Provo MSA Development Thread

[delts145]

Saturday, December 09, 2006
HEIDI TOTH - Daily Herald

http://deseretnews.com/photos/2928746.jpg
If the ancient Egyptians used a crane and steel and had drivers rubbernecking as they drove past, their pyramid-building might have looked very similar to the scene at the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center on Friday.

The scene at noon was the topping-off ceremony, as the pyramid-shaped, 23,000-pound tower cap was raised over the highest part of the building in front of dozens of administrators, alumni, construction workers and visitors. Applause swept through the onlookers first when the structure got off the ground and again as it was slowly lowered onto its permanent home.

"We are doing our best to get out of the way," King Husein of Span Construction and Engineering, one of the two contractors, said during a celebratory and aromatic barbecue.

The groundbreaking on June 23, Hinckley's 96th birthday, started the fast-tracked building process; the 80,000-square-foot building should be done in the spring or early summer, although that time frame isn't set.

"I think they're just trying to get it done as quickly as possible," said Grant Madsen, a spokesman for the university.

Husein and BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson, along with Randy Okland of Okland Construction, the other contractor, commended the construction crew on their work and asked them to stand; half the guests filling the large white tent did. Then they recognized others.

"I just want to thank the person I assigned to take care of the weather," Husein said, noting the sun shining outside and the relative lack of precipitation since construction began. Even the winter weather hasn't slowed them down much.

During his turn, Samuelson, who was assigned the weather, added an apology and a disclaimer to Husein's comments; his attention deficit disorder kicked in during a couple of days at the end of November with temperatures in the single digits, snow and sleet. He couldn't promise sunny skies until the construction was done, either.

"I'm old enough to know that that recurs," he joked.

The roof went on, again, with no major problems. The first time was during a practice run on Wednesday with no fanfare; the second time was full of showmanship.

Dozens of visitors and BYU officials signed the base of the roof, some so large they could be clearly read from across the street.

Then the massive crane sputtered on, followed by cheers from the crowd, and slowly lifted the roof and its accoutrements -- an American flag, a BYU flag and Christmas tree -- up several hundred feet.

As of Friday, more than 64,000 BYU students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends had contributed to the building.

Related Story:

Steel pyramid crowns the Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center as it nears completion
By Todd Hollingshead
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:12/09/2006 01:24:42 AM MST


PROVO - Hundreds of spectators looked toward the sky Friday as workers topped off the latest building at Brigham Young University.
Crews hoisted a 23,000-pound steel pyramid more than 100 feet in the air and gently secured it atop the rapidly rising Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center during a noon ceremony to celebrate the completion of steel work on the new structure.
"This is a terrific milestone," BYU President Cecil Samuelson said, "in less than six months, to see what has already occurred."
Workers broke ground on the 80,000-square-foot building June 23, Hinckley's 96th birthday.
King Husein, president of California-based Span Construction, said crews are working at a "breakneck speed" to finish the three-story building on the northwest end of the Provo campus.
Initial estimates called for a fall 2007 completion.
"We're going to get it done even faster," Husein said. "The prophet is not getting any younger."
Hinckley, who will turn 97 in June, was not present for Friday's ceremony.
The LDS Church president expressed thanks to construction workers through Husein, who met with Hinckley earlier Friday.
The alumni building is being fully funded through donations from faculty, alumni, students, and friends of the university. Though school officials won't reveal how much has been raised or the project cost, they said more than 65,000 donors have contributed.
"We're not quite there yet," BYU spokesman Grant Madsen said. "There has been a great deal of generosity to date, and we hope that will continue."
The steel portion of the building consists of 14,000 pieces of steel, weighing roughly 800 tons together. The crowning pyramid piece took about 10 minutes to be raised the 122 feet and fastened to the top of the clock tower.
toddh@sltrib.com

[kpexpress]

I-215, I agree with you as far as the squeezed tootpaste tube look. I would like to see the rendering of the project for Lehi though. I can't imagine it would be designed along the same theory as the, "Squeeze Look".

I know Brandt Andersen personally, he comes into the store that I work everyday to shoot the breeze and has hired my step father to manage the marketing and selling of all the units that he develops. My step father has given him an office to use for the NBA D League in Orem.

One thing I can tell you about Brandt is that HE IS THE FREAKIN' MAN!! I TRUST THAT ANYTHING THAT TOUCHES WILL BE SWEET.

Most people don't like developers cause all their concerned about is how big they can build for the lowest price. Brandt Andersen is not cheap! He is mostly concerned with bring an architectural masterpiece to the valley and help boost the value of the area. He is a very passionate person.

Hiring Frank Gehry to do the masterplan and architecture is a gutsy move. Reading the post it seems that not a lot of people like his work, but I assume that no one can say that he is not gusty or afraid to do something amazing.

I have full trust that Brandt will deliver, and all of you will be left breathless struggling to pick up your jaws at the unveiling of the renderings.

Next time I see him I will ask if he has any sort of renderings or plans that I could peek at. I assume it is to early on in the process to see anything, as for last week was when Gerhy and the crew were in town to brainstorm and visit the project location.

Oh yeh..... I know that the cheesecake factory will be there and others.

[delts145]

:previous:
kpexpress, thanks for the great inside info. Man, now you have me drooling over the prospects of this whole development. Wow, see what you can find out.

[delts145]

:( Where's our Leebuddy when we need him? He would be all over this. I miss the guy dammit. Wasatch or I-215, are you guys going to be able to get some shots of this?

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/3608253.jpg
Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News
Crews begin demolition of W Hall at Deseret Towers Tuesday on BYU campus. After W is gone, V Hall will be next.

BYU starts demolition of dorm W

7 Deseret Towers halls are destined to vanish from campus

By Tad Walch
Deseret Morning News
PROVO — The beginning of the end arrived Tuesday for seven Brigham Young University landmarks. And it turned out the last was first.
Denied a permit last week to implode two of its seven Deseret Towers student dormitories over the Christmas break, BYU decided not to wait any longer. A crew began to tear down W Hall with a trackhoe Tuesday morning.
Completed in 1978, W Hall was the last of the Deseret Towers. BYU plans to begin knocking down V Hall, built in 1969, next week. The two towers have been vacant since August.
The other five towers were completed in 1964 and are still in use. They will be vacated in August 2007 and eventually razed, university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said.
BYU wanted to implode W Hall and V Hall to minimize the impact on the campus, Jenkins said. Planners hoped to bring the buildings down and clean up the debris while students were gone for Christmas break, Dec. 22-Jan. 7.
The Utah Division of Air Quality board denied BYU's request for a permit to implode the buildings. Jenkins said cleanup now won't be completed until mid-February.
Jenkins said using a trackhoe and wrecking ball will cost about the same as implosion would have, but she did not disclose the amount.
BYU has not decided what it will do with the Deseret Towers area after all of the towers are demolished. The university is working on two pilot programs that will help it understand the needs and desires of students before the administration completes its housing master plan.
One program is chartered housing. BYU has signed charters with two off-campus apartment complexes — Alpine Village, which is under construction on Freedom Boulevard, and Centennial Apartments. The two complexes have agreed to accept only BYU students.
The other pilot program involves an on-campus housing complex, Wyview Park. The university converted half of the married student complex to single-student use this year. The rest will be converted for single students in July.
The two programs allow BYU to study student reaction to apartment-style living in on- and off-campus settings, Jenkins said.
Students nationally and at BYU have shown a growing lack of interest in dormitories like Deseret Towers, though Jenkins said Helaman Halls on campus continues to draw well.
Wyview Park was seeing high vacancy rates as a married-only complex. In fact, there were dozens of vacant married apartments at Wyview when school began in August. Jenkins said there are now more than 20 vacancies expected when the next semester begins in January.
Students in Wyview who desire on-campus married student housing will have first priority for moving into Wymount Terrace, which will be BYU's only remaining on-campus married housing complex.
Beyond the growing disinterest in dorm living, maintenance costs have made Deseret Towers too expensive to justify continued operation, Jenkins said.
BYU hired Arnell-West Construction to manage the job. A subcontractor, Grant Mackay Construction, is handling the demolition.
The original five Deseret Towers were constructed by what is called the lift-slab method. All the concrete floors and ceilings were poured on the ground, then hoisted into place.
Those five buildings were initially intended solely for female students and cost more than $6 million, according to "Brigham Young University, the First One Hundred Years."
W Hall, finished 14 years later, cost $2.7 million.

[i-215]

Man! I wish my video camera hadn't died, I'd post something on YouTube. It's actually not all that exciting. As for last night, they had about 1/4 of the building on the ground. It appears they are slicing the building in half, and then they'll tear down the other side. They say from start to finish (all the rubble cleared) won't be until February.

An implosion still would've been cooler. Maybe on the other towers.

[delts145]

http://www.xmission.com/~debija/1998_s2/image6_sleddogs_150dpi.jpg

Just an afternoon photo bump. This guy is mushing up the mountain along the alpine loop above American Fork Canyon.

[i-215]

:previous:

That's hilarious! That's one cool thing about Utah... you don't have to drive 100 miles to see the outdoorsy stuff.. it's just a few minutes up one of our many canyons.

Is that photo current (today) or during the last snow storm?

[delts145]

:previous:
That photo was actually taken in January several years ago. But dog sledding is a fairly common hobby/sport along the Wasatch.

http://www.xmission.com/~debija/1999_s1/image22_utahlake_150dpi.jpg
Looking across Utah Lake toward Mount Nebo. Taken from Northwest corner of Utah Valley/Lehi area at sunset

[Ute_City]

:( Where's our Leebuddy when we need him? He would be all over this. I miss the guy dammit. Wasatch or I-215, are you guys going to be able to get some shots of this?



I've been out of it for a while, what happened to LeeBuddy??? He was a great asset to SLC postings.

[kpexpress]

:whip:

So back to the project in Lehi that Frank Gehry will be designing...........

So I just barely spoke with Brandt Andersen (CEO of G Code Ventures) and I showed him this thread we have going on Utah Valley, particularly about his project in Lehi.

Coming from his mouth......

"Some of you don't like the projects that Frank has done in other places, for Utah and that area especially, would you rather see another Trophy Homes development?"

I would have to completely agree with him.

I say Cheers :cheers: to Brandt for beeing bold and hiring Gehry to do the work.

Let me ask you this..... in a conservative, prodominately mormon culture like we have here, who else would do something bold like and hire a world renowned and famed architect? (Gehry, Pei, S.O.M., or anyone like that)

I see land values going up and people finally being influenced by architecture in Utah.:tup:

Brandt did mention that it will be some time before we see some renderings of the project.

[SLC Projects]

:whip:

So back to the project in Lehi that Frank Gehry will be designing...........

So I just barely spoke with Brandt Andersen (CEO of G Code Ventures) and I showed him this thread we have going on Utah Valley, particularly about his project in Lehi.

Coming from his mouth......

"Some of you don't like the projects that Frank has done in other places, for Utah and that area especially, would you rather see another Trophy Homes development?"

I would have to completely agree with him.

I say Cheers :cheers: to Brandt for beeing bold and hiring Gehry to do the work.

Let me ask you this..... in a conservative, prodominately mormon culture like we have here, who else would do something bold like and hire a world renowned and famed architect? (Gehry, Pei, S.O.M., or anyone like that)

I see land values going up and people finally being influenced by architecture in Utah.:tup:

Brandt did mention that it will be some time before we see some renderings of the project.



That's a good point. :yes: This project could put the city of Lehi on the map. It will be a one of a kind project that's for sure.

[delts145]

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/1219sf.jpg

Plans are part of effort to lure 2 major retailers

By Jeremy Twitchell
Deseret Morning News
SPANISH FORK — While some residents are still questioning the deal, city officials in Spanish Fork are moving forward with plans to relocate the city's North Park as part of an effort to bring two major retailers to the north end of town.
Deseret Morning News graphic If approved, the deal would move the city's 15-acre North Park a few hundred feet to the northeast in the 40-acre plot located just south of the interchange between I-15 and U.S. 6. The move is intended to free up the frontage space along 1000 North for retail development.
Some residents have questioned whether Spanish Fork Mayor Joe Thomas, whose family owns a little more than 3 acres of the 40 acres in question, has a conflict of interest in the deal. His family's land has a market value of just over $250,000, according to county records, and contains a mobile home park with 15 homes on it, whose residents would be displaced.
The potential conflict has been brought up by residents in city meetings, but in an interview last week with the Deseret Morning News, Thomas emphatically denied that such a conflict exists.
"There is no conflict of interest ... this is for the city," he said. "This has nothing to do with me making a dime. I couldn't care less about that."
Thomas said the city had been approached by the would-be developer before he was elected last November. After attending a meeting with developers prior to being sworn in, Thomas said he was convinced it would be a positive development for the city and returned to his father, who had previously rebuffed inquiries regarding the land's availability, in the capacity of mayor.
"My family could have made this money any time, but I asked them to reconsider this time on behalf of the city," Thomas said.
Thomas added that he has not taken part in the negotiations between developers and his family, and every meeting on the issue he has attended he has done so in his capacity as mayor. He added that his father insisted that a provision in the contract be included that would require the developer to find places for displaced residents to go.
"I believe that's in the contract because (Thomas' father) is a good man," said Valerie Shepherd, a resident in the mobile home park.
Shepherd, like many of her neighbors, said she understands that business is business and can see the city's point of view in encouraging commercial development. She just doesn't understand why it has to be over their homes, and like others, is becoming frustrated with watching and waiting.
"All we've heard is that we'll be compensated," she said. "That doesn't tell us anything. What does compensate mean? I'd rather you just tell me what's going on and I'll deal with it."
Shepherd lives alone and works from home for the state. If she had to move, she said, she probably could afford it. The same isn't necessarily true for other residents, however, such as Brenda Vaifo'ou, a single mother who works at Sam's Club to help care for three children and three grandchildren. Her home is paid off, but she pays $250 rent each month for the spot and utilities. Her home cannot be moved.
"My fear is that I could never rent a place or find a home for $250 a month," she said. "If (the development) comes in, it comes in. I just want to be taken care of. That's what it boils down to."
Thomas said the city has been as open as it can about the process, and made the information public the first chance it got. One of the unnamed retailers has already signed to build on the site, and negotiations with the second retailer are progressing, he said. Once that is in place, he said, residents of the mobile home park will be the first priority, though the developer has already been working on finding a spot for them to relocate.
"They'll know as quickly as possible," Thomas said.
The bottom line, Thomas said, is that the deal is a win for the city overall.
"The tax revenue benefits everyone, but that's not my primary concern here," Thomas said. "I like the idea of being able to shop here in Spanish Fork."


