Jordan River marketplace moves forward
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11735381
Big plans » City leaders have high hopes for the development -- and don't want just another strip mall.
West Valley City » Plans are still in the works for Jordan River Marketplace, but city leaders said they want to make sure the developer knows the city has "great expectations" for the project.
Councilman Steve Vincent said the council's biggest fear is the 30-acre development at 3300 South and 1150 West near the Jordan River will look like a strip mall.
"We want to avoid that at any cost," Vincent told developers during a council study meeting this week.
The developer had projected to start construction in the spring, but the earliest it might start now is late May or June, said Brad Knowlton, president of Ascent Construction Inc., which is the project's contractor.
Before the designs can be drafted, Knowlton said, the developer-city agreement must be signed. He said he's confident they will build an "upscale, quality development" where people will feel safe 24 hours a day.
Brent Garlick, the city's economic development director, said the agreement was delayed due to other contracts that it depended on, but expects the council to approve it by late March.
City leaders are anxious to see the designs, he said.
"They know what we want," Garlick said in an interview. "They need to show us what it is."
The idea for the multi-use development, which includes condos, shops and offices, started five years ago under the city's master plan for the vacant area near theUtah Cultural Celebration Center.
Last year, the city received two plans and the council decided to go with Ascent in September.
The marketplace is projected to be built in three phases; the first two at a cost of $78 million.
Soren Simonsen, a project architect, reassured the council during the meeting that the center of the development would have a "Main-Street feel," such as Park City, where people could easily walk around and gather in certain areas.
Mayor Dennis Nordfelt said he hopes the project is "extra extraordinary."
"We just want something special," he said. "We have great expectations for this development."
City leaders would ultimately have a chance to review the marketplace's design.
jsanchez@sltrib.com