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Harrisville plans call for 600-plus housing units at ex-golf course property

By Tim Vandenack - | Feb 7, 2022

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

The former Ben Lomond Golf Course property in Harrisville is the focus of a residential development plan called Ben Lomond Views. The land was photographed Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.

HARRISVILLE — A new 130.8-acre development containing as many as 664 housing units is in the works on the grounds of the former Ben Lomond Golf Course in Harrisville.

West across U.S. 89, a separate 8.67-acre commercial development, while not as far along in the development process, is also in the works.

The expansion, if it comes to fruition, would dramatically change the feel of the section of U.S. 89 where the largely vacant land sits, between 2000 North and 1550 North. The Harrisville City Council last June approved the master plans for the proposed development of the abandoned golf course property, called Ben Lomond Views, as well as the needed zoning changes for the plans to move forward.

Still, the land remains vacant and the plans are the focus of an open house on Feb. 16 to give the public a chance to learn more about the initiative. The event — hosted by reps from the developer, Orem-based BLD Investment — goes from 7-9 p.m. and will be held at Orion Junior High at 370 W. 2000 North, north of the development site.

The plans on the west side of U.S. 89, because they are in the more preliminary development stage, are not a focus at the open house.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

The former Ben Lomond Golf Course property in Harrisville is the focus of a residential development plan called Ben Lomond Views. The land was photographed Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.

“We anticipate a lot of people wanting to attend,” said Bill Morris, county attorney for Harrisville.

The eastern end of the Ben Lomond Views property bumps up against the city of North Ogden and residents there are also interesed. “They really are paying attention, too,” Morris said.

Other proposals to develop the former golf course property have emerged in years past only to fizzle. One earlier plan called for as many as 2,000 housing units, triple the maximum under the current proposal, according to Morris.

In the interim, the property has sat and withered. The golf course first opened in 1957 and closed in late 2018. “It has sat there for years, vacant and going to weed,” Morris said.

Douglas Palermo of BLD Investment is the driving force behind the development of Ben Lomond Views and the plans to the west on the opposite side of U.S. 89, according to Morris. Palermo, based in Orem, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Image supplied, city of Harrisville

The proposed plans for Ben Lomond Views, to be developed on the grounds of the former Ben Lomond Golf Course property in Harrisville.

Documents and plans filed with the city of Harrisville, however, detail the initiatives.

The ambitious Ben Lomond Views plans call for construction of 425 single-family homes, 144 townhomes and 80 condominium units, with another 15 homes possible within a floodplain on the land.

Another 40,836 square feet of commercial space is contemplated on top of that within a cluster of buildings inside the development. “It’s kind of built around a town-center design,” Morris said.

Seven small parks scattered across nearly 12 acres of land are also contemplated, as well as 18.7 acres of additional common open space. A homeowners association would maintain the green space.

Millenium Park off the north end of the development would remain, and the plans contemplate improvements to that by the developer, including the installation of a playground and parking area. Improvements to the park would occur first, according the plans approved last June, with the single-family homes to follow.

Rendering supplied, city of Harrisville

A preliminary rendering of a development proposal on the land west of the former Ben Lomond Golf Course property in Harrisville. The plans on the former golf course property are focus of a public meeting set for Feb. 16, 2022.

Development of the commercial area and condominiums would come last.

As for the land across the street, the Harrisville Planning Commission voted last month to recommend the rezone of the parcel to allow for commercial development. It’s now zoned for agricultural use. The Harrisville City Council has final say and has yet to take up the zoning question.

A rendering supplied to the city that depicts the tentative development plan on the land shows eight structures along U.S. 89 on the long, narrow piece of property. A gas station and convenience store is potentially envisioned at the north end of the property while a medical office would sit at the south end, according to the preliminary rendering.

The 8.67-acre piece of property on the west side of U.S. 89 is now owned by Ben Lomond Properties. Don Scott, that entity’s agent, said the property is under contract for sale to Palermo, though the sale is not finalized.

The former Ben Lomond Golf Course property in Harrisville, focus of a residential development plan called Ben Lomond Views. The land was photographed Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.

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