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[i-215]

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/3608253.jpg

Rats! I wish I had a camera. W hall, pictured, is not completely on the ground.

[i-215]

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/3608253.jpg

Rats! I wish I had a camera. W hall, pictured, is not completely on the ground.

[SLC Projects]

:previous:
Demos are fun to watch. How many buildings are there down at Byu that are coming down? I can see at least two builidings in the pic above. :shrug:

[delts145]

Wal-Mart applies again to Cedar Hills

http://www.desnews.com/photos/mart122106.jpg

By Amy Choate-Nielsen
Deseret Morning News
CEDAR HILLS — Three years after Wal-Mart's first application to set up shop in Cedar Hills was denied, the mega-retailer has returned with a new plan that's making some city officials excited.
Deseret Morning News graphic The store on Tuesday filed an application for a new prototype of a Wal-Mart community store — and Cedar Hills officials wasted no time in making the possibility public.
"Our goal is to make sure residents know about this," said Councilman Jim Perry. "(Last time Wal-Mart applied) I know a lot of people in the community felt like they didn't get enough information early enough. That's why we're really trying to do this with a sense of transparency and communication and make sure we bring everyone along all of the way and resolve any concerns they might have."
The City Council and Planning Commission denied Wal-Mart's application in 2003 because it didn't meet enough of the city's already-existing architectural and design requirements.
At that time, Wal-Mart proposed a typical big box store of about 160,000 square feet, city manager Konrad Hildebrandt said.
This time, the store has approached the city with a concept that meets the city's requirements, with a store plan that is smaller, about 115,000 square feet, according to Wal-Mart spokesperson Karianne Fallow.
The store would be the first of its kind, a cross between Wal-Mart's neighborhood grocery stores and bigger supercenters that sell general merchandise as well as food items. The store is meant to have a specific community feel, instead of a regional pull, while still being full-service.
Fallow estimates the store, if approved, would have openings for 300-350 employees.
The store would go on a 14-acre block of land near Cedar Hills Drive and 4800 West that was purchased in March by Phillips Edison and Co., a development firm. The site will be required to have at least 30 percent landscaping, Hildebrandt said.
The land has room for three additional lots, two of which will be developed into a commercial retail center by Phillips Edison and Co. The third lot, which would be closest to residents in the area, will be used for businesses.
"We were certainly looking at the growth trends and the commercial developments within (that) area, and we felt that Cedar Hills, and not only Cedar Hills but Highland and Alpine, were underserved as far as retail," said Roy Williams, Phillips Edison and Co.'s vice president of development.
Williams said the company had been looking at the area for several years.
Neighboring Highland officials recently decided to create a commercial- retail zone on Alpine Highway, and Alpine officials are considering adding a similar zone, but Hildebrandt said he doesn't think the three closely situated cities will have a commercial conflict.
"I think there's enough for Highland and Alpine to have commercial in their areas, too," Hildebrandt said.
Because plans are still in early stages, the city has not yet discussed with the store its hours of operation, whether it can be open on Sunday or whether alcohol can be sold.
In 2005, a group of residents in the city asked city officials to ban the sale of alcohol within the city's limits. The initiative to ban alcohol was put to public vote and defeated, but Smith's, which had petitioned to open a store in the city, decided not to come anyway.
Some say previous opposition to establishments that function on Sunday and sell alcohol was so fierce it was enough to run any store out of town, according to postings on the town's public forum, www.cedarhillsforum.org. But city officials don't think the same uproar will occur this time, although those details are yet to be determined.
"I think our community's moved beyond it," Perry said. "We had the vote and moved on. It hasn't come up in any way in the city in a long time."
City officials say plans for the Wal-Mart might be presented to the Planning Commission for the first time on Jan. 25, but it depends on the store. Throughout the approval process, the public is invited to attend city meetings and may make comments during the public comment period.
Meanwhile, city leaders are looking forward to the potential of having an increased amount of sales-tax revenue flowing back to the city, although they're not sure how much it will be.
"We feel really excited," Hildebrandt said. "It's not every day that the No. 1 retailer walks through your door. We think we have a great community, but we're somewhat surprised that we're chosen by them to be where they want to develop. We're surprised and happy."


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[SLC Projects]

Hey delts145 with that last post you make about the new walmart being built in Cedar Hills got me wondering where is Cedar Hills? Is that down near Lehi?

:shrug:

[delts145]

:previous:
http://phoebus.vassel.com/site_page_4004/images/highland_utah.jpg

In this photo you would be talking about the far lower left side. Also the Northeastern bench of Utah Valley,"before Highland and Alpine." Also to the right or south side of the mouth of American Fork Canyon, or between American Fork Canyon and the Timpanogos Temple. Does any of that make sense???? :shrug: :haha:

http://pics2.city-data.com/city/maps2/cm8108.gif
http://www.cedarhills.org/maps/directions.gif

[SLC Projects]

:yes:


Thanks for the info delts145.

The thing that surprise me in this story is the fact that Cedar Hills is no where near a freeway. I throught walmart only built stores that are just off of a freeway on/off ramps. :haha:

[delts145]

:previous: Yeah SLC, that whole Northeast sector of Utah County's population has exploded over the last ten years. Northeast Lehi, Northeast Am. Fork, Highland,Alpine,Manila,and of course Cedar Hills suddenly have large,upscale populations with hardly any place that is convenient to shop, except at the new commercial center in Highland. These towns are primarily filled with trophy homes,golf courses and new schools and churches. Their settings are incredibly beautiful and it is understandable why the well-healed populace is reluctant to allow anything that smacks of your typical strip-mall in their neighborhood. This will be a major coup for WalMart. I'm glad that the town council is forcing Walmart to rethink it's typical set-up.


Looking Southeast toward Mouth of Am.Fork Canyon. Just minutes up this Canyon is some of America's most spectacular scenery.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/97/244775694_17a212fc3a.jpg?v=0
http://www.go-utah.com/UT/images/photos/wasatchmountains-EG-silver_lake_flat.jpg

Looking North: A typical northern view from a Highland Yard
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/114/254519141_4cff8e3995.jpg?v=0

One of the things I miss most when I'm in L.A. are the common pink sunrises above Highland/Alpine
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/53/182900452_3afb9b941b.jpg?v=0

[UV4EVER]

Wow, it's been a while since I've had time to post on this forum... oh how I have missed it! It's great to see alot of activity going on around Utah and some good Utah threads going now. It's gonna take me a bit to catch up to speed on the latest topics and project as I have been really busy with school and work, but I'm glad to be back! :notacrook: I'm now living in Provo (no longer Springville) and since we're kind of on the topic of Wal-marts in UV, does anyone know why Provo doesn't have a Wal-mart? It can get annoying to drive to Orem or Springville late at night. Maybe Provo could get one of these proto-type Wal-marts? Thoughts?

[Wasatch_One]

Provo's City Council has shunned big box development until recently when a Home Depot was built at the Univ Ave./I-15 interchange...

I dont think a Walmart or Target will ever be built in Provo... the only possible location IMO (depending on how soft the council becomes) would be on the west side of I-15 and Center St. with all the new development going out toward the lake

[delts145]

:previous:

Ya know, I don't think there is an area other than the southwest end for a Walmart in Provo:koko: . If you think about it, the north end, and west of I-15 on Center of Provo, "as Wasatch mentioned," are the only areas far enough away from the current Walmart to warrant a new one. We all know that a Walmart in No. Provo has zero chance of going in. Not only would residents put up a big fuss, but the current commercial owners wouldn't allow it, "even if it were built alla Cedar Hills or Park City". I don't think there's any land parcels left that are big enough to accomodate a Provo Walmart in the central or northern sector.

[dewaalnuts]

:yuck: :yuck: :yuck: walmart shouldn't be built anywhere. one of the worst companies in the country.

[SLC Projects]

Do we need anymore Walmarts? Seems like there's one off of every freeway off ramps.

[delts145]

http://www.uvsc.edu/images_homepage/campus_shot2.jpg

Group backs UVSC's bid

New area organization calls for university status

By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
OREM — Community and business leaders have formed a group with the goal of pushing Utah Valley State College toward university status.
The group is called "Friends of Utah Valley" — with the last words of the school's title, "State College," dropped because the group anticipates the school's name will change if it is granted approval to become a university, said one of the group's organizers, Stan Lockhart, a Micron lobbyist and husband of Rep. Becky Lockhart, R-Provo.
The group thus far is roughly 200 people strong, all residents or business leaders in Utah County, said Mark Robinson, a Provo attorney involved in the group.
Members have pledged about $10,000, said Robinson, who is finalizing paperwork to make the Friends of Utah Valley a nonprofit organization.
Friends of Utah Valley is independent of UVSC, and the money it raises will be used for its own activities, such as print advertisements and radio spots touting the benefits of the school.
"I think what we're trying to do is, we're trying to create a forum that people in our community can help UVSC," Lockhart said.
Such efforts would include lobbying and educating the public and lawmakers about UVSC, and the need they perceive for a public university in 360,000-resident Utah County.
"Ultimately, UVSC serves this community and it's a great vote of confidence to have a group like this to throw its support behind this institution," UVSC spokesman Chris Taylor said. "You know, UVSC and Utah County share many of the same goals."
Within the next three years, UVSC could receive from the legislature the additional $10 million needed to round out its bachelor degree offerings, add graduate programs and staff, and become a university.
The sooner, the better, according to UVSC officials, although Richard Kendell, the state's commissioner of higher education, will recommend $3 million go to the college for university status this year.
Neither Lockhart nor Robinson are alumni of the Orem college — but they say they want to rally around the 23,300-student college because it's the school most youth in Utah County attend.
Admission to the other school in Utah Valley, Brigham Young University, has become more competitive in the past 15 years, and very few high school graduates from Utah County are granted admission.
Seventy percent of Utah County's high school graduates who are college-bound attend UVSC, college spokeswoman Megan Laurie said.
Friends of Utah Valley estimated on its Web site that only 10 percent of Utah County high school graduates who are college-bound attend BYU.
A BYU spokeswoman could not confirm that number, saying such information is not available.
If most of the children in Utah County will eventually attend UVSC, then members of Friends of Utah Valley want the school to be a university.
"It has greater prestige and credibility and gives them (students) an opportunity to accomplish their goals a little better," Robinson said.
They also advocate for university status because they believe it will fuel the local economy.
They cite a 2006 survey conducted by UVSC's Institutional Research Department that found for every $1 the state spends on UVSC, $6.22 is returned to the local and state economy.
"I think we want Utah Valley to be treated fairly in comparison to the rest of the state," Robinson said.
The group has met several times in the past three months. A Web site is under construction at www.friendsofutahvalley.com.

[SLC Projects]

UVSU.....................insteed of UVSC. That's going to take a little getting use to. LOL.

[i-215]

Man, that'll be crazy...

The U
USU
SUU
CEU (not a university, more like a high school than a college)
UVSU?

Too many U's....... Although I have seen billboards for UVSC. They are now calling themselves "Utah Valley State," dropping the word "college" from the ads. I really think they want to get rid of the "c" word forever.

[Utaaah!]

Not too long ago it was UVCC (Utah Valley Community College). I'm still getting used to the fact that the school offers 4-year degrees -- and now it's competing in NCAA Division 1 athletics. It's come a long way fast.

[delts145]

http://www.uvsc.edu/library/info/images/dlcsouthlrg.jpg

KATE MCNEIL - Daily Herald
With temperatures in the teens, nearly 50 men from Layton Construction began pouring a concrete foundation for Utah Valley State College's new Digital Learning Center at 2:45 a.m. Friday.

The nine-hour project required 300 truckloads of concrete from four batch plants to fill a 3-foot thick, 30,000-square-foot matting to support the new library.

"It's quite the tight rope act," said Bruce McDonough, project director.

The 190,000-square-foot library will rise from this concrete mat and, once completed in June 2008, will become the largest building on UVSC's campus.

The $48 million, five-story library is a crucial step toward achieving university status.

Project manager Brian McBeth estimated Friday's pouring project to cost around $300,000 just in concrete and $1,500 an hour in labor. Using four pouring trucks, the concrete was poured on top of 1 million pounds of reinforcing steel that will hold loads up to 5,500 pounds of pressure per square inch.

"This is the largest continuous pour we've ever done," McBeth said.

The new Digital Learning Center will have a 150-seat lecture hall, 100 public computers, 40 group study rooms, five classrooms, a cafe and a bridge connecting it to UVSC's main corridor. The current library, not deemed fit for graduate study, will be used for student services such as advisement and counseling.

The library sits on a previous student parking lot, directly north of the Sorensen Student Center. UVSC lost 250 parking stalls due to the construction but added 600 stalls in the Victor parking lot on the northwest side of campus, said Chris Taylor, UVSC spokesman.

The 94-degree concrete will stay warm for three days, despite freezing temperatures. Construction workers will then pour another 5-inch slab onto the foundation and begin placing structural steel in February.

In March, UVSC was granted $46.75 million from the state Legislature for the project, representing the largest amount of one-time funding UVSC has ever received from the state.

Excavation of the site began in early September.

Layton Construction also built the original Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University and the Draper library. This is its first project at UVSC.

Layton employees broke for Christmas Day and continued the project Tuesday.

[SLC Projects]

That's going to be one cool looking library when it's finish. :tup: I should go take some pics of this project, that's if it started yet.

