Why West Valley?

My pioneer ancestors and I have called West Valley City area home for over one hundred and forty years. When you inhabit an area for such a length of time you invariably get asked WHY? Originally my great great great grandfather Edward Rushton crossed over the Jordan River and joined a few other families in the Hunter area to homestead and farm for economic advantage over the other pioneers that enjoyed the comforts of assembly that they had created in Salt Lake. Water and other resources were scarce and comforts were few, but the few families came to the area prospered from their hard work and turned their sights to building meetinghouses and schools for the area with the extra means that they had obtained.

What seemed to be miles away from civilization has turned into the very heart of the valley, and location, convenience, and amenities now drive the economic and family expansion of West Valley City. Recently the City published a five year economic development plan. The first part of that plan gave the top ten economic reasons for locating a business in West Valley City. I can think a few things that I could add or go into further detail, but here is a well thought out list that the next time someone asks me why they should move their business to West Valley City I can give them many many ideas:

1) Location: West Valley City is centrally located within the Salt Lake Valley (population 1,100,000). The I-215 freeway, State Highway 201 (freeway), and Bangerter Highway run through the City, and both I-15 and I-80 are only 5 minutes away, making access to key valley locations easy – Salt Lake International Airport (10 minutes), downtown Salt Lake (10 minutes), University of Utah (15 minutes). In addition, the major Union Pacific Intermodal Rail Hub is 5 minutes away.
2) Quality Workforce: The City’s 125,000 population provides an educated, young, hard working, and stable work force for any business. The University of Utah and four other universities (Brigham Young University, Weber State University, Utah State University, and Utah Valley University) are within an hours’ drive, providing highly skilled employees for any business need. Also, Utah is ranked 5th in the U.S. for overall health of its workforce (United Health). Utah is a right-to-work state with a labor force that will increase at twice the national average between 2010 and 2030.
3) Transportation System: The City is served directly by two major freeways (I-215 and State Highway 201), is minutes away from both I-80 and I-15, and has numerous arterial roadways interconnecting the City to all parts of the valley. In addition, light-rail mass transit (TRAX) will serve the City beginning in 2011 which will connect the City to downtown Salt Lake, the University of Utah, and to commuter rail which serves the entire Wasatch Front region (population 2,300,000).
4) Available Land: The City has three large “Sure Site” areas (State of Utah’s qualified site designation) covering hundreds of acres of prime development land. In addition, land is available in Lake Park Corporate Center (the State’s premier office park) and in numerous other development sites that exist throughout the City. The City currently has 1,550 acres of vacant land zoned for commercial and industrial use along with 380 acres zoned for mixed use development. In addition, 1,160 acres of residential land is currently vacant or in agricultural use.
5) Existing Buildings: The City currently has 5,267,717 square feet of commercial space, 1,035,333 square feet of Business Research Park space, and 14,393,037 square feet of manufacturing buildings. There is space in West Valley City for any type of business need.
6) Cost of Doing Business: Electricity and natural gas utility costs in Utah are among the 5 lowest in the United States. These low utility costs combined with a streamlined regulatory process and a stable, highly productive workforce make the cost of doing business in West Valley City significantly lower than in many other areas. The State of Utah ranks 14th lowest in the Nation for its cost of doing business. In addition, there are several areas in the City where financial incentives exist for business development and the City aggressively uses these incentives to promote desired development.
7) Cost of Living: West Valley City has a large supply of varied housing for all levels of employees. Of the City’s 38,000 housing units, about 25% are multi-family apartments or condos. Also, the Salt Lake area is one of the most reasonably priced metro areas in the United States.
8) Business Friendly Environment: West Valley City prides itself in being an efficient, progressive, business friendly city. The City’s staff is dedicated to facilitating quality business development. The State of Utah is widely recognized for its business friendly environment – 2nd Best State for Business (CNBC); 4th for Pro-Business Climate (Business Facilities); 5th for Pro Business State in the U.S. (Pollina Corporation).
9) Existing Businesses: Over 4,500 businesses are currently located in West Valley City. These range from small “mom and pop” operations to large national corporations. Some of the businesses currently located in West Valley City include Discover Financial Services, Alliant Techsystems, Hexcel Corporation, CR England Trucking, Franklin Covey, Newspaper Agency Corporation, IHC Select Health and Ingenix.
10) Quality of Life: West Valley City’s 22 parks, 25 schools, Fitness Center, Cultural Celebration Center, and family friendly neighborhoods make West Valley City a great place to live, work, and play. In addition, Utah’s famous outdoor recreation is just minutes away with hiking, skiing, biking and more. Utah was ranked 3rd in the nation for highest quality health care for the lowest cost (Kaiser Foundation) and has the 6th lowest crime rate in the U.S. Places Rated Almanac rated Salt Lake Valley the “Best Place to Live in North America” and a 2009 Gallup survey named Utah the “Happiest State in the U.S."

