http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/300965/17/
American Fork prepares for Frontrunner project
Barbara Christiansen - Daily Herald
Photo: By Barbara Christiansen
Farmington city manager Max Forbush points out the area around his community's FrontRunner station to Ken Baldwin, chairman of American Fork's Planning and Zoning Commission. Members of the commission, the City Council and city staff took a ride on the FrontRunner Saturday and spoke with Forbush and other Farmington officials about potential development in American Fork, near that city's commuter rail station.
American Fork -- American Fork is on track for the FrontRunner commuter rail project.
FrontRunner service started last April between Salt Lake City and Ogden, and there are plans to extend it south to Provo and eventually Payson. It is a high-speed commuter rail system with minimal stops, which helps it maintain the high speed.
The FrontRunner station in American Fork is planned for the west side of Interstate 15, at approximately 200 South.
To help the city prepare for that station and the possibility of transit-oriented development, which is expected to be constructed around the station, UTA invited members of the city staff, Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council to ride FrontRunner Saturday from Salt Lake City to Ogden. Along the way, they stopped in Farmington and spoke with some of the officials of that city to get some insights into the process.
"The city manager in Farmington said the original developer was actually a speculator," said Planning Commission Chairman Ken Baldwin. "He bought most of the property up, so it came in one ownership. He sold it. With a single developer, it gives you a chance of getting what you want for coordinated development."
Although having a single developer is not the case in American Fork, Baldwin said there were some similarities between the Farmington station and the one planned here. Both are on the other side of the freeway from what could be considered the area's main attractions. In Farmington it is Lagoon; in American Fork it is The Meadows. Those situations created problems, he said.
"We're going to have a real problem trying to figure out how to get what we want," he said. "For example, we need some kind of pedestrian connection between the park and ride and The Meadows. Who's going to pay for it?"
In Farmington, there is an elevated walkway between the station on the east side of the tracks and the parking lot. It includes elevators for the handicapped. Baldwin said he was told it cost $4 million.
"The one we need would become at least double that," he said. "The FrontRunner station itself is pretty well determined by where the tracks are. The support facilities for the station will be the responsibility of the city, getting traffic in and out, lights where they are needed. That is not included in their plans. They just basically say, 'Here it is. We're providing you a service -- figure out how to use it.'"
Baldwin said that despite the unknown and problems that need to be worked out, he is pleased with the service.
"I agree it can be a very positive thing for the community if it's developed right," he said. "The encouraging part, it will have a positive effect for people living in American Fork in that it will provide additional employment opportunities. If we can get appropriate development, it will provide both housing and support facilities."
City Councilman Ricky Storrs said he could see the potential for FrontRunner helping American Fork, but he said the development nearby may not happen immediately.
"I could really see how it could help with our traffic situation," he said. "I could see something like the development planned for Farmington happening on a smaller scale here. I don't know how soon it would be with the economy the way it is."
Baldwin said he expected the Planning Commission would address the issue, possibly within the next month.
"It's sort of like looking at Oz," he said. "It has great potential. How you're going to do it is left for the scriptwriters."
Transit-oriented development usually includes high-density housing, often mixed with commercial and office space. American Fork has had individuals making an initial contact about putting high-density housing in the vicinity of the station, but most have not addressed other things that go along with it.
"If you have high-density housing, schools and churches have got to be provided if you are going to have a good feeling for the development," Baldwin said. "Otherwise, you have people who don't have anything to bring them together." Baldwin said that could cause some problems, such as an increase in crime.
"When Wal-Mart moved, the police got 10 times the calls to the new than they had at the old one," he said. "The new one isn't 10 times as big. Just a little impersonalization makes a lot of impact what the city has to do to provide services."
He said there were many things that make up a community, and that the city needed to take those into consideration.
"Just because you have a transit hub doesn't mean you have all the structure in place for a community," he said. He explained those include churches, schools and shopping, along with ready access to police and fire protection, and amenities such as the library and fitness center.
Baldwin said the concept has potential, but it will take a great deal of effort and money to bring it to fruition.
"I know if we increase the population density, we increase almost astronomically the concerns about providing the services, so that what develops will have the same feel as the rest of A.F. as a community," Baldwin said. "That's my major concern, pure and simple."
J.H. Hadfield of the city's Engineering Department said that UTA was beginning the construction process for the station.
"They are in the process of bringing in utilities and fill," he said. "We're pretty much committed to support them. It is serviced by a county road and we will have to figure out how to provide fire protection." He said that narrow county road would need to be improved to handle the traffic.
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), but from my experience, it has been a negative experience. I like how when you go into a Target, it feels like a store. It's attractively colored and decorated, they always have a ceiling, things are better organized. I remember going to a Walmart trying to find something and finding like-items in about 5 sections of the store. I was completely baffled as to which section would have the item I was looking for. Then, when you go into a Target, there are a few things you can't find there - making you go to another store. Some people don't like this, but I do because it doesn't hog all the business like one store I know of (*caugh*Wal*caugh*Mart*caugh). It makes it so a Target can flourish at less expense to sorounding stores and makes the store smaller and more managable to find stuff. Then, as I mentioned earlier, it doesn't invade a neighborhood and destoy local businesses. Just look at SL County - In West Jordan, there is the Redwood store inside a typical suburban strip-mall, the Jordan Landing Store sorounded by big-boxes; in South Jordan, there is the store in The District which is sorounded by big boxes; there's the Fort Union Store sorounded by lots of big-box shopping centers; then there's the Sandy Store at a mall and also sorounded by big-boxes. Total, there are 5 stores (2 Supers, 3 smaller stores). How many Walmarts are there in the same County? I couldn't count them either. I bet there are less payday-loan centers than Walmarts in SL County.
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