[delts145]

http://www.utahtheaters.info/theaters/Scera/Photos/thumb.jpg

OREM — The SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem will be expanding, thanks to the donation of two buildings through the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation.
The deal, finalized Thursday, includes two buildings on two acres directly east of the SCERA center at 745 S. State, Orem.
SCERA will use one; the other will be a rental.
The former Teleperformance building will be used as a scene, prop and costume shop, and SCERA will lease out the All-State Building — both in the area of 300 E. 800 South.
Ray Noorda, the former Novell CEO, died Oct. 9. The Noorda family also recently donated $1 million to expand and renovate the Orem Fitness Center.
"The Noorda family has long supported the SCERA and the arts, and we are so grateful to them for their vision and generosity," said SCERA CEO Adam Robertson. "We could not have gotten a better Christmas present, and this donation helps us immeasurably."
The two donated facilities and property will expand the SCERA space by more than 50 percent, Robertson said.
The SCERA, built 1933 as a cultural arts provider, has not previously had a scene shop, leaving construction of scenery to be done on-stage or outside.
The addition of these buildings will allow the SCERA to keep some of their "speciality" set pieces and use them in future shows or rent them out, Robertson said.
The SCERA will begin using the facilities within a week.



related story:

Remodeled SCERA gets rave reviews


MARC HADDOCK - Daily Herald
The remodeled XanGo Grande Theatre at the SCERA Center for the Arts is getting good reviews.

The renovated theater features a refinished floor, a new paint job, new seats, new wall treatments, new lights, new carpeting, and upgraded sound. The theater opted to keep the old seats, which are metal and more durable than new theater seating, but replaced the cushions, the backs and the upholstery.

Robertson said he was pleased with the results of the renovation -- the first of five phases planned to revitalize the 73-year-old Orem institution over the next four years. He said the SCERA started with the greatest need.

"We realized that we needed to fix our biggest black eye," he said. "We have great plans for the next four years to add to this."

The renovation is largely funded by a $1 million donation from XanGo, the Lehi-based company that makes and markets juice made from mangosteen fruit.

XanGo also produced a 30-second promotional spot that will be shown prior to movies in the renovated 750-seat theater, the largest movie theater in Utah County.

Basil Harb, an architect with Gould/Evans who headed up the design team for the project, said the firm focused on retaining and updating the original Art Deco theme of the theater. He said the building's role goes beyond entertainment.

"One of the great things about the SCERA is the support of the community," he said.

Tony Shields, project manager for Jacobsen Construction, said the SCERA had been an important part of his life, since his grandparents lived a few blocks from the theater and he had attended movies there many times.

"I started coming to the SCERA when I was 5," he said, adding that it was a happy coincidence that he ended up working on this project.

Shields said logistics in the five-week project had been a challenge. The temporary carpeting was installed Tuesday evening, just in time for Wednesday's opening.

Phase II of the remodeling will include upgraded systems, a raised stage, an improved sprinkling system, a more sophisticated catwalk and work in areas above the ceiling. The fly system and stage improvements will come in the third phase so the theater can host live plays, concerts and other public performances. Plans also call for a redo of the concessions area, lobby and vestibule.

Robertson said that by the fifth year, SCERA will have "a functional and beautiful performing arts venue with all the bells and whistles."

Orem Mayor Jerry Washburn praised the SCERA for rebuilding the theater with improvements that are more than just a cosmetic approach.

"I'm glad they didn't just go with a Band-Aid approach," Washburn said. "This building is a great foundation for the community arts program. It has got a great location and a great future."

[UV4EVER]

I attended UVSC this last semester. By the time school got out a few weeks ago they were already laying the foundation for the library. Oh, and by the way, the name of the university is not official yet. We took a survey that asked for student input on a few things, including the name. The choices that they offered were

Utah Valley University
Utah Valley State University
Fulton University (Named after Ira and Mary Lou Fulton)
Wasatch University
Central Utah University or
other

I voted for Wasatch University although I also like the UVU and Fulton University names. I think Wasatch University can give it more of an identity of its own. The vote doesn't determine the actual name; they just wanted student input.

[SLC Projects]

Wasatch University does have a nice ring to it. :yes:

[i-215]

As confusing as it may be, I still like "Utah Valley State." I think it has a nice ring to it.

[delts145]

I don't know, I'm kind of leaning toward using something other than another U.
I like Fulton and Wasatch.

[delts145]

:( I guess I don't like the name Valley or Ville in a title. To me it usually sounds very generic and averageville.

UVSC is contemplating a new name
http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/b123106uvsc.jpg

Possibilities all end with the word 'university'

By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
OREM — Utah Valley State College chiefs are trying on for size new school names. And all end with the word "university."
Deseret Morning News archives Utah Valley State University, Utah Valley University and Central Utah University are three names school officials are discussing among themselves and with the community as they move toward their goal of turning the school into a university.
State lawmakers, if they decide to do so, would change the school's name at the same time they crown the school with university status.
Yet UVSC employees and members of the college's board of trustees want to present suggestions to the decisionmakers, said Val Hale, UVSC's vice president for institutional advancement and marketing.
"There's no topic that gets the public more interested and passionate than naming the institution," Hale said.
Higher education experts have estimated that $10 million is needed to transform the 23,000-student Orem college into a university. The money is necessary to pay for a host of campus and academic services, including graduate programs and more undergraduate degrees.
UVSC officials want the money to come from the state's coffers over the next three years.
But they believe the sooner they receive the money, the better.
"If (legislators) were to proceed this year (with a mission and name change), they would make that decision by the end of February," Hale said at a recent meeting with the college's trustee board.
Hale recruited seven trustees and the student body president to talk to Utah County residents about name preferences.
In October and November, UVSC's marketing and communications office interviewed students and people at the Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce about the names UVSU, UVU and CUU, said Megan Laurie, the office's assistant director.
Several hundred people took an online survey through the alumni Web site, and those results were considered with the other surveys.
"This was very, very informal polling," said Laurie, stressing that the samples of people surveyed were not randomly chosen.
The school tallied 1,742 votes from the printed and online surveys and discovered the following results: UVU was the frontrunner, with 842 votes; UVSU received 787 votes; CUU received 113 votes.
Central Utah University was popular among people who want a name that isn't as geographically specific as the words "Utah Valley" imply.
A name with the words "Central Utah" has, in fact, been associated with the school for decades.
Local school districts ran the school in the 1930s when it opened; but by 1945 when state officials took control, it was named the Central Utah Vocational School.
The school has also been called Utah Trade Technical Institute, Utah Technical College at Provo and Utah Valley Community College before receiving its current moniker in 1993 when it began offering bachelor's degrees.
"It's funny because there are those who feel 'Utah Valley,' the name, is the way to go," Hale said. "There are others who feel 'Utah Valley' is too confining ... it tends to put too much of a geographic (focus) on the area of the school."


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[SLC Projects]

Crews pour footing for new UVSC library
OREM — Layton Construction Company crews poured nearly 3,200 cubic yards of concrete on top of 1 million pounds of steel to create the "mat footing" for Utah Valley State College's new library, called the Digital Learning Center.
The 190,000 square-foot library building — which will have 40 group study rooms, 100 public computers and expanded book collections — will rise from the mat footing. The mat covers approximately 30,000 square feet of surface area, and is almost three feet in depth.
The concrete was poured Dec. 22. The library is expected to be finished in the spring of 2008.
The placement of the concrete was one of the largest single concrete placements undertaken by Layton Construction, Utah's largest commercial contractor.
UVSC's current library has been criticized for being too small. The DLC is part of UVSC's efforts to become a university, as it will accommodate graduate-level research.

[delts145]

http://www.bjy.com/images/micron.jpg

Firm wants production of NAND chips to start soon

By Brice Wallace
Deseret Morning News
LEHI — Contractors are preparing the interior of the massive building. Employees are coming on board. Supplier and vendors are setting up shop nearby.
Things are falling into place for IM Flash Technologies to begin production of NAND flash memory chips — used in a variety of consumer electronics, removable storage and handheld communications devices — sometime during the first quarter.
One step is hiring employees, and a Jan. 13 "meet and interview" event is designed to help the company meet its needs for production operators. About 200 have been hired, but IM Flash needs about 300 more.
IM Flash has 1,181 employees — about 400 are engineers — and figures to have between 1,850 and 2,000 by March. Meanwhile, about 3,000 contractors are at the former Micron Technology Inc. building, prepping the insides to accommodate the production lines and prepare other infrastructure for the company, a joint venture of Micron and Intel.
"We are under the most aggressive ramp-up in the history of the semiconductor world," said spokeswoman Laurie Bott. "The site is being developed to compete on a global scale in nanotechnology, and it's just very, very exciting. When you walk through here, it's just a 'wow!' at what's being accomplished."
IM Flash is about halfway through a $2 billion investment over a two-year period to build-out and equip the site, and it expects salaries over the next decade to total about $1.1 billion.
About 60 percent of the former Micron facility will be used to support the chip fabrication operations. So far, about 6.75 million construction man-hours have been spent on IM Flash, and about 4.5 million more will take place. To provide a sense of how massive the project is, placed end-to-end, the fabrication project blueprints would be 26 miles long.
"We're on schedule and are looking forward to being operational," Bott said. "And we want the Utah community to know that we are offering not just a job, but we will train someone and offer them a career."
Entry-level production operators will receive training at either Boise or Manassas, Va.; will receive $11 per hour to start; and will be eligible for performance bonuses for team members plus benefits including a matching 401(k), medical, dental, vision, holiday pay, a time-off plan and night-shift differential. The company also offers development programs for employees to pursue careers in either technical development or production leadership.
"We are looking for candidates interested in joining our Lehi team of production operators," Shawn Siddoway, recruiting manager, said in a prepared statement. "These are trainable, entry-level positions offering excellent wages and an outstanding career in the high-tech world of semiconductor technology."
"We hire and promote from within," Bott said. "The next step would possibly be a technician operator. Most of our management started at this level."
Bott said the company faces a couple of issues as it ramps up hiring. One is that most people know the operations by the Micron name and may not be familiar with IM Flash Technologies. "There are a lot of individuals who don't know yet who we are or what we do," she said.
Another is the tight labor pool.
Job openings for production operators, technician operators, engineers, administration and other positions are posted at the company's Web site, www.imftech.com.
Micron and Intel announced the venture in November 2005. Boise-based Micron owns 51 percent of IM Flash. Intel, based in Santa Clara, Calif., owns 49 percent.
Micron representatives at that time said only that Lehi could see "hundreds of jobs" as the new company ramped up operations. In March 2006, the company pegged employment at the facility at 1,850 over 18 months. At that time, it received a state tax-rebate incentive equating to up to 30 percent of new incremental state revenue over a five-year period after the plant is operating, estimated to be about $15 million.


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[delts145]

County's office vacancies at all-time low

But that means rents will go up, report says

By Amy Choate-Nielsen
Deseret Morning News
OREM — There's good and bad news for Utah County business owners, according to a year-end 2006 real estate report issued Tuesday from Commerce CRG.

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/vacant010507.jpg
Deseret Morning News archives

The good news, according to the real estate services company, is business is booming, with all-time low vacancy rates for office, retail and industrial space.
The bad news is, even with new commercial growth on the horizon, the dearth of available space means rent rates are going to go up — because they can.
"The law of supply and demand would say when you have occupancy rising like it is, you better start securing your leases because rates are going to go up," said Jon Anderson, partner and principal broker at Commerce CRG. "There's no question that rates will go up with that kind of supply dwindling."
According to the report, Utah County saw an increase of 250,000 square feet of retail space in 2006, yet the vacancy rate still fell 1.5 percent. Overall, the county has 6.3 percent of its retail space available for rent.
Office vacancies in the county are down to about 7 percent, though several office projects, such as the Mid Town Plaza in Orem, are planned to alleviate some of the need. At the same time, many of the projects have already sold leasing contracts for their buildings, and they haven't even broken ground.
Industrial availability is at 2 percent, which is a record-breaking low, according to the report.
For developers, that's good news.
"We always like the demand," said Rich Bennion, developer and owner of Bennion Investment Group. "We always want the demand to exceed the supply. Now we're getting into the situation where demand is starting to exceed supply."
One reason for a shift toward a lack of commercial space can be attributed to the limited amount of space already available, added to an especially robust Utah economy.
Developers may also be hesitant to build an excess of commercial space if they remember the high number of vacancies from two or three years ago.
At the same time, out-of-state companies may be fleeing to Utah as a refuge from more-expensive retail rates and taxes found in other nearby states.
"Sometimes you get a 'me too' kind of phenomenon," Anderson said. "If companies are going to Phoenix, other corporations will listen and go to Phoenix, too. When that isn't happening any more, they look around and see that Provo and Salt Lake are a lot cheaper."
Commercial real estate also follows residential trends, Anderson said.
In 2006, Utah County's residential permits exceeded those of Salt Lake County. The statistic could be attributed to a greater land mass availability for development, or it could be a sign of Utah County's growing economy.
"You look at what's going on in Alpine and Lehi and American Fork — and anything just over the Salt Lake County/Utah County border — many of those people are working in Salt Lake, but they can buy more home at a better cost in Utah County," said Jeff Thredgold, chief economist for Zion's Bank. "Utah County for a long time has been, perhaps, the second most critical metropolitan area in the state. Behind Salt Lake County, there's Utah County, and that's not going to change any time soon."


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[delts145]

CATHY ALLRED - North County Staff

A year after entering the Lehi mayoral office, Mayor Howard Johnson continues to try and convince UDOT and other agencies of the soundness of his transportation solutions for north Utah County.

Two of his proposals include a freeway tunnel under the Camp Williams projectile explosives range and another a causeway across Utah Lake from south Saratoga Springs to Orem.

"The solution to our problems is to build a freeway through Cedar Valley to west of Nephi and getting real vision run a tunnel through Camp Williams," he said. "You can see my concern for the last year and it will be for the next year and that is traffic through the city."

Transportation, policy and procedures and facilities were the topics on Johnson's mind when he spoke during a Tuesday interview with the Lehi Free Press of the accomplishments of the past year and the goals of 2007.

By far the most time consuming and important item according to the mayor has been the transportation issues confronting the city and north Utah County. Johnson said he began a review of the highway and street needs of the area taking four months, 2-3 hours every day working on the project.

"I've talked with every mayor in the valley, talked with legislators, I've talked with a count commissioner, I've talked at length with MAG," he said.

Out of all his planning and talking, Johnson said there has been some good, some negative come out of it.

