SALT LAKE CITY — A key developer at Hill Air Force Base is requesting $2.8 million in state funding to continue an effort to make the local base what he termed “BRAC-proof.”
Jeffrey Woodberry, of Sunset Ridge Development Partners LLC of Salt Lake City, appeared before a legislative economic development appropriations committee Thursday to request funding for the Military Installation Development Authority and for Falcon Hill.
MIDA, created in 2007 to support development at Hill, has invested $70 million in new buildings and infrastructure at the base. Woodbury said $18.6 million of that has come from state funding.
The Falcon Hill project encompasses 550 acres on the base and is a $1.5 billion public-private venture of the state, Hill and Woodbury Corporation.
“Hill Air Force Base is getting programs in part due to the state’s commitment to the base. It’s a real stimulus to make us BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) proof.”
Committee members heard 11 separate presentations and are expected to consider 53 separate requests in the coming days. The committee is expected to prioritize the projects for funding as budget estimates are released later this month. State analysts are expected to release projected revenue numbers Monday, according to Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, who chairs the Senate’s Appropriations Committee.
Woodberry told lawmakers MIDA is close to critical mass on base and doesn’t expect to seek state funding beyond next year. He said the goal is to make Hill the most modern base in the Air Force, which he said would be important should the government initiate any more rounds of base closings.
Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-North Ogden, said MIDA and Falcon Hill have helped set Hill apart from other military installations.
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