LAYTON -- As far as city officials are concerned, 2011 could be a big year for Layton.
Mayor Steve Curtis said some exciting things are close to happening, which will be the results of a lot of proactive planning by the city's staff and council.
"As a council, we look at how to best sustain, if not improve, the quality of life that is enjoyed here in Layton," Curtis said.
Ben Hart, Layton's economic development specialist, said the city has some key goals that will benefit the city when achieved.
"One of our goals is really to have a year where we can bring multiple tenants to East Gate," Hart said. "We really want to get East Gate to take off."
East Gate, an industrial/business park adjacent to the east border of Hill Air Force Base, has just one future tenant -- aerospace manufacturer Janicki Industries. That building is under construction.
The city has installed infrastructure and public utilities on the East Gate site to facilitate development so it will be "shovel-ready" when other tenants arrive.
"We've got a chance to have a world-class manufacturing business park, so we've got to get world-class manufacturers in there," said City Councilman Michael Bouwhuis.
Another area of focus is old downtown.
With WinCo Foods on its way to being the main anchor of Fort Lane Village, the city hopes to revitalize a historic part of the city.
Layton recently announced a housing project, Kays Crossing, that will be just north of the FrontRunner station and feature retail stores on the first floor and four levels of residential apartments.
Those new additions, along with the future Intermountain hospital, will change the look of old downtown.
Still, city officials want more.
"If we can attract good private sectors to partner with, then we really start to see great things happen," Hart said. "The elements are there right now, and the old downtown area right now has more going for it than any other site in Northern Utah."
With the recently completed Layton Parkway right by the FrontRunner station, Hart said, Layton's old downtown has the potential to bring in several new businesses.
That fits in well with the goal of bringing jobs to the city so Layton residents can work in the city in which they live.
"That's something that we want to aspire to, because I don't think fuel is going to get any less expensive, and it will be important for us to not only bring the jobs here so Layton residents can go to work close to home, but it's also developing within the city a more pedestrian-friendly community," Curtis said.
Hart said another goal is to find a new tenant for vacant space at Layton Hills Mall left by Mervyns.
There are other noticeably vacant buildings, such as the former homes of Ultimate Electronics and Bed Bath & Beyond, that have yet to be filled.
"They will be filled," Curtis said. "I wish I could say more. A lot of them are close to being inked and getting reoccupied. I hope that continues to go and nothing transpires that would make that not possible.
"There are very interested parties looking into Layton, and they are very interested in doing business here."
Along with helping the economy grow, Bouwhuis said, bringing more homes to Layton is another goal.
He said the city approved subdivisions years ago that have not come to fruition. The developers have had to postpone building new homes because of the drop in prices of existing homes.
Bouwhuis said: "We have a goal to reinvigorate Layton as a very desirable place to live and work."
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