"The biggest thing right now, they are listening to me and smiling," he said. "I just want to keep them informed."

He is writing a letter to Lehi residents about the community's transportation needs, the results of his study and some of what he knows will happen, some obviously visionary, he said.

The letter and a copy of a color transportation map he is working on will be included in the February utility bill to residents.

Most immediately pressing to him is winning the 1900 South alignment choice for UDOT's Mountainview Corridor project and protecting homeowners along 1500 South.

"The 1500 North (option) creates a no-man's land for Lehi," he said.

While transportation might be the first thing on his mind for 2006 and 2007, personnel issues run a close second.

"One of the neat things we've done is the personnel policies and procedures have been revised, updated and now we are carefully following them," Johnson said.

He began the revision process in spring 2006 and included standardizing the employment procedures as well.

Future goals for the city, Johnson said will focus also on solving city facility concerns caused by growth. Lehi City Hall is over capacity with employees staffed in closets for offices.

"At this point we are trying to see what to do," he said.

[delts145]

Thursday, January 04, 2007
Phase one of Lehi substation completed

CATHY ALLRED - North County Staff
Power companies in Utah are clamoring at Rod Olsen to see Lehi Power Company's new substation.

Lehi City, in partnership with Mountain Home Development Group, has built a multimillion dollar substation to serve north Lehi that Olsen, Lehi Power superintendent, says is the first of its kind in the state -- a modula.

"It's a unique concept, it's the first one of its type in the state," Olsen said. "It's a relatively new concept."

The substation is designed, engineered and put together in a factory and then the component sections are dismantled, shipped out, and assembled on site.

A turn key operation, it is a similar concept like building a modular home and was contracted by ASEA Brown and Boberi Incorporated which sells a wide variety of utility products worldwide.

"The advantage to that of course is the time it only took them 30 days from start to finish on site it allows us to subtract or add depending on the growth," Olsen said.

The completion of phase one of the Traverse Mountain substation was announced at the Lehi City Council work session on Jan. 2. Phase two will be completed in summer 2008 depending on development.

Calling it a significant redundant provider, Jamie Davidson, city administrator, said if another substation in the city goes down, the power can loop through the Traverse Mountain substation and still serve the north end of the community.

"It allows us to better serve the residents of Traverse Mountain," he said of the power utility. "It has been a challenge in the past. It will provide greater reliability."

Situated on 1.5 acres, the new substation is adjacent to a water pressure irrigation pond and a Lehi City well at Traverse Mountain in north Lehi. Phase one is set up to provide 20 million watts or service approximately 4,000 homes depending on how many businesses and churches also are drawing energy.

Woody Berry, Lehi Power employee, spearheaded the operation from start to finish, according to Olsen.

By 2008, he has planned one bay with one power transformer planned for four underground circuits.

"We actually have a lot of power companies interested in it and wanting to come and see it ... and to our knowledge ABB are the only ones doing it."

Richard Evans, ABB representative factory engineer, said the Lehi substation is the first one in the public power market.

"What makes it unique is the ability to deliver to the site in an extremely short amount of time," Evans said. "Typically the substation can take up to a year and a half to construct and these are normally ordered and delivered in about 8 -12 months. So you save about six months to construction."

He said the reason it saves money is they are able to avoid weather type elements and obstacles that typically arise during construction because the substations are built inside a controlled environment and then shipped in sections.

[delts145]

http://www.uvsc.edu/images_homepage/panorama.jpg


Plurality of Utahns in poll want university status

Copyright 2007 Deseret Morning News
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/0106uvu.jpg
OREM — At the same time a prominent donor announced his plans to help raise $10 million so Utah Valley State College can achieve university status, a new Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV poll indicates that fewer than half of Utahns want UVSC to become the state's next public university.
Ira Fulton, a Tempe, Ariz., resident, has told the Deseret Morning News he wants to help the community raise $10 million and challenge the Utah Legislature to match it with $10 million.
"People don't pay much attention to it, but it's a great little college," Fulton said. "In fact, I'm excited about it going for university status. I'd like to put together a program. I'd like it to be sooner than later."
However, the $10 million that would be required from state coffers to help the school become academically and administratively ready for university status may be the reason some Utahns are lukewarm to the idea, according to a poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates for the Morning News and KSL-TV.
Forty-six percent of people surveyed this week either strongly or somewhat favored university status for UVSC, while 39 percent strongly or somewhat opposed it. Fourteen percent said they didn't know.
The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 5 percent. It was conducted Jan. 2-4.
Of Utah County respondents, 47 percent strongly favored university status and 21 percent somewhat favored university status.
The response wasn't as favorable in other parts of the state. Forty-four percent of Davis respondents said they were either strongly or somewhat opposed to it, and 43 percent of Salt Lake respondents said they were strongly or somewhat opposed.
When conducting the survey, the pollster reminded respondents that UVSC's name change from "college" to "university" and reorganization would cost about $10 million, a figure determined by the Utah State Board of Regents.
Val Hale, UVSC's institutional advancement and marketing vice president, believes the cost is what causes most Utahns to hesitate.
"I think most people are favorable for university status, but when you attach a price tag to it, it makes them look a little bit harder," Hale said.
This year's legislative session begins Jan. 15, and Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, is sponsoring a bill to make UVSC a university.
UVSC needs the $10 million to start graduate programs and improve undergraduate education, according to a study regents released in the fall.
Fulton hopes the Legislature will match $10 million raised by the community. The community has to show lawmakers it supports the school, said Fulton, who made millions in clothing stores and housing developments.
"I want to get them stepping up and showing the Legislature that this college deserves to become a university," he said.
Fulton is a fast-talking, high-energy 75-year-old who has donated an estimated $265 million — about 60 percent of his net worth — mostly to educational institutions such as Arizona State University, Brigham Young University and the University of Utah.
On Thursday, he wrote a $512,000 check to UVSC to match contributions made by faculty, students and alumni.
Fulton said raising $10 million is possible. He's raised more at other schools and is considering leading a campaign to raise $1 billion for ASU over the next decade.
Fulton said he will strategize with UVSC administrators.
"How will I do it? I haven't decided yet, " he said. "The thing is, I'll probably put more money than anybody else."
Fulton will probably also talk to acquaintances. He says fund-raising requires talking with people.

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/fulton0106.jpg
Ira Fulton

"I sort of twist people's arms," he said. "I always ask how much they love people, 'That check you're writing doesn't show you love them very much."'
When colleges raise $1 billion, "you're looking at 50,000 or 60,000 people involved in that," he said. "You may have 1,000 who are core people, who give a million plus."
Fulton prefers giving money for scholarships and to administrators' discretionary-fund accounts than to pay for brick-and-mortar buildings because he feels it affects students more directly.
In the past seven years that he has been giving away his fortune, Fulton said he hasn't met a school that didn't deserve the money.
"My whole feeling is I want colleges to graduate the best possible so they can be good leaders, good engineers, good teachers, good historians," he said.
UVSC's cash donations are much smaller than other schools Fulton works with. UVSC raises between $2.5 million and $3.5 million a year, Hale said.
Fulton's fund-raising expertise will be needed at UVSC, Hale said.
"We're just novices," Hale said. "We're just newbies in the fund-raising business."


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[delts145]

Orem, Provo mayors tout their cities

By Tad Walch
Deseret Morning News
PROVO — Orem Mayor Jerry Washburn was glad it was him — not an Orem resident who called him last year — who gave a State of the City address to the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce on Friday.
"Are you aware," the caller gravely informed the mayor, "that 800 North is becoming a boarded-up shantytown?"
Washburn laughed — "For a while it looked pretty bad," he said — but the continuing project to widen 800 North will cause a new headache this year after the last of about 50 homes are demolished.
In a few weeks, work crews will begin to put a new water pipeline and utility equipment through the intersection of 800 North and State Street. The project will take about a month.
"Please be patient with this process," Washburn told business people during Friday's lunch meeting. "It's going to take nearly a month for (the crews) to cross State Street. We're going to be really inconvenienced at the intersection of State Street and 800 North."
The worst part? No left-hand turns will be allowed at that intersection during that month of work.
UDOT spokesman Geoff Dupaix said work is expected to begin at the end of January. The plans call for taking State Street down to two lanes in both directions.
UDOT will post bids for the road work during the spring, and construction will begin in May. The project will take about 18 months. When it is complete, 800 North will have six travel lanes between 400 West and 1000 East, "with a beautiful parkway center with landscaping and trees," Washburn said.
Washburn also encouraged the business leaders to take part in the debate over Orem-based Utah Valley State College during the upcoming 2007 Legislative session.
"We want you to do whatever you can to help us promote university status for UVSC," Washburn said. "Seventy percent of Utah Valley students who go on to college go to UVSC. Making it a university will be a huge educational benefit to Utah Valley."
Provo Mayor Lewis Billings also spoke at the chamber lunch and like Washburn said his city is in strong financial shape.
"Business is the engine that drives the economy, and by all measures, you are driving it well," Billings said. "You're creating jobs in large numbers."
Billings said the seven-story Wells Fargo Building that opened in 2006 has been a success. All retail and residential space in the building has been sold, including the penthouse, though two residential spaces are now up for resale.
Billings trumpeted Provo's low crime rate, too. He said 13 other Utah cities have higher crime rates per 1,000 residents, even though Provo is the state's third-largest city.
"We don't take credit for that," he said. "You all and our residents share in that."
He also looked forward to the opening of Provo's new justice court this summer.
At the end of the lunch, Billings asked the chamber members to raise their water glasses in a "water toast," and toasted Provo, Orem, their stakeholders and "all who care about faith, family and freedom."


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[delts145]

PG mayor lays foundation for '07 PDF | Print | E-mail

LAURA GILES - North County Staff
The foundation was laid for important city projects in 2006, according to Pleasant Grove Mayor Michael W. Daniels. In 2007, residents will witness some of the fruits of this foundation.

http://www.bmwofmurray.com/images/pagemaster/BMWofPG.jpg
New BMW dealership under construction

http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2006_3rd/EmbassySuitesPleasantGroveRendering.jpeg
John Q. Hammons project set to break ground this Spring

"It has been a very busy and productive first year for me as mayor," said Daniels.

One of these projects is the hotels and convention center in the Gateway. In 2006, an Interlocal Agreement was entered into by Alpine School District, Utah County Commission, Central Utah Water Conservancy District, North Utah County Water Conservancy District and Pleasant Grove City to financially support a bond to purchase the land.

"If all goes well, the project should break ground in the early spring of '07," Daniels said.

Other important projects that will move forward in 2007 are the Lifestyle Retail Center, which will be adjacent to the hotel/convention center, and the Community Recreation Center in the Gateway.

Daniels said, "Grand openings, ground-breakings and ribbon-cuttings should become regular occurrences."

In addition to economic and community development, Daniels has seen good communication and new appointments during the last year.

"I am satisfied that two-way communication between the people of Pleasant Grove and the elected officials has improved," he said.

There has also been increased communication between Pleasant Grove city, neighboring cities and county and state government.

Among the senior staff of the city, Daniels has seen three key appointments. These are Marc Sanderson as fire chief, Ken Young as community development director and Richard Bradford as economic development director. Daniels believes that "the morale within the city team is good."

This year will bring the electing of three council members as the terms expire for Darold McDade, Cindy Boyd and Bruce Call. The terms of Lee Jensen and Mark Atwood do not end until Jan. 2010.

"In large measure the elected will decide the direction we take as a city," Daniels said. "If you've ever considered making a difference in your community, now is the time to prepare to campaign. If you are satisfied with those whose terms will expire, now is the time to support them in their reelection efforts."

According to Daniels, the turnout for the last election was reasonably good, but he hopes the upcoming election will have an even better turnout.

During his first year as mayor, Daniels has felt much support from citizens, neighbors, staff and Council.

"I cannot imagine how impossible it would be to undertake the magnitude and quantity of projects we had in 2006 without this support," he said.

Daniels is looking forward to a productive and prosperous 2007.

[SLC Projects]

http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2006_3rd/EmbassySuitesPleasantGroveRendering.jpeg
John Q. Hammons project set to break ground this Spring



I can't wait to see this building geting built. :banana:

[delts145]

:previous:

Me too, this is a large project when you include everything that is planned for this entire thoroughfare. My niece and her new husband just moved in to a nice new condo along that sector. It won't be long before Provo and everything north is pretty much built out. There's still a lot of room for growth in the areas south of Provo.
Before long they will need to create a metropolitan area for Lehi, LOL. There is a large gradual bench west of Lehi and Thanksgiving Point, that has incredible views of the Wasatch and Utah Lake. I'm not sure how far the right-of-way extends with Camp Williams but that area will probably be the next area of major development. Alpine is pretty much built out at this point,and is just experiencing a few infill and beautification projects. Highland and Traverse Ridge is pretty much mapped out and will fill in soon at the current rate of development,as will most of the communities at the north end of the Valley. Within the next ten years,if things continue along the same path as now, Northern Utah Valley will be much like Eastern Salt Lake Valley is now.

