Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

SOUTH OGDEN — The bulldozers are pushing dirt and the cement is pouring as several new apartment and town home developments take shape all at once around South Ogden.

Activity is particularly strong along 40th Street, where three projects are simultaneously underway in a half-mile stretch between Adams Avenue and McKay-Dee Hospital that, between them, will create 238 housing units. “There’s a lot of dirt being turned,” said Matt Dixon, the South Ogden city manager.

But there are several projects scattered elsewhere around the city as well, and between them, they all will add 1,007 apartment units and town homes to the city. Such high-density housing development has been the cause of consternation among some, particularly since many of the units, perhaps most, will be rental properties.

“There’s a lot of pushback from the community, of course,” said Sallee Orr, a member of the South Ogden City Council who would like to see more home ownership opportunities mixed in with the varied projects. “For me, it’s a big concern that they’re all rentals.”

Dixon acknowledges the reservations of some, also prompted by worries about how the new development will impact traffic, particularly on 40th Street. “There’s quite a mixed bag of opinion and thought,” he said.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

The city has limited leeway in dictating specifics of the development, though, presuming it complies with South Ogden’s zoning guidelines, and Dixon, for one, notes the demand for housing. According to the latest figures he’s heard, the Wasatch Front needs 40,000 housing units to meet burgeoning demand in the fast-growing area.

South Ogden Mayor Russ Porter keeps a positive outlook, noting, among other things, the likely economic growth that will follow the population growth and the resulting boost to the local economy. More people mean more local sales, new businesses and more sales tax revenue for the city. The development also stands to bolster South Ogden’s property tax rolls.

“I just don’t think people will feel the impact they think,” Porter said.

Both Porter and Dixon note that much of the new development is off main thoroughfares like 40th Street, Washington Boulevard and Harrison Boulevard, meaning limited traffic impact to quieter, residential areas.

Moreover, even if development is deferred, the city’s streets stand to get heavier use as the area population grows and motorists living elsewhere travel through the city.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

“The bottom line is, the traffic in South Ogden is going to increase,” Dixon said. Notably, 40th Street between Wall Avenue and Harrison Boulevard in the city was widened in 2018 to accommodate growing use.

Porter welcomes the notion of newcomers coming to South Ogden. “I don’t think it’s bad to have people in and out and more energy and diversity,” he said.

Still, there are other aspects of growth that will likely adversely impact others. Orr noted the six-level building going in along the 40th Street corridor off the northwestern edge of the McKay-Dee Hospital grounds.

Two of those six levels will be for parking, but either way, the structure will block the view of those living in the patio homes to the south as well those living to the north. “It is concerning to me and the residents there,” Orr said.

Here’s a look at some of the projects, in the works and coming:

• The Gardens: The project off the 40th Street corridor near McKay-Dee Hospital calls for 113 apartments. Developers broke ground on Feb. 28.
• Madison Towns: The project off the south side of 40th Street west of Madison Avenue calls for 75 town homes.
• Lotus Greens Townhouses: The project off the southeast corner of 40th Street and Adams Avenue calls for 40 town homes.
• Hilltop Apartments: The project off the southeast corner of 4400 South and Washington Boulevard calls for 138 housing units in all. The main apartment building is nearing completion.
• Terrazza: The development taking shape below the water tanks off Harrison Boulevard near 5600 South will contain 385 apartments.
• Seasons: The apartment complex, to take shape off Lincoln Avenue between Costco and Walgreens, will house 181 units.
• Uinta Peaks: The 19-unit town home project is taking shape in a strip of land in the 5900 block of Wasatch Drive.
• Wasatch Point: The 38-unit apartment building is to be built on an undeveloped parcel off Wasatch Drive, northwest of Uinta Peaks.
• An 18-town home project is planned for the 200 block of 40th Street, east of Riverdale Road.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

A sign for the Gardens apartment development along the 40th Street corridor off the northwestern corner of the grounds of McKay-Dee Hospital, photographed Friday, April 1, 2022.

The Gardens apartment development along the 40th Street corridor off the northwestern corner of the grounds of McKay-Dee Hospital, photographed Friday, April 1, 2022.

The Lotus Greens Townhouses development site off the southeast corner of 40th Street and Adams Avenue in South Ogden, photographed Friday, April 1, 2022.

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