delts145]

Inc.Magazine, Top 20 Midsize Boomtowns



Hottest Industries: Business Services, Financial Services
2007 Rank in Category: 16
2007 Overall Rank: 62
2006 Rank in Category: 18
2006 Overall Rank: 78
Growth in Nonfarm Jobs 2005-2006: 3.7%
Growth in Nonfarm Jobs 2001-2006: 11.1%

List of top 20

1. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla.
2. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
3. Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, Fla.
4. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.
5. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Fla.
6. Lakeland, Fla.
7. Provo-Orem, Utah
8. Reno-Sparks, Nev.
9. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho
10. Savannah, Ga.
11. Bakersfield, Calif.
12. Tucson, Arizona
13. Baton Rouge, La.
14. Tacoma, Wash.
15. Charleston-North Charleston, S.C.
16. Odgen-Clearfield, Utah
17. Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Fla.
18. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.
19 Albuquerque, N. Mex.
20. Springfield, Mo.

[wrendog]

I don't know where they got that picture for the Ogden ranking, but I've never seen mountains like that in Ogden.

[delts145]

^^^

Looks like they used a photo of Morgan Valley on the other side of Ogden. Kind of like using a photo of the east side of Timp for Provo/Orem.

[wrendog]

Maybe it's Eden and powder mountain? The Provo/Orem pic was not east side of timp. It was overlooking the valley with BYU in the middle..

[gbb]

Originally Posted by wrendog

I don't know where they got that picture for the Ogden ranking, but I've never seen mountains like that in Ogden.

That picture is from the Ogden Valley (Huntsville, Eden) and the peaks in the background are the peaks that rise above Snowbasin. Just out of the picture is Pineview Reservoir and the canyon you see is the start of Ogden Canyon.

[delts145]

I realize this isn't the east side of Timp. I was saying that it would be like taking a pic from the east side,"Heber Valley".

Here we are, Provo/Orem #7, Top Ten Boomtowns

[delts145]

Originally Posted by gbb

That picture is from the Ogden Valley (Huntsville, Eden) and the peaks in the background are the peaks that rise above Snowbasin. Just out of the picture is Pineview Reservoir and the canyon you see is the start of Ogden Canyon.

Thanks for the heads-up Gbb. Let's seeee,hmmm, A pic of Morgan Valley???

Morgan Valley

[gbb]

That one IS a picture of Morgan. But that fish-eye lense makes it a little harder to identify.

[delts145]

^^^
Yeah, Kind of a strange shot, but the only scenery-scape on Google Images. I was kind of surprised, because I remember Morgan Valley being an incredibly beautiful place. There should be a lot more scenery images.

[Utaaah!]

The Standard-Examiner ran a story about another mid-rise condo development for DT Ogden:



I think this will be a great addition to Ogden's growing Junction development, and Stuart Reid must have trememdous intestinal fortutute to put so much of his own dough into it. I hope they sell well.

[wrendog]

hey, that's nice.. good for Ogden!