[delts145]

Cedar Hills: Wal-Mart getting an unlikely welcome
By Steve Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 01/08/2007 12:25:01 AM MST


Many Cedar Hills residents are expressing out-of-the-ordinary emotions about a Wal-Mart soon to be built in their small community. They are welcoming it.
"I'm extremely excited about it," said Darin Lowder, who lives right around the corner from the building site at 4800 W. Cedar Hills Drive.
Neighbors didn't always welcome the retail megastore. In fact, Cedar Hills officials in 2003 rejected the giant national retailer's application to build a 160,000-square-foot store. Now Wal-Mart has scaled back its plan to a midsized, 120,000-square-foot struc- ture.
Wal-Mart officials say the size is unique, falling between the typical 185,000 square-foot "supercenters" and 100,000 square-foot discount stores.
"The city of Cedar Hills has been excellent to work with, and we believe that our new store will serve the needs of the community for general retail and grocery selections," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Karianne Fallow.
She added that the Wal-Mart would take about 10 months to build, three months to stock and employ about 300 workers.
Lowder said most of his neighbors agree that the convenience and sales-tax dollars for the community outweigh any traditional issues residents often have with Wal-Mart.
"I've heard a couple people express concerns . . . but 90 percent realize this is what it is," Lowder said. "We're going to see a significant impact with our property-tax situation," which he predicts could lead to a lower rate throughout the northern Utah County community.
Lowder said he hoped the new income also would eventually allow the city new services, such as a rec center and swimming pool.
City Council members Jim Perry and Joel Wright said community support has been overwhelmingly positive.
"I have heard no opposition in Cedar Hills," Wright said. "Though there are a few outside Cedar Hills expressing some concerns."
The move has also been widely praised on the Cedar Hills online Forum at www.cedarhillsforum.org.
Several area residents said the store will be a relief, because they are sick of driving 15 to 20 minutes to the nearest retailers in Highland, Lindon, American Fork or Pleasant Grove.
But residents from neighboring communities are raising traditional concerns with big retail stores moving into the neighborhood.
Elisabeth Luntz lives in neighboring Highland, a half-mile from the Wal-Mart building site. Luntz said she recognizes the benefits Wal-Mart provides from a purely consumer perspective and said she would even likely shop there on occasion.
But, she asks: "At what cost" does Wal-Mart bring its low prices and convenience to the community?
Luntz fears the megaretailer will chase off local businesses in neighboring cities and shut out mom-and-pop Cedar Hills stores. This, she says, could ultimately damage the community by preventing money from staying within the community.
"For future growth, we should think more of locally owned businesses so we can be an ownership society - and not just poorly paid laborers working for Wal-Mart," Luntz said. On average, Utah Wal-Mart employees earn $10.02 per hour, according to company statistics.
Kathryn Schramm, a Highland councilwoman, underscored the benefit of locally owned stores.
"[They] are purchasing on the local economy to stock their stores, and they're selling to locals," Schramm said.

New Cedar Hills Golf Course looking nortwest toward Traverse Ridge. The Cedar Hills course sits directly east and also adjoins the well established Alpine Country Club, which also sits directly north of the Tri City Golf Course.
http://www.tydaniels.com/images/cedar-hills-golf-course.jpg
Course runs up to the top of the bench directly to the right of Am. Fork Canyon.
http://www.tydaniels.com/images/cedar-hills-cliff-side.jpg
American Fork Canyon
http://www.travelpost.com/MainImages/NA/USA/Utah/Cedar_Hills/Cedar_Hills_18836_1_07022005_2007537968_500.jpg

The new store will be the first source of sales-tax revenue in a town that has seen hefty hikes in property taxes due to a fledgling city-run golf course. On a statewide basis in 2006, Wal-Mart's Web site says it paid Utah more than $17.2 million in state and local taxes.
"One thing I've learned is you can't communicate too much with residents," Councilman Perry said. "Nobody wants to be blind-sided. We just want to really make sure everybody has an opportunity to voice concerns and express how they feel."
Representatives with property owner Phillips Edison said there are two more parcels available surrounding the Wal-Mart, but they aren't sure what will be built on them.
Roy Williams, vice president of development, said an office building would be ideal for the 10,000-square-foot lot to give more of a buffer zone between the residential neighborhood and Wal-Mart.
But for now, city officials are pleased that Cedar Hills is attracting commercial development.
"This is a small town. Right now we're just a bedroom community with only houses," said Planning Commissioner Steve Kroes. "We've been wondering what sort of development we could attract, so it's good to know such a major player is interested.
"It'll be a healthy thing for our city."

[SLC Projects]

Funny how no one ever wants a walmart in there town, but yet once it built everyone shops there. :rolleyes:

[delts145]

So right-on!! I'm anxious to see this one completed. They will be putting in a lot of landscaping along with trying a new type footprint. In the Case of the Supercenter at The Meadows in American Fork, a tremendous amount of local as well as national shops are experiencing great business there.

[SLC Projects]

Here are some updated pics of the midtown village project down in Orem.


The midtown village is a 7-8 story mix-use building with retail and condo and office space. This is what I call the South wing. It's toped out as wall are being put into place.
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5002/dsc00547wj7.jpg


Crew are now done with the underground parking and work has began on the North wing that will be just as tall as the South wing.
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/1513/dsc00544br5.jpg


Looking South as you can see the South wing in the background with the steel beams of the North wing getting put up.
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/7932/dsc00543yg0.jpg


South Wing again this time looking East. There will be a West wing that will join together both wings. But that part hasn't started as of yet. This project should be done by the end of this year.
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/6096/dsc00541px6.jpg

[delts145]

Hey you big Goomba. I was just down there this afternoon. First thing I thought when I saw this project was SLC will want to take pics of this. You know this thing has kind of caught me off gaurd. I'm just not use to seeing something so urban/mixed use dense in Orem of all places. From what I understand the Orem city council is pushing for a lot more of the same along that area. They want to take Orem out of the bedroom/only syndrome. I guess if this project is successful we'll see a lot more of this type. I was surprised and impressed by the structure itself.

[SLC Projects]

Hey you big Goomba. I was just down there this afternoon. First thing I thought when I saw this project was SLC will want to take pics of this. You know this thing has kind of caught me off gaurd. I'm just not use to seeing something so urban/mixed use dense in Orem of all places. From what I understand the Orem city council is pushing for a lot more of the same along that area. They want to take Orem out of the bedroom/only syndrome. I guess if this project is successful we'll see a lot more of this type. I was surprised and impressed by the structure itself.


LOL, That's funny you were down there today as well. Midtown Village really is starting to stand out now. I hope Orem will built more of these kind of buildings. Then they will have their own little urban downtown. :banana:

[I-15]

I live in Orem and if I had the money I'd buy a place in Midtown Village.

Room service? Hell Yeah!!!

[delts145]

Firm to air analysis on Provo's downtown

PROVO — A national firm will unveil its analysis of the future of Provo's downtown area during a presentation today at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Council Chambers, 351 W. Center St.
The public is invited to attend the presentation, which also will air live on Provo Cable Channel 17.
The analysis will help Provo continue to craft a strategic plan to revitalize its historic downtown area, said Paul Glauser, director of Provo's redevelopment agency.
San Francisco-based Economics Research Associates conducted the study. ERA associates will present their findings to the City Council during an afternoon session.

[SLC Projects]

Breaking news!!!!!


Planned 12-story hotel in PG is about to become even bigger!



New Developments Underway in Pleasant Grove
January 9th, 2007 @ 4:33pm

Sam Penrod Reporting

A planned development in Utah County is going to be 'super-sized.' It's in the center of the county and at the newest freeway interchange.

Last summer, plans were announced to build a new high rise hotel and convention center east of the Pleasant Grove freeway interchange. And the ground work was already underway. But today, we learned the plans are changing and the development will be double the size the developer had originally planned.

Today city leaders and the national developer announced that the hotel will now be more than 500 rooms, that's up from the 350 originally planned. They also announced that a second hotel, a Courtyard Marriot will also be built on the side.

The development is going in, right in the middle of what is considered to be the new center of Utah County, when it comes to population. That's because of the increasing population in the north end of Utah County. Because of the growth, the developer now plans to nearly double the number of hotel rooms and the size of the convention center, to meet with the anticipated demand.

There will be 100-thousand square feet of meeting space. There will also be three big name restaurants built here. Another developer plans to have a shopping mall in the area. Also a luxury car dealership opened recently here on-site.

Construction is supposed to begin this spring and the entire project is now slated to be finished and opened for business in 2008, except for the Courtyard Marriot hotel which should open in 2009.

verall city leaders are very excited they say these developments will bring a lot of jobs to the area and also a lot of tax revenue to the city as well.

[SLC Projects]

More on the Hotel......

I just got done watching a video link on the KSL website and on it shows the Rending of the new bigger redesign hotel. It's not really taller, but it's a hell of alot bigger and wider. Wow. Once KSL puts the pic of the Rending on there site i'll see if i can post it on here. But for now just check out KSL.com and watch the video under "New Developments Underway in Pleasant Grove"

[SLC Projects]

I just got word that the Hotel will now be 14-stories instead of 12-stories.

[delts145]

Plan calls for vibrant mix of housing, shops

By Tad Walch
Deseret Morning News
PROVO — Historic downtown Provo can do much more than get its groove back, according to a market analysis by a national firm released Tuesday by the city.
Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning NewsAnalysis says Provo's downtown area has a good collection of old buildings and facades to create an exciting city center. Provo has sprawled away from Center Street, where it began in the 1850s, but city leaders launched a concerted effort several years ago to entice people back to downtown to live, shop, dine and work.
Now they want to spark a full-fledge renaissance, and they have a good chance to make it work, according to an 82-page market analysis by San Francisco-based Environmental Research Associates.
The report shows Provo's downtown could capture large enough amounts of the housing, dining, unique shopping and office space markets to create a vibrant destination area.
For example, Provo recently completed the new Wells Fargo Center, a seven-story building with apartments, retail shops, a dance club, banking and 65,000 square feet of office space. The market analysis conservatively projects the need for about eight more downtown buildings, with that much office space in the next 10 years.
That demand could double with a coordinated effort, ERA senior vice president Steven Spickard said during a presentation to city employees and the City Council on Tuesday.
"I think downtown Provo has good potential, I really do," Spickard told the Deseret Morning News. "There's a whole lot of reasons people should want to be there.
"It has a good collection of interesting old buildings and facades that make for the traditional downtown pedestrian environment people are looking for, and the city has added some new developments recently that show it can work."
The analysis is part of a large effort launched during the summer of 2004 after an expert in downtown revitalization visited Provo and said the city should model its downtown after the Gateway shopping development in Salt Lake City.
The expert, Chris Leinberger, earned national recognition for spearheading the renovation of downtown Albuquerque, N.M.
The ERA market analysis is the last piece of data Leinberger encouraged the city to collect before creating a strategic plan for downtown, said Paul Glauser, director of Provo's redevelopment agency.
City leaders already have visited Albuquerque and Pasadena, Calif., for walking tours of successful renovation projects. They also commissioned a Dan Jones poll of Utah County residents and a feasibility study for a downtown convention center. And interns from Brigham Young University completed a parcel-by-parcel inventory of downtown.
Now city departments are prepared to do some of the things ERA's Spickard proposed in his report Tuesday, like look for additional downtown anchors to join the downtown Provo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, city offices, the Wells Fargo Center and the nearly complete Performing Arts Center.
They also can provide the market analysis to developers interested in looking at downtown for housing, office space or shopping projects, and potentially help them assemble parcels, said Leland Gamette, Provo director of economic development.
"Data drives the decision-making," Gamette said. "If developers don't have the right data to decide if downtown is the right place for their project, it's difficult. We're trying to make things easy for them to make hard economic decisions about downtown. Now they'll have a degree of confidence that economically, politically and socially it will work."
Spickard said the more office space the better, because workers in downtown provide daytime customers downtown. More dining options are better, too. The ERA report shows Provo could land the equivalent of 20 large downtown destination restaurants of 4,000 square feet in the next 20 years.
Provo already has dense housing in its city center, with 32,000 residents living in a one mile radius of downtown — a more densely populated downtown than Ogden, Albuquerque, Boulder, Colo., and Palo Alto, Calif. — cities ERA used for comparison in its study, but there's room, and demand, for more downtown condominiums and apartments.
"For one, there is an empty-nester movement that is interested in downtown-type environments generally and Provo specifically," Spickard said.
An urban living center is an option that is becoming necessary, said Kevin Call, executive vice president of the Utah County Association of Realtors.
"Given where our cities are now, I think it's needed. We're running out of developable land. The county can't keep growing out in the fashion it has for decades."
ERA provided low projections for housing, dining, office and retail space it believes Provo should reach naturally through population growth. The firm's "prescription" for hitting its high projections included hiring a part-time recruiter to lure dining and retail companies to downtown.
"The focus should be on unique local businesses rather than national retail or restaurant chains," Spickard said. "Don't feel like a failure if you don't get national chains. You want something unique to you. That's what makes downtown a really interesting place."
It also avoids competition with malls.
The report will be available at www.provo.org, and Spickard's public presentation Tuesday night will air repeatedly on Provo's cable channel 17. Anyone interested can contact the Provo Redevelopment Agency, 801-852-6160.