Declaration of Independence Fun Link

After reviewing the contents of my briefcase from the recent trip to Washington D.C. I came across some information from the National Archives. The archives serves a valuable purpose in keeping all kinds of various government information. This safekeeping includes the Freedom Charters of the United States of America. Here is a link to these founding documents as well as an application that allows you to sign and print the Declaration of Independence. It is fun and worth taking a few minutes to explore:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_sign.html

West Valley goes to Washington

Last week I was able to represent West Valley City to Congressional members and staff while presenting the federal goals and priorities of the City. I also attended and represented West Valley at the National League of Cities Conference. There I met for the first time with as a full steering member with the FTS committee. Below is the written report of this trip that I presented to other members of the City Council:

COUNCILMEMBER RUSHTON
COUNCIL REPORT
MARCH 22, 2010
NLC CONFERENCE & CONGRESSIONAL VISITS
SUMMARY

During March 12-18 I attended and represented West Valley City at the National League of Cities Conference and made Congressional visits to the Utah delegation in Washington D.C. The conference major speakers and presenters included a senior White House advisor and three members of the President’s cabinet, among others. The conference at the Marriott Wardman began on Saturday and concluded Wednesday. The committee that I was appointed to convened breakfast and lunch meetings on Sunday. The conference featured more than 30 workshops focused on economic development, safety, policy and programs. The seminars I attended this week included “The Broadband Connection” and “Successful Neighborhood Stabilization Programs” among others. The Congressional visits with both staff and members of Congress were received well and West Valley City earned praise for their partnerships and long term outlook.

VISIT HIGHLIGHTS

1. Administration Heads from respective Transportation, Education, and Energy Departments spoke on the need for quality communities and partnering roles. NLC President Loveridge expressed need for Job Creation.
2. Committee work consisted of plans and discussions about:
a. Many traditional development rules lead to social and economic segregation
b. Offering housing choices provides greater incentive for people to stay and invest in the community.
c. Impact of the recession on redevelopment initiatives.
d. Better local actions than Code Enforcement to combat blight (i.e. Rancho Cordova “Strong Neighborhoods”).
e. New trends in form based and technical zoning were presented by leading experts.
3. Both Senate offices generally approved of all the projects requested for funding and will begin further vetting and exploration of funding options. Congressman Matheson expressed strong support for the regional projects and agreed to use his committee post to look for telecom options.
4. The Utah League of Cities and Towns arranged a dinner for Utah delegates. Additionally, a breakfast was held with members of Congress featuring a question and answer period.

Final Bond Payment

I still remember the amount of relief, pride, and satisfaction when I made the last payment on my first car and received a clear title many years ago. Having ownership and taking care of our financial obligations is something that has helped to make our country expand our horizons and prosper. Recently West Valley City made final bond payments on the money borrowed to purchase and construct West Ridge Golf Course and make improvements to City Hall. The relief of this development will help to strengthen the foundation of the City and allow us turn our focus to other areas of debt relief and Citywide progress. Posted below here is the official statement issued by West Valley City on the matter:

West Valley City – The liability portfolio of Utah’s second largest city no longer includes West Ridge Golf Course or West Valley City Hall, as West Valley City made the final bond payments on the two facilities in January 2010. The final payment on the $15 million bond means the City can now redirect the bond payment funds to additional liabilities, including StoneBridge Golf Club.

“It’s always a good thing when you can eliminate debt,” says Director of Finance James Welch. “The payoff of this bond not only clears the debt on West Ridge Golf Course, but on City Hall as well.”

 The 18-hole West Ridge Golf Course was built by West Valley City in 1990. Funds from the $15 million bond were used to purchase land and build the golf course, as well as to provide improvements to West Valley City Hall.
 StoneBridge Golf Club, a 27-hole golf course, was purchase in 2001 for approximately $13 million; the bond is expected to be paid off in 2021.