Rebirth of the River
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Friday, December 7, 2007 | 
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Scott Schwebke
Standard-Examiner staff
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By Scott Schwebke
Standard-Examiner staff
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By Scott Schwebke
Standard-Examiner staff
OGDEN -- California businessman Gadi Leshem hopes to have master plans completed next year for the cleanup of a 2-mile downtown section of the Ogden River and construction of a trendy 200-unit development featuring lofts, restaurants and boutiques.
Permit applications enabling Leshem and other partners to rehabilitate the river may be submitted in September 2008 to federal and state agencies, Jason Carey, an engineer with RiverRestoration.Org, said Thursday. The Glenwood Springs, Colo.-based company is coordinating the project.
Construction on Renaissance Village, a 60- to 80-acre development, may get under way in 2009 and could be completed by 2014, Leshem said.
The waterway cleanup and Renaissance Village would be part of the second phase of the Ogden River Project.
The boundaries for that phase of the project extend on the north bank of the river from Kiesel Avenue to Lincoln Avenue, north to 18th Street, and on the south bank of the river south to 20th Street, from Grant to Lincoln avenues.
Plans for the river cleanup and Renaissance Village will be officially unveiled today during an event at the AmeriCan Complex that will be attended by environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Leshem, who is president and chief operating officer of Cover-All Inc., based in Chatsworth, Calif., said he hopes to involve community partners in his plan for the river."It's been neglected," he said during an interview Thursday at the downtown Marriott Hotel.
He declined to release projected costs for the river project and Renaissance Village. Leshem plans to donate money and seek state and federal grants and private contributions for the river work.
Remediation of the river would include removal of debris along the banks and planting new vegetation, Carey said. Boulders would be used to realign the river's channel, stimulating a healthier habitat for plants and wildlife.
Rosewood and raspberry bushes would be planted along a trail that would wind along the river to protect banks from excessive encroachment, said Carey. However, there would be designated fishing areas, along with a whitewater kayaking feature, developed near Gibson Avenue, he said.
The river remediation project is a chance for residents to get behind an effort that will have significant benefits for the community, Leshem said.
"We can enhance the river," he said, adding that he hopes additional sections of the waterway can eventually be remediated. "It's not being done, but it can be if we are behind it."
Cleanup of the river would serve as a precursor to the development of Renaissance Village, Leshem said.
The project would likely be built in phases and include about 200 commercial and residential units.
Lofts and other dwellings would be clustered in at least three adjoining villages that would cater to artists, outdoor enthusiasts and baby boomers, Leshem said. Eclectic boutiques and restaurants would line the riverfront.
Leshem said he has purchased about 30 parcels in the second phase of the River Project and plans to close on about 15 more by the end of the year. Leshem declined to disclose how many more properties he needs to acquire to begin the project.
Purchase options for some of the properties were transferred to Leshem from the city's Redevelopment Agency, which originally obtained them from landowners.
The RDA could not afford to exercise the options, and transferred them to Leshem because he has the ability to make Renaissance Village a reality, said Richard McConkie, the city's deputy director of Community and Economic Development.
"He's got the wherewithal to do it," he said, adding that property owners were given documents from the RDA explaining their options could be transferred to another party.
The RDA paid property owners varying amounts of earnest money to acquire the options, and Leshem has reimbursed the RDA for those funds, Mayor Matthew Godfery said.
Dave Sexton, who lives at 1887 Childs Ave., said he is upset that it has taken six years to reach agreement to sell his property as part of the River Project.
However, he says he will be pleased when Leshem finalizes the purchase of his home in January for $110,000.
"It makes me happy to get the heck out of Ogden," he said, adding that he plans to relocate from the city once his home is sold.
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