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No Comments [ Add Comment ]Will Layton proposal fly?
By Bryon SaxtonLand east of Hill Air Force Base may become aerospace center
LAYTON -- A combined effort by Layton and the Governor's Office of Economic Development could bring higher paying jobs to Davis County.
The city council tonight, in a work meeting, is expected to give staff the OK to draft an ordinance creating the East Gate Economic Development Area -- the city's first EDA. Nearly 550 acres of business property will be considered.
"I think this is going to be a home run," said Ben Hart, city economic development specialist.
The EDA outline follows a shape similar to the state's famed Delicate Arch.
It is planned for an area east of Hill Air Force Base, southwest of the county landfill, north of State Road 193 and northwest of the new Greyhawk housing development.
The proposed boundaries are not the final EDA boundaries, but the study area for it, Hart said.
The EDA is an economic development instrument, Hart said, which allows the city to receive incentives from the governor's office to make infrastructure improvements to the land.
The creation of the EDA includes drafting an ordinance and authorizing council members to serve as the board overseeing the East Gate project, City Manager Alex Jensen said.
"This is coming as a suggestion from the state," he said.
In-state companies wanting to expand, and out-of-state companies looking to relocate, have inquired about the land, he said. The inquiries spawned a dialogue between the city, developers and the GOED for the creation of the EDA.
The "green field" in the study area has already been identified as a potential location for aerospace and composite manufacturing companies due to the close proximity of the base, Jensen said.
"This is one of the last opportunities in Layton, and all of Northern Utah, to create family-sustaining jobs," he said.
Layton has done well with residential development, and has a strong retail base, he said.
"But the thing we have lacked, and the county has lacked, is that we don't have good job centers," Jensen said.
EDAs are similar to redevelopment agency zones, in that they allow cities to re-invest in infrastructure the increase in tax increment due to the rise in land value.
"We have not normally created those things," Jensen said of incentive-based projects.
Outside of offering incentives to help build the private hotel adjoining the Davis Conference Center, he said, the city has avoided giving anything away to attract commercial development.
Two limitations with the EDA designation, Jensen said, is the property cannot be used to develop commercial retail, and the project must be developed within the city.
The East Gate project currently includes unincorporated county land, Jensen said. Eventually, he said, that land will be annexed into Layton because of the city's ability to service the property.
"The location is strategic," Jensen said of the property that is accessible from U.S. Highway 89, State Road 193 and Interstate 15.
"It's a beautiful, beautiful piece of property," Jensen said.
Davis County Community Economic Development Director Wilf Sommerkorn said it would be ideal if Layton were to annex the land in moving forward with the project.
"We are fully in support of what they want to do there. We think it's a great project, a great idea," Sommerkorn said.
The focus of the county has been to get Davis cities to set land aside for commercial development before it fills with homes under the demand of developers, he said.
"They have hung pretty tough on this one," Sommerkorn said of Layton declining such development for this piece of ground.
"It has great potential on that side of the base," he said.
The creation of EDAs gives cities an extra opportunity to receive "a look" from businesses interested in locating or relocating somewhere in the state, said Jason Perry, GOED executive director.
EDAs, like this one, are required by law if the city is to have the available commercial property recorded on the state's Select Utah Real Estate sites selection list, Perry said.
"Layton is an absolutely wonderful location," he said. "This adds another great place for businesses to scout."
The EDA also allows the state to remain in communication with Layton in finding businesses to occupy the property, Perry said.
"That is where we come in," he said.
Part of the city's long-range plan is to have a business park and office complexes on the land, Jensen said.
The hope is to begin building in the East Gate development within a few years, Jensen said.
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