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OGDEN — Ogden City Council voted Tuesday in favor of two bonds that will put $117.5 million toward the WonderBlock redevelopment project and a paid parking system.
The measure passed 4-3, though council members differed on how to fund the massive redevelopment proposals.
The WonderBlock is a five-acre redevelopment of the former Hostess factory on 26th Street that was demolished in 2018. It will include residential dwellings, retail, office services, food and beverage and hospitality, according to Ogden City's website.
The development will also include the management of two parking structures and paid on-street parking. According to a presentation about the project made in November, the proposed parking rates are $1.50 to $2 an hour, with a daily max of $8 to $10.
"These projects will not use funds from the property taxes of Ogden residents," according to a flyer released by the city. The paper provides details on the council-approved tax increment and sales tax revenue bond, not to exceed $75 million, that will fund the Ogden Redevelopment Agency's portion of the projects.
The plan also includes a lease revenue bond through the Municipal Bonding Authority, with an amount not to exceed $85 million, that is intended to fund the new parking system, according to the flyer. Debt service on the bond will be paid with parking revenues.
The WonderBlock is part of the "Make Ogden" downtown master plan unanimously approved by the City Council in 2020. The plan calls for improvements to the Union Station campus, 25th Street, Electric Alley, the Municipal Gardens and more over the course of the next 25 years. It aims to improve downtown walkability, as well as job and housing density, and increase the area's taxable value per acre by 175% with a combination of public and private investment.
Brandon Cooper, director of the Community and Economic Development Department, who manages the functional affairs of the Ogden City Redevelopment Agency, said the Make Ogden plan was built around two primary goals: improving the quality of life in Ogden and ensuring the city's long-term financial stability.
He believes both will be achieved through strategic public investment, along with additional private investment dollars.
WonderBlock is one of the first pieces of the Make Ogden plan to see development, and it will serve as a catalyst for the subsequent pieces, Cooper said.
He said response from residents has been a mixed bag. Some worry the project has been too rushed, or that the city can't focus on other things because WonderBlock will take up too many resources. Others have said there isn't enough data to support the WonderBlock project and that the city's infrastructure is suffering.
With anticipated population growth statewide — up 60% by 2060, according to Envision Utah — Cooper said the Make Ogden plan and WonderBlock, specifically, are the solution. In addition, the redevelopment will help accelerate economic growth, create high-quality jobs and entice more people to live in Ogden, he said.
"We are confident that despite all the what-ifs, and despite all of the lack of a crystal ball to determine what will happen with this project ... we've developed a project that is built for success," Cooper said.
During the public comment period Tuesday, multiple Ogden residents expressed concerns about the bonds, the paid parking system and WonderBlock, from the possibility that bringing in new businesses will squash current ones to how the developments will change the view of the mountains.
Nathan Sutherland said building a massive parking structure will undermine efforts to increase the city's use of public transportation.
"I think that we're operating on these plans that essentially say, 'We have to develop, and with development we have to have parking, and we have to build the economy.' And maybe that's not true," he said. "Maybe we take a step back and say, 'Let's choose the harder right over the easier wrong.' Let's not adopt this resolution right now. Let's look at, 'Do we actually need parking and to spend $50 million on it?' Because I don't think we do."
Angel Castillo, who is running for mayor of Ogden, said she believes incremental development and density in the downtown area is a good thing. But this particular development was meant to happen organically, she said, with a timeline going into 2040.
"I don't necessarily believe that this is a bad project," she said. "(But) if you're going to tell me that you're going to spend our hard-earned tax dollars ... I'm going to choose local business every time. ... I encourage you to just pause this. Take some more time."
But Kim Bowsher, owner of local public relations and marketing agency kbENT, said she "absolutely" supports paid parking downtown.
"People want to be here. This is a community of choice," she said. "And we want to come downtown, whether (we) come on public transportation or whether (we) park."
