SYRACUSE -- The development company that purchased a portion of Jensen Nature Park has outlined a plan to build a residential ski lake development there.
Irben Development LLC, of Roy, has announced plans to build Still Water Lake Estates, a development expected to include two 2,200-by-220-foot lakes, with 24 lots surrounding the bodies of water. Each lot would have a private dock and boatlift.
Development plans also include an on-the-water fuel dock and pump, and each lake is projected to accommodate almost any water sport, including a regulation American Waterski Association slalom course.
The development is expected to be a gated community.
For approximately $1.9 million, Irben bought 60 acres of undeveloped land at the park earlier this year from the city. The acreage is west of 1000 West, east of 2000 West and north of 3700 South.
City Planner Kent Anderson said the company also owns 25 acres adjacent to the park land, which is in unincorporated Davis County.
Even though the plan is in the conceptual stage, city leaders are excited about the prospect of a unique project.
"A ski lake is a unique development for the region, and with Syracuse as the gateway to Antelope Island, we believe this development continues to show that Syracuse is an outdoor community," said City Manager Robert Rice.
Anderson described the development as a "significant project" that will benefit the region.
"I'm pretty excited about it," he said.
The developer may need to address significant wrinkles before moving forward, Anderson said.
He said the property is currently zoned A-1 agricultural, so a rezone as well as a change in the city master plan would be part of the initial stages of the development.
The adjacent property will likely need to be annexed into the city as well, Anderson said.
The project will probably move forward as a subdivision plan, but Anderson said there could be steps involved that are different from most developments.
Irben Development is a corporation created as a holding company for property that was left to the children of the late Irben John and LaVell Smedley Thayne, former Syracuse residents.
Mike Thayne, their eldest son, described his parents as boating and skiing enthusiasts who would be excited to see this development come to a city they helped develop.
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