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OGDEN — At the corner of 25th and Lincoln Avenue, Nick VanArsdell gets a pretty good view of downtown Ogden's ongoing evolution.
"It has kind of a new sense of vibrancy," VanArsdell said. "There's just a lot more going on. There's a lot more people downtown all the time."
One of three owners of Lucky Slice Pizza, VanArsdell said he and his business partners chose to open their first restaurant in Ogden, because certain incentives made it more attractive than other cities.
"We came to Ogden, chasing snow, really," VanArsdell giggled. "Ogden was offering business development loans within the central business district downtown."
That effort is just one of many projects taken on by Ogden city over the past decade. From downtown business, to riverbed revitalization, to even buying up and restoring dilapidated homes, city leaders have been pushing a long-haul campaign to improve Ogden. As Director of Community and Economic Development Tom Christopulos explained, the focus has been to make Ogden a more viable place to get an education, live and work.
"Our goal was always manifest in, a rising tide rises all ships," Christopulos said. "If we can create opportunity for any class that lives within the city, then the city does better."
Christopulos said several cities around the nation have been eyeing Ogden's model for economic development. Still, it was a welcome surprise when reporters with Newsweek magazine called.
"You don't always know who's watching what you do," Christopulos said. "The fact of the matter is you assume nobody else really cares."
Christopulos says the city's effort toward transformation took a concerted effort from three mayors, and multiple past and present city council members. Still, as the city has invested in itself, he says developers have followed.
"We've done about $1.5 billion of vertical construction over probably the last 10 years," Christopulos explained.
The change is staggering for many area natives. William Schafer, one of the co-owners of Lucky Slice grew up in Plain City. He says during his childhood and teenage years, Ogden was never seen as a destination.
"I didn't really come to Ogden. It wasn't really talked about," Schafer said.
Today, he says it's a much different city.
"It just keeps getting bigger and better as we go along," Schafer said. "It's the little town that could. It just keeps going and going."