Center Street and University Ave., Downtown Provo
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/destinations/images/b/us_ut_we_provo_b.jpg
http://www.go-utah.com/UT/images/photos/provo-tb-downtown-2.jpg
http://www.go-utah.com/UT/images/photos/provo-tb-downtown-1.jpg
http://rgreetings.com/images/mp/DCP_6376.JPG
http://www.lonelycrowdedwest.net/pics/ut/provo/courthouse2.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/77/173035417_c1cc2a6afc.jpg?v=0
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http://www.lonelycrowdedwest.net/pics/ut/provo/town4.jpg
http://www.lonelycrowdedwest.net/pics/ut/provo/town5.jpg
http://www.lonelycrowdedwest.net/pics/ut/provo/town6.jpghttp://www.lonelycrowdedwest.net/pics/ut/provo/town7.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/74/173035416_ccd6fdc514.jpg?v=0

Before
http://www.buonavita.com/imagenes/provofoto5.jpg
http://www.buonavita.com/imagenes/provofoto7.jpg
Now
http://www.buonavita.com/imagenes/provofoto1.jpg
http://www.buonavita.com/imagenes/provofoto2.jpg
http://www.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles8582.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/gallery/pics/Storefront_Dahlberg_001.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/gallery/pics/Storefront_Former_Hope_001.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/gallery/pics/Storefront_Atrium_Annex_002.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/gallery/pics/Storefront_HOB_002.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/files/businesses/mode/modefacade.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/files/businesses/sensuoussandwich/facade.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/realestate/pics/118_W_Center_001.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/realestate/pics/295_West_Center_St._001.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/17/22388136_ba4c367d23.jpg?v=0
http://www.downtownprovo.org/realestate/pics/77_East_Center_001.jpg
http://www.lonelycrowdedwest.net/pics/ut/provo/town1.jpg
http://www.downtownprovo.org/realestate/pics/86_North_University_Avenue_001.jpg

[SLC Projects]

Hotel unveils Pleasant Grove plan

Embassy Suites will break ground in June
By Amy Choate-Nielsen
Deseret Morning News
PLEASANT GROVE — After 20 years of waiting to build a hotel in Utah County, mega-developer John Q. Hammons unveiled his plans Tuesday for a convention center and hotel site in Pleasant Grove.
An artist's rendering of the Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center that will be built in Pleasant Grove. (Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News)
Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News
An artist's rendering of the Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center that will be built in Pleasant Grove.
The much-talked about Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center will be a 14-story, 300-suite, $100 million project and will be located on the southeast corner of the Pleasant Grove interchange, at exit 275 on I-15.
"I won't take any location, it has to be tops," Hammons said of his choice of land. "I wanted that corner."
The land is just a field now, but after June 1, crews will start breaking ground on the massive project. In addition to the Embassy Suites Hotel, Hammons is building a 10-story, 220-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel, to be completed in 2009 on an adjacent location.
Also in the works is a "lifestyle" outdoor mall project that will involve upscale shopping, dining and theaters.
Hammons said he chose the location because of its close proximity to I-15, the Point of the Mountain, Mt. Timpanogos and both Utah Valley State College and Brigham Young University.
Hammons previously pursued a similar hotel project at the mouth of Provo Canyon where the power plant now is, but plans were abandoned, Hammons says, because the ground was contaminated.
Since then, he has waited for a prime opportunity and place to become available.
In the fall of 2006, Pleasant Grove promised to purchase 37 acres of land to give to Hammons in exchange for the construction of the hotel. The city issued a $35 million bond, to be repaid over 25 years, to pay for the land.
The city made an agreement with Utah County to keep the property-tax increase generated by the hotel, as well a portion of the transient room tax to be collected by the county to fund the repayment.
The city also reached similar agreements with the Alpine School District and Central Utah Water Conservancy District to retain property taxes that would normally go to those entities.
At one point, the city wasn't sure they would be able to collect the funds necessary, but a transient room-tax increase, approved by the county, tipped the scales in the city's favor.
Putting the final touches on the project and all of its necessary financial agreements was an obvious relief to Pleasant Grove Mayor Michael Daniels.
"This is a big day," Daniels said. "This is a day to celebrate. It's a day to look forward to the future. It's a day to be grateful for the people that went before and also for the people who have put forth their time, effort and money to make this possible."
Though other cities in the county, including Provo, have talked very seriously about building other convention centers in relatively close proximity, Hammons said he isn't too worried about the competition.
"I don't know what they're going to do, I really don't care," Hammons said. "I only know what we're going to do, and we hope they all win."

[SLC Projects]

Ok the rendings are now out of the new 14-story hotel in PG.





This is the old rending of last year when it was only 12-stories.....
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/6843/embassypleasantgroverenxq7.jpg









But here is the new rending of the new taller and redsign 14-story hotel....
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5093/20070109bizpghotel01101qq1.jpg






I like the 2nd one more better, since it's bigger and taller. :tup:


Ground should be breaking this spring on this project.

[delts145]

Wow, Now that's more like it!!! It's pretty clear Northern Utah Valley will have a whole new urban dynamic within ten years.
Question? Wasn't this new Hotel going to increase from 300 suites to 500 plus? The article above states 300.

[delts145]

Pleasant Grove sees future in '$350M intersection'
By Steve Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune


http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site297/2007/0109/20070109__biz_pghotel_0110~1_Gallery.jpg
An artist's rendering of The Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center proposed for Pleasant Grove

PLEASANT GROVE - A suite deal is propelling Pleasant Grove into the big leagues.
Developers unveiled updated plans Tuesday to build two large hotels (an Embassy Suites and a Courtyard Marriott), three restaurants and a spacious convention center at this northern Utah County city's so-called "$350 million intersection."
"This rivals anything in the state of Utah, even in Salt Lake [City]," Pleasant Grove Mayor Mike Daniels said. "This is a tremendous facility."
The project will be financed partly by one of the nation's largest hotel developers, John Q. Hammons, along with bonds financed through a Utah County hotel-tax hike and future property tax revenues from the development.
An investment and banking firm has projected the hotels and convention center would generate $51 million a year.
Hammons said Tuesday his Pleasant Grove project will offer 520 hotel rooms and more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space in a convention center with 28- to 30-foot ceilings.
The first leg of construction, the 14-story, 300-suite Embassy Suites Hotel, is scheduled to begin June 1, Hammons said. He expects construction to take 14 to 21 months, with an opening in October 2008.
The Courtyard Marriott is slated for a 2008 groundbreaking, followed by a 2009 debut.
Hammons said the project, which would boast 350 to 450 employees, is in a prime location - near Interstate 15 and Pleasant Grove Boulevard and not far from Brigham Young University and Utah Valley State College.
The hotel site also is adjacent to a planned 1 million-square-foot lifestyle center. That area would provide a mix of entertainment, restaurants and national and Utah retailers.
Dennis Baker, the property owner, said he has been talking with national real estate trusts, though he would not say who the anchor tenant might be.
Daniels, the Pleasant Grove mayor, pointed out the enhanced revenues would ease the tax burden on residents and create career jobs.
"I'm convinced, in the near future, Salt Lake will learn [Pleasant Grove] is a competitive force in the state," Hammons said.

[jedikermit]

I'm glad it's bigger--that looks like an exciting project. I really don't like the orange color, though. It looks very school-like to me. I'm sure it'll be a fine hotel when it's finished, and a great asset to the area; I just don't like the design.

[jedikermit]

The Courtyard Marriott is slated for a 2008 groundbreaking, followed by a 2009 debut.

How big will that be? Aren't most of those fairly small hotels?

[wrendog]

Most immediately pressing to him is winning the 1900 South alignment choice for UDOT's Mountainview Corridor project and protecting homeowners along 1500 South.


OK.. this royally pisses me off... I live right off of 1900 S in Lehi and this alignment will screw me over.. what is lame about this scenario is that 98 homes would be razed in the 1900 S alignement and 130 homes in the 1500 S alignemt.. sounds like the mayor is right, huh? actually, the 1500 S alignment is taken into acount FUTURE homes being built, so in reality it is much less than 130 homes! the 98 on 1900 S are existing!!! this bugs.. if they build at 1500 S I am loving it.. someone stop the mayor!

[wrendog]

How big will that be? Aren't most of those fairly small hotels?

apparently the marriot will be 10 stories..

[jedikermit]

apparently the marriot will be 10 stories..

Nice. The Courtyard Marriotts I've stayed at have all been smaller--3-4 stories. Good to hear. Never thought I'd see PLEASANT GROVE getting a project like this.

[SmilingBob]

OK.. this royally pisses me off... I live right off of 1900 S in Lehi and this alignment will screw me over.. what is lame about this scenario is that 98 homes would be razed in the 1900 S alignement and 130 homes in the 1500 S alignemt.. sounds like the mayor is right, huh? actually, the 1500 S alignment is taken into acount FUTURE homes being built, so in reality it is much less than 130 homes! the 98 on 1900 S are existing!!! this bugs.. if they build at 1500 S I am loving it.. someone stop the mayor!


I'm looking to build a house over in the Richmond Development which runs right along 1500 S. It's pasture land right now. If they are going to build the road there, decide and let everyone know rather than build and have to move later. According to the maps the only one that would impact me would be the Alignment at option.

I tried to download the pdf file, but I couldn't get it to work.
Here's the link: http://udot.utah.gov/mountainview/downloads/Exibit_for_Public_Meeting.pdf

Here's a drawing. My house would be between the 1500 S./1900 S. and 1000 S. roads.


http://www.udot.utah.gov/mountainview/images/maps/12b.jpg

It looks like two roads from Redwood would be state roads and the third road would be the Mountain View Corridor freeway all the way into the new PG/Lindon exit. Either way we are looking at a lot of road construction on the South side of Lehi.

[wrendog]

well, sorry Bob.. I'm hoping for the 1500 S alignment.. no offense.. :)

I live just south of 1900 S.. I don't think my house would have to be torn down, but not sure I want a freeway right in my back yard!

[SLC Projects]

Wow, Now that's more like it!!! It's pretty clear Northern Utah Valley will have a whole new urban dynamic within ten years.
Question? Wasn't this new Hotel going to increase from 300 suites to 500 plus? The article above states 300.


By the sound of it the 520 rooms are the totol number for both hotels.

[delts145]

Sherwood/Indian Hills, Provo
http://www.salamandersociety.com/foyer/gamap/bateman2.jpg

Park staff, residents search for a developer for neighborhood park

RASHAE OPHUS JOHNSON - Daily Herald
A panel of Provo parks staff and neighborhood residents are reviewing five proposals this weekend to find a developer for a long-awaited park in Sherwood Hills.

"This is an area that's been in desperate need of a community park," said city Parks & Recreation Director Roger Thomas.

Sherwood Hills, on the bench in the northeast corner of Provo, contains just a single one-acre private park. The closest community park currently is in the Edgemont neighborhood, the Timp Kiwanis Park near Timpview High School.

"It is very inadequate," Thomas said of existing park space. "It definitely is an underserved area."

Neighborhood Chairman Richard Pratt said residents have been lobbying for an adequate park since at least the mid-1990s. Many residents have volunteered labor to build the park, and one even negotiated a generous land exchange to enable a larger park.

The six-acre site, on Foothill Drive at roughly 4300 North, is set on a hillside and encompasses a water retention basin. Thomas said a key consideration will be of the developers' proposals to mitigate these engineering challenges.

The six-member review panel will narrow the five proposals to three firms by next week, interview the finalists and select one by early February. The developer will then work with neighborhood residents to produce a design concept.

Pratt envisions a design similar to Rock Canyon Park, which also encompasses a drainage basin. He said neighborhood residents want walking trails, swings, a tennis court or two and a playground and pavilion area.

Though residents of several park-deprived areas in Provo are actively pursuing the limited revenue from park impact fees, Thomas said Parks & Recreation criteria -- such as population served and proximity to nearest existing park -- placed the Sherwood Hills area as the next priority for new park development.

Infrastructure work likely will begin this summer, which Pratt said is better late than never.

"I guess they've thought we're rich enough we can find our own entertainment. Well, that's not right," he said. "We pay taxes, too, and we deserve a park just like everybody else."

[SmilingBob]

well, sorry Bob.. I'm hoping for the 1500 S alignment.. no offense.. :)

I live just south of 1900 S.. I don't think my house would have to be torn down, but not sure I want a freeway right in my back yard!

I would take the 1500 S. location because it breaks off to the south before the development, but alignment A would go right down my new backyard.

The 1000 S. highway from Redwood to I-15 is planned to open by 2011. What I can't understand is why we need the MVC freeway, 1500 S. or 1900 S. and 1000 S. That's 3 roads between 1000 S. and 1900 S.

I'm worried that we have highways at 1000 S. and 1900 S. with a freeway at about 1500 S. I would hope that the freeway would replace the highway at 1900 S. or 1500 S.

I do agree that the freeway at 1500 S. makes more sense with the least impact. It will sandwich the houses in between 1000 S. and the freeway at 1500 S, but with the Sierra Club fighting the whole wetlands issue I think that UDOT will have a bigger fight if they move it father south.

Do we really need the 1000 S. highway once the MVC freeway is built? A freeway road on the north of Lehi and one on the south extending into Orem/Provo should be able to handle the traffic.

I can't see them cutting off the freeway north of Lehi even though that road will be built as well. I think the freeway needs to go through until at least PG if not all the way to Provo. Utah Valley will eventually need it to bring all the traffic from So. Utah County north. Think of all the homes yet to be built in Springville, SF, Payson, Santaquin. It might take 20 years but the sprawl will eventually reach Nephi. Do we have a plan for all that traffic? Not that I've seen.

[wrendog]

i am not a fan of the 1000 S alignment either as that will run right through my sisters back yard.. what a mess..

[delts145]

New battle is brewing over land for a highway

Mountain View Corridor routes jeopardize either houses or wetlands

By Amy Choate-Nielsen and Nicole Warburton
Deseret Morning News

LEHI — If one stands at the edge of frozen Utah Lake, surrounded by towering cattails and a stunning view of the valley's mountains, it's hard to imagine a six-lane highway in the area.
But a battle between environmental conservationists and the Utah Department of Transportation over this swath of land is about to be waged, and the Sierra Club says the entire northeastern portion of Utah Lake's wetlands are at stake.
At issue is the Mountain View Corridor, a proposed road that will run from I-80, near the Salt Lake Airport, down to northwest Utah County, where it will connect with I-15. UDOT is looking at four main options for that connection, from which they will ultimately choose two.

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/3682163.jpg
Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News
Conservation biologist Ryan Barker walks toward Utah Lake Wednesday.

Two of the connector options suggest building a road along 2100 North and 1000 South in Lehi, which would bypass Utah Lake's wetlands. The other two current options, 1500 South and 1900 South in Lehi, are located within the wetland scope.
To defend the wetlands, Sierra Club southwest regional representative Mark Heileson says the club will launch a "full-on public education campaign" that will be reminiscent of their stance against the Legacy Parkway.
Heileson says he has already started working to gain support from local residents and duck hunters in the area who use the lake.
"(UDOT) has the entire northern end of Utah County to work with," Heileson said. "They have chosen, arbitrarily, the wetlands as the route. They could easily go north in several different locations and identify different corridors that would completely miss this wetland system."
Officials at UDOT say they welcome the concerns from Heileson and other groups. The agency is in the middle of a process where they are gathering public input to determine the best place to build Mountain View, said project manager Teri Newell.
UDOT is well aware of the wetland issue, she said. But at the same time, moving the southern alignment farther north puts the road in the way of homes. It's a matter of balance, in terms of trying to impact as few homes and wetlands as possible, Newell said.

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/3682114.jpg
Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News
Ryan Barker, left, and Mark Heileson with the Sierra Club discuss the wetlands that are at risk.

