OGDEN — Ogden city is trying to give new life to a potential development project that has been dormant for nearly 25 years.
The city wants to create a new economic development area called “Trackline” to replace an existing redevelopment area that has essentially sat unused in west Ogden for the past 2 1/2 decades.
In 1989, the city created the Golden Spike RDA in west Ogden, hoping to entice new manufacturing and industrial businesses to the area.
The project area was created in part because a malt company wanted to bring a large plant to the area. But the project the city anticipated from the malt company never happened and the project area hasn’t seen much action since then.
“Since '89 to today, the project has sat really un-utilized,” said Brandon Cooper, senior project manager for Ogden city. “There’s been only two or three active businesses in the area. There’s really not a lot going on in terms of commercial investment.”
But the city now has a chance to give the project a reboot.
The city has developed a draft plan for the project area, which breaks development of the area into three phases over 20 years.
Consisting of 135 acres, roughly between 24th Street, the Ogden River and G Avenue, the project area has parcels of land that are currently zoned for manufacturing, community commercial and single-family residential use — all of which could be included in future development.
The land would all be privately developed, but guided by Ogden city through incentives to developers and from requirements and standards set by the city.
Of the 135 acres in the project area, 118 separate parcels of land could potentially be acquired and redeveloped, including five business parcels and 80 residential parcels.
Cooper said many land owners in the area are willing to sell their land to usher in the new era and the city will work with area residents to receive input on their vision for the future of the development.
No eminent domain would be involved, so the project would operate under a “willing buyer, willing seller” scenario.
The city is already actively working with Central Spur LK100, LLC, a company out of Corona Del Mar, Calif., to develop a light manufacturing, industrial and business park in the area.
The city’s draft plan estimates that the total tax increment generated by the EDA over its proposed 2-year life span will be approximately $5.3 million. The draft budget estimates $27 million in private investment during the course of the EDA build-out.
“We look forward to this project area,” Cooper said. “We’re trying to take what has been an existing blighted area for a long time and turn it into a major core workplace for not only west Ogden, but all of Ogden city.”
A public hearing on the project’s draft plan and budget has been set for March 12.
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