In total, the Utah County segment of the highway could displace up to 200 homes. According to UDOT, a recently updated 1500 South option could impact 57.7 acres of wetlands, but conservation biologist and Lehi resident Ryan Barker says that number is an underestimation.
"You could actually have parts of (the) wetland dry up, and obviously if you fragment part of the wetlands on one side, if it dries up, you can lose all of the wildlife on that side," Barker said. "It affects a huge swath, more than they are letting on, really."
The road could potentially cut diagonally across the wetlands, which surround the lake. The wetlands come from three sources, the lake, Spring Creek and the Jordan River.
While the lake and the wetlands are good scenery, Barker says they play a more important role in the lake's ecosystem. The wetlands prevent flooding, filter water and provide one of the more important rest stops for migrating birds in the Western Hemisphere, Barker said.
Infringing on the wetlands could pose trouble for Mountain View, given the past history between UDOT and the Sierra Club.
In 2001, the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation successfully halted construction of the Legacy Parkway in Davis County because of concerns that the impacts of the highway to the Great Salt Lake wetlands had not been sufficiently studied.
Heileson said that the potential fight over the Mountain View route has the possibility of turning into a battle like the one waged over Legacy if UDOT picks the southern alignment. First, Mountain View impacts wetlands, he said. Second, there are no transit alternatives in the area other than commuter rail.
Two of the issues that halted construction of Legacy were a lack of transit alternatives and impact to habitat in the wetlands. "They're choosing the most damaging facility possible," Heileson said about Mountain View.
Under the federal Clean Water Act, a state transportation agency must choose the "least damaging" route for a road if it goes through the wetlands. But the Clean Water Act also allows an agency to pick an alignment that impacts wetlands if it serves a necessary purpose that has been well-studied.
The purpose for studying the southern alignment is because it will meet future traffic demands and help with congestion, said Newell.
UDOT deputy director Carlos Braceras said Wednesday that there is plenty of time for the issues the Sierra Club raised to be addressed. UDOT has not yet selected where the road will go.
"We appreciate their concerns and want to work with them, and all the while meet the transportation needs," he said.
Sometime this fall, UDOT plans to announce what alternative in Utah County it prefers as the route for Mountain View. The agency has already announced that it prefers 5800 West as the route for the road in Salt Lake County.

Deseret Morning News graphic

http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/map011107.jpg

[SmilingBob]

Provo's downtown plan: big buildings, bigger dreams
By Todd Hollingshead
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 01/11/2007 06:39:47 AM MST
Posted: 6:39 AM- PROVO - Two years ago, Provo erected the closest thing to a downtown skyscraper: the seven-story, 110,000-square-foot Wells Fargo Center.
Now, a new market analysis says the city should see eight more of them in the next 10 years.

hummmm.... 8 buildings x 7 stories = 4 fourteen story buildings, 2 twenty eight story or one 56 story building?? :banana:
I'll take any of the above. Up with Provo buildings, not down and out.

Also:
Analysis projections show a conservative demand for at least 916 more multi-family rental units in the next 20 years. The state predicts Provo's population will top 136,000 by 2030, up from the current 115,000.
As for food, Spickard said Provo could add one large "destination" restaurant downtown each year for the next 20 years. :tup:

What Provo should do next:
A city-hired consultant recommends Provo take these steps to boost downtown:
1. Huddle with stakeholders for strategic planning.
2. Hire a retail recruiter to implement a dining (and office building)vision.
3. Solicit funding from Utah County for a Provo convention center.
4. Push for new hotels to locate near a convention center.
5. Develop clear policies for downtown development.
6. Expedite city procedures for new development.
7. Steer major office users to downtown.
8. Assist office users and potential anchors.
9. Work with the private sector to provide parking.
Source: Economics Research Associates

[SLC Projects]

hummmm.... 8 buildings x 7 stories = 4 fourteen story buildings, 2 twenty eight story or one 56 story building??



Provo's skyline needs more taller buildings. So far they have the 7-story Well Fargo Center, !0-story Nu-Skin Building and the 8-story Nowell Building. Not bad. but a new tallest Tower for provo is a most. :yes:

[delts145]

:previous: Quote,
Analysis projections show a conservative demand for at least 916 more multi-family rental units in the next 20 years. The state predicts Provo's population will top 136,000 by 2030, up from the current 115,000.

Are they kidding, "An increase of only 21,000 people in the next 23 years??" Is Provo completely built-out now, or is that a miss-print?

[i-215]

I personally think a 56 story bldg in Provo would look very tacky.

Some 12 stories would fit in nicely.

[kpexpress]

Publication: Shopping Centers Today
PROVO LIFESTYLE SPARKS SISTER PROJECT
By Donna Mitchell

:cool: Anyone been here lately? I hear its turning into quite the destination area. Apparantly alot of nice residential mix going in.

http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/current/images/6Riverwoods1.jpg
The Village at Riverwoods, a 152-acre mixed-use project under construction in Provo, Utah, was inspired by the success of a nearby lifestyle center.
Here’s something not seen every day in shopping center development — the retail portion of a multiuse development conceived of and built before the rest of the project.

The continued success of the 190,000-square-foot The Shops at Riverwoods, an open-air lifestyle center built in Provo, Utah, in 1998, has sparked the creation of The Village at Riverwoods, a 152-acre development that will be a mix of more retail, residential and office space.

With the arrival of The Village in the spring of 2002, The Shops, which caters to the mostly Mormon population surrounding Provo, is expected to play an even more integral role in the larger Riverwoods community, located in the mountainous, high-desert environment of Utah’s Provo Canyon.

"After the success of The Shops, [we] had the option to build additional retail on the vacant land along the Provo River or think of a better use," said Ralph S. Epstein, managing director of Terranet Investments, developer of The Shops at Riverwoods. "The decision was made that mixed-use would support the community better than pure retail." Terranet Investments is a two-pronged partnership comprised of San Francisco-based TRS Partners and Esnet Management of Provo.

In February of this past year, a partnership called Terranet Investments No. 2, broke ground on The Village at Riverwoods. The Village will contain 90 single-level homes, 33 town houses and 14 loft-style homes over retail space. The loft-style homes will be built over 25,000 square feet of additional retail space, bringing the total retail square footage in the Riverwoods community to 215,000.

"With the successful development of The Shops at Riverwoods already in place, the hard part of the urban village plan was already completed," said Christopher Leinberger, former co-owner of Robert Charles Lesser and Co., who provided the market research for the Riverwoods concept.

"Our strategy is to have an appropriate amount of retail supported by homes and offices. Where so many developers go astray is by overbuilding retail,’’ Epstein explained.

Cleveland-based KeyBank provided the $36 million construction loan for The Village, which includes the 25,000 square feet of retail.

Like The Shops, which encourages a leisurely, walking retail experience, The Village site is being arranged with wide sidewalks to encourage a pedestrian environment. Once completed, The Village is expected to accommodate 500 residents.

"It is meant to be a new urban village, a walkable environment to live, work, shop and be entertained — all within an area where you don’t have to get in a car and drive if you don’t want to.’’

Some community leaders welcome the concept as a way to deal with the threat of suburban sprawl in Utah’s growing population. Kristine Thompson, community relations and development manager for Envision Utah, an organization that oversees "quality of life’’ issues such as traffic and pollution in the area, said: "We saw a lot of communities similar to this built back in the 1930s and 1940s, and in the later years, auto-oriented developments. However, we’re seeing a change in what people are looking for. Riverwoods is one of the first that has tackled this.’’

Shortly after The Village’s Feb. 20 groundbreaking, an editorial column in Provo’s The Daily Herald read: "We hope this becomes a model for development, because Utah needs to do something about growth. It’s a concept that’s worked on the East Coast for years, with people being able to get around major cities without ever owning a car. It’s time we heeded the lesson and put it in place here."

Field Paoli Architects of San Francisco designed The Village as well as The Shops. Lead architect and principal Rob Anderson and his team had a pedestrian lifestyle in mind when they designed The Village. The streets are narrow, to discourage speeding, but can also accommodate sport utility vehicles and other large cars as well as parallel parking. Similar to The Shops, natural fieldstone is incorporated into the design of the homes. The material was built into the bases of some of the houses, and used in some landscaping touches around The Village. That choice had a unifying effect on the look of the Riverwoods community, Anderson said. The loft units seem to exemplify what the builders are trying to accomplish for the community, by blending retail and residential elements into a convenient town setting. Those units will be built over retail space, and some of their entrances will face The Shops, Anderson said. About half of that space might be dedicated to neighborhood retailers — possibly a flower shop, shoe repair store or a specialty market that sells whole foods. And the stores would complement, not compete with, the other retailers in the larger shopping area, Epstein said.

As for the office park, it is about halfway completed now, with 1 million square feet of space developed. The remainder should be completed over the next five to seven years, according to Sina von Reitzenstein, a spokeswoman for Terranet Investments.

As for the success of The Shops at Riverwoods, finding the right tenant mix to serve the conservative Mormon population was important to the center’s success.

"Several of the better retailers told us they were having a difficult time finding an appropriate format for their stores in Provo, but they felt there was a market," said Epstein of Terranet. Specifically, he said, "there was not an Ann Taylor, Williams-Sonoma or Borders in Provo. The retailers were the ones who directed us to Provo, and that’s how it all came together."

The Shops at Riverwoods draws customers from Provo, where it is located, and Orem, a city with which its boundaries are intertwined. The 38-store lifestyle center is about 9 miles from Provo Towne Centre in Provo, and 4 miles from University Mall in Orem, both enclosed regional malls. Each store at The Shops at Riverwoods is built with a distinct facade that makes it seem as if the retailers own their buildings.

The cities of Provo and Orem have a combined population of about 300,000. They are part of a swath of Utah called the Greater Wasatch area, which is growing. Its current 2.2 million population is expected to increase to over 5 million by 2050, mostly from internal growth — Utahans have larger families than the U.S. average. In addition, they tend to stay in the state because of their predominantly Mormon roots, according to several sources.

A large portion of the local population belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Initially, apparel retailers were unsure about how to approach a market dominated by Mormons. They dress conservatively. They discourage shopping on Sundays. Amenities like coffeeshops would be lost on them, since the beverage is forbidden in the faith, and there is not much coffee consumption in that market.

But as it turned out, some finer points of the Mormon lifestyle helped provide fertile retailing ground for The Shops at Riverwoods.

Take the dress codes. Students at Provo-based Brigham Young University are required to dress neatly. According to Epstein, the young adults like to be hip while adhering to that dress code, and The Shops at Riverwoods helps them do that. Also, a store like Talbots often carries the conservative clothing that Mormon women prefer.

By now average specialty store sales at The Shops at Riverwoods have reached about $300 per square foot, according to von Reitzenstein.

The Shops is anchored by Borders Books & Music, Copeland’s Sports, the Wynnsong theater and a group of stores under Gap Inc.’s umbrella, namely Gap Kids, Baby Gap and Banana Republic.

"In a nutshell, I think it’s very well conceived,’’ said Jon Anderson, president of Colliers Clark CRG, a commercial real estate brokerage firm in Provo.

"If it had been just shops, or just offices, each would have done OK, but together there is a magic that creates a synergy to make it work."
Shopping Centers Today
Current Issue November 2006

my dad just bought all the commercial real estate on the block that is in this picture, i work in the small post office on the corner. it is a very cool place and people are more and more attracted to the more dense urban style of living.

[kpexpress]

Okay everyone, I was in the office of Brandt Andersen's G Code Ventures yesterday and he showed me an email that he recieved from F. Gehry Partners. It was a rough rendering (to scale) of the new development in Lehi.

The development will have plenty of housing units, NBA Development League arena, 5 star hotel (said to be the tallest building in the state), Lehi City built resevoir (competition ski/wakeboard length and width), another smaller lake with a state-of-the-art wakeboard tow line, two roadway bridges crossing the lake and all that with tons of upscale dining and shopping centers densly huddled on its shores. Tons of housing to go around and all done by the master him self.....Frank Gehry.

I was told that the concept of the lake and surrounding buildings was inspired by southern utah canyons and river gorges (i.e. Lake Powell, etc.) I believe the planning and arrangment of the buildings will remind people of the canyon walls with the lake in the center.

The style that the buildings will take will not be sandstone and red/brown stucco like what you, the reader, are imagining, no it will be very modern and excentric like everything that a Gehry project will have!

Thats all I have for you, I saw the rendering yesterday and it is impressive. The 5 star hotel is nearly on the lake and towers incredibally high with the massive NBA arena connected.

I am stoked for this project and know that it will blow everyones mind when it is unveiled. An shame on all of you who do not like Gehry, would you rather see another Ivory Home development?

F. Gehry will be in town next week for a press announcement at Thanksgiving Pointe. I believe it will be next Friday.

Peace Out!

[SmilingBob]

:previous: Quote,
Analysis projections show a conservative demand for at least 916 more multi-family rental units in the next 20 years. The state predicts Provo's population will top 136,000 by 2030, up from the current 115,000.

Are they kidding, "An increase of only 21,000 people in the next 23 years??" Is Provo completely built-out now, or is that a miss-print?

Rentals are where the growth is taking place in Provo. 916 units isn't much though. BYU is going to add that many by itself in the next 3-4 years. They are tearing down DT and building, in conjunction with private developers, new housing units.

Wasatch One follows all the developments in Provo & Orem, religiously, so I'm sure he'll correct or add to my list.


But here are few current and future apartment complexes being built:


1400 N. Freedom Blvd.,
Two different complexes around Riverside CC,
North University Ave. across from Riverwoods,
Property near Joaquin Elementary,
100 South 100 West (Wasatch One's favorite),
Riverwoods,
South Provo by Slate Canyon Rd.
Provo still has room to grow the number of single family homes, especially out west. Provo School District has considered moving Provo High School to the west side and selling the current campus to BYU and IHC. They recently closed two elementary schools near BYU and built one on the west side.

The population of families is moving north, south and west while the downtown/BYU area is being turned into rental housing for students and couples. Provo hasn't done a very good job of controling where and how the growth happens.

I'm concerned that Provo is becoming a WVC or westside of SLC area, run down and older homes converted to rentals, especially from 1300 W. to 500 West. Too many rentals, IMHO, and now a study suggest they focus on adding more rentals?:slob:
Years ago Provo tried to encourage growth with more single family homes, but now it looks like it will be back to focusing on rentals. I would like to see more condomiums and owner occupied apartments/townhomes, not rentals.

With the new report from ERA, Provo should focus on building more mixed-use 10-12 story buildings downtown. Bottom level retail and restaurants, 3-5 floors of office space, and 3-6 floors of residential units.

[delts145]

http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/current/images/6Riverwoods1.jpg

Kpexpress, what are some of the future expansion plans for the Riverwood? Any retail announcements pending,or perhaps more residential. I would really like to see that area to the immediate south developed, you know, "those old duplexes."
Also, don't include me with those that don't appreciate Gehry. His Disney Hall is one of my favorites. However, I don't think that it's unusual to have qualm's over some of his more controversial design elements, such as his project in Prague. I am very excited about this announcement at Thanksgiving Point. Thankyou, for posting the update.
Oh, in a very good-natured response, Ivory's planned community accross from the Traverse Ridge is VERY ATTRACTIVE. And it will undoubtedly do well with both in-state and out-of-state buyers. But, it is a whole different type of beast, built for the typical regional, upscale, conservative buyer. The Gehry project will probably be much more global in its appeal. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what you are talking about. My curiosity is definately peaked.

[delts145]

With the new report from ERA, Provo should focus on building more mixed-use 10-12 story buildings downtown. Bottom level retail and restaurants, 3-5 floors of office space, and 3-6 floors of residential units.

SmilingBob, I can't tell you how much I agree with that downtown prognosis.

http://www.go-utah.com/UT/images/photos/provo-tb-downtown-2.jpg

Downtown Provo has soooooo much potential. It is already loaded with historic gems, and is in many ways very attractive. Downtown just needs to take the next step forward.There is no question in my mind that many would want a loft/condo downtown if someone would simply take the initiative to build them. Done with an authentic vintage exterior and an interior with all of the updated amenities would be highly successful.

[wrendog]

Okay everyone, I was in the office of Brandt Andersen's G Code Ventures yesterday and he showed me an email that he recieved from F. Gehry Partners. It was a rough rendering (to scale) of the new development in Lehi.

The development will have plenty of housing units, NBA Development League arena, 5 star hotel (said to be the tallest building in the state), Lehi City built resevoir (competition ski/wakeboard length and width), another smaller lake with a state-of-the-art wakeboard tow line, two roadway bridges crossing the lake and all that with tons of upscale dining and shopping centers densly huddled on its shores. Tons of housing to go around and all done by the master him self.....Frank Gehry.

I was told that the concept of the lake and surrounding buildings was inspired by southern utah canyons and river gorges (i.e. Lake Powell, etc.) I believe the planning and arrangment of the buildings will remind people of the canyon walls with the lake in the center.

The style that the buildings will take will not be sandstone and red/brown stucco like what you, the reader, are imagining, no it will be very modern and excentric like everything that a Gehry project will have!

Thats all I have for you, I saw the rendering yesterday and it is impressive. The 5 star hotel is nearly on the lake and towers incredibally high with the massive NBA arena connected.

I am stoked for this project and know that it will blow everyones mind when it is unveiled. An shame on all of you who do not like Gehry, would you rather see another Ivory Home development?

F. Gehry will be in town next week for a press announcement at Thanksgiving Pointe. I believe it will be next Friday.

Peace Out!


what the???? I haven't heard of this.. sorry if it has been discussed here, but I haven't been online much lately.. This is all in LEHI??? A 5 star tall hotel in LEHI??? a basketball arena in LEHI?? help me out here!

[kpexpress]

http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/current/images/6Riverwoods1.jpg

Kpexpress, what are some of the future expansion plans for the Riverwood? Any retail announcements pending,or perhaps more residential. I would really like to see that area to the immediate south developed, you know, "those old duplexes."
Also, don't include me with those that don't appreciate Gehry. His Disney Hall is one of my favorites. However, I don't think that it's unusual to have qualm's over some of his more controversial design elements, such as his project in Prague. I am very excited about this announcement at Thanksgiving Point. Thankyou, for posting the update.
Oh, in a very good-natured response, Ivory's planned community accross from the Traverse Ridge is VERY ATTRACTIVE. And it will undoubtedly do well with both in-state and out-of-state buyers. But, it is a whole different type of beast, built for the typical regional, upscale, conservative buyer. The Gehry project will probably be much more global in its appeal. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what you are talking about. My curiosity is definately peaked.

Well to my knowledge there are plans to build one hundred more units (similar to the Village) right behind the wynnsong theater and just north of the current Village residential places. The spot of land right in front of me (I face west towards university ave) is zoned for multi purpose, but no larger than 3 stories. I believe in the future there will be a grocery store there.

As for due south of the riverwoods, I have been bugging everyone I know (that could have a pull in what goes up there) to build a few high rise condo's with a sweet skywalk to the riverwoods for a year now. All I hear back is this, "If you can get each one of those residences to sell their property, we will do iit."

Then they put up the NAT signs that say "FOR RENT"

So it seems to me that either some big investor actually bought all those shitty condos and is holding out to rip them down and build something cool, or each resident hired a property management company to rent their places out.

I have dreamed that something profound will go up their, but my guess will be another lame three story office condo like all the other lame ones in the vintage business park.

We will see.

[kpexpress]

what the???? I haven't heard of this.. sorry if it has been discussed here, but I haven't been online much lately.. This is all in LEHI??? A 5 star tall hotel in LEHI??? a basketball arena in LEHI?? help me out here!

A family friend named Brandt Andersen owns a company called "G CODE VENTURES."

They invest in various projects and do many new real estate development projects (i.e. Sleepy Ridge, ect.)

THey have recently organized a team (The Jazz) that will play in the NBA Development league. THis coming up year they will play at David O'McKay Events Center at UVSU (notice the "U" in the name....hahaha) In the future this team will be playing in a new state of the art arena that will be inside the new develpment that G CODE is planning in Lehi. The development will be master planned and designed by Frank Gehry. The area includes (to my knowledge, will not be surprised if it includes way more) a 5 star hotel that is said to be the tallest building in the state, cheese cake factory and other hip dining currently foriegn to Utah. oh yes, and many many housing units. All this will be huddled nicely next to a 25 acre man-made resevoir (professional ski/wake size) that will be built by the city of Lehi, and another smaller lake that will feature a cable pull system for wake boarding (similar to what they have in Florida.)

Thats what I know, and so far I am impressed. The official news announcement will be next friday at Thanksgiving Pointe. Word from the street is that F. Gehry will be there himself.

Impressive designing, impressive developing and more impressive aspirations for the Wasatch Front.

Can anyone do this :slob: ?

[SLC Projects]

A family friend named Brandt Andersen owns a company called "G CODE VENTURES."

Thats what I know, and so far I am impressed. The official news announcement will be next friday at Thanksgiving Pointe. Word from the street is that F. Gehry will be there himself.

Can anyone do this :slob: ?






What?


Are you for reals? A 5-star hotel in Lehi to be utah's TALLEST Building? I had to keep going back and re-reading your post just to make sure i'm not just seeing things. Is this some kind of a dream? I'm not a big fan of F. Gehry but this sounds like a kick ass project(s) So next firday huh? I'm going to listen close to the news that day. LOL. Hope this is true.


:banana: :banana:

[kpexpress]

What?


Are you for reals? A 5-star hotel in Lehi to be utah's TALLEST Building? I had to keep going back and re-reading your post just to make sure i'm not just seeing things. Is this some kind of a dream? I'm not a big fan of F. Gehry but this sounds like a kick ass project(s) So next firday huh? I'm going to listen close to the news that day. LOL. Hope this is true.


:banana: :banana:

i WILL BE THERE TO KEEP YOU'ALL UPDATED

[i-215]

A tallest in Lehi???

Even if it's true ... I don't WANT it to happen! Downtown SLC has the highway infastructure to handle a downtown.... The Highland/Alpine Exit was originally designed to handle the occasional farmer's F-150.

[pdxman]

A tallest in lehi? That would be odd...its almost bittersweet, a new tallest is great but in lehi??? eh idk

[StevenF]

I will believe it when I see it being built. We have had to many projects here in Utah never happen and get us all excited to just drop us on the rocks from a tall cliff.

[Northernlad]

A tallest in Lehi???

Even if it's true ... I don't WANT it to happen! Downtown SLC has the highway infastructure to handle a downtown.... The Highland/Alpine Exit was originally designed to handle the occasional farmer's F-150.


A new tallest in Lehi??? That would look really silly. Downtown needs this in a bad way.

[delts145]

These past few years there have been more major projects along the Wasatch announced and completed, and now experiencing even grander expansions than previously anticipated than I can count. We won't even include the incredible resort's going in and around metro St. George. How many billions upon billions have gone in to new freeways,light rail,business parks,five star hotels, lifestyle centers,regional medical centers,resort expansions, an endless list of planned communities,historical restorations,new recreational facilities,and on and on. I'm coming from one of the largest metro's in the world, "and I am impressed!"

I'm reminded of a recent observation made by Jmonkey,regarding Macy's. Local people were actually showing up at the ZCMI Center unaware that it was closing. He couldn't believe the disconnect people had with what was going on around them in the community. Today I drove from Alpine to 106th so., and then to the Jordon Commons. Every square inch of highway I drove on was either new, newly expanded or currently under expansion. Along the way I must have noticed literally hundred's of new homes under construction, large new commercial projects, a major widening of State Street,new condo communities going up, and several new office complexes under construction. All of this in a short 25 minute commute. If all of this is not enough to generate some hope and positive energy from would be developers, then I just don't get that persons negative psyche.

Is it reasonable to have another ultra luxe resort announce development in an area that is experiencing some of the most astoundingly rapid growth in the nation? The days of seeing only F-150's at the Alpine exit are long gone. You are far more likely to see a Mercedes,Jag,BMW or even a Bentley.:haha:
The plan is and always has been for Thanksgiving Point to become a major international destination resort. The Golf Course and Gardens are already among the most acclaimed in the nation. A huge upscale lifestyle center,"The Terrace" will break ground soon next to and around Cabela's, which is already an established presence. Of course, not to mention the thousands of new upscale housing units under construction,many within elaborate planned communities. The views of the Wasatch from that vantage point are jaw-dropping. It makes perfect sense to add a luxe resort hotel in that area.

[SLC Projects]

The plan is and always has been for Thanksgiving Point to become a major international destination resort. The Golf Course and Gardens are already among the most acclaimed in the nation. A huge upscale lifestyle center,"The Terrace" will break ground soon next to and around Cabela's, which is already an established presence. Of course, not to mention the thousands of new upscale housing units under construction,many within elaborate planned communities. The views of the Wasatch from that vantage point are jaw-dropping. It makes perfect sense to add a luxe resort hotel in that area.

:previous:

A new tallest in Lehi?.......................why not. Delts make alot of good points with all the new housing and retail poping up in that area. With Thanksgiving point and Cabela's and soon to be Terrace Lehi will soon if not already a destination point.

These past few years we have been starting to see and hear about other citys along the I-15 that a building or planning to built Mid to high-rises towers. In 1999 Sandy built it's 10-story office tower at Jordan Commons making it the city's tallest. 2003 Murray city brokeground on the 15-story building that is part of the IHC campus. Also Murray has three more towers planned for that area......18-15 and 12-story office towers to give Murray city it's own skyline. South Salt lake is planning on building a mix use development project on 2100 south and state street with a few towers that could be as tall as 11-stories. Then there's P.G. just the other day we got word that the new Embassy Hotel will be 14-stories and the Courtyard Marriott will be 10-stories. So i ask again, why not Lehi. LOL.

Within the next 10 years as we drive down the I-15 from provo to salt lake or the other way around we will see several little skylines along the way.

:tup:

[delts145]

Something else we should watch for in Utah Valley over the next ten years is major development around and as a result of Utah Lake. Developers have long stated that when the population base warrants that lake will become a resource valued in the multiple billions. There are no other western inland (away from the coastal states) lakes of a comparable size smack-dab in the middle of a major metro.

Looking east from the Lehi Quandrant of Utah Valley toward Mt. Nebo. Developers have long promised that the time will come when large portions of Utah Lake will be dredged. Over the past 130 years a large amount of silt has been deposited in to the lake because of poor environmental practices. A lot has been done already in cleaning up the lake and restablishing its habitat. However, the cost for a lake- wide dredge of as much as eighty feet of silt is enormous. But the ongoing population boom is now making it feasible in the foreseeable future.
http://www.xmission.com/~debija/1999_s1/image22_utahlake_150dpi.jpg

Looking across the southern portion of Utah Lake toward the west face of Timp.
http://www.willieholdman.com/images/large/100370106410.jpg

[jedikermit]

The Gehry project sounds exciting, both architecturally and height-wise. My hope is that if it IS a new tallest, that it's throwing down the gauntlet to SLC developers to get off their collective asses and build a new Even Taller Tallest. :tup:

Say, a World Trade Center? Or just some friggin commercial space!

[delts145]

The Gehry project sounds exciting, both architecturally and height-wise. My hope is that if it IS a new tallest, that it's throwing down the gauntlet to SLC developers to get off their collective asses and build a new Even Taller Tallest. :tup:

Say, a World Trade Center? Or just some friggin commercial space!

:tup: :tup: RIGHT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SLC Projects]

http://www.xmission.com/~debija/1999_s1/image22_utahlake_150dpi.jpg

Looking across the southern portion of Utah Lake toward the west face of Timp.
http://www.willieholdman.com/images/large/100370106410.jpg


Very nice pics there delts of utah valley and utah lake. :tup:

[delts145]

SLC, I would have to agree with WasatchOne, that the Wasatch metro is one of the most picturesque metropolitan urbanscapes in the World. Many locals don't realize that in addition to the beautiful views of the Wasatch you also have some incredible views of the Oquirrh's from Northern Utah Valley.

Looking Northeast from the new city of Eagle Mtn toward Alpine
http://www.scherf.com/images/emcpic5.jpg

The Oquirrh's take on a much more majestic and picturesque beauty from southern metro locations such as Lehi,Highland,Alpine,Eagle Mountain, etc. Looking West from Eagle Mountain.
http://www.scherf.com/images/emcpic6.jpg
http://www.scherf.com/images/emcpic2.jpg

Looking Southeast from Eagle Mountain
http://www.scherf.com/images/emcpic3.jpg