Valley Fair- Best is yet to come

Just a quick update as good news continues to come from the Valley Fair Mall area. There are many good things yet to come from that area as well as from the 5600 Corridor that are on the horizon. Below is an article highlighting the success of the City's economic development efforts and specifically the leading performer award given to the Olive Garden. We'll keep moving forward:


Economic Development Efforts Proving Successful In West Valley City
West Valley City – Economic development efforts at the center of Utah’s second-biggest city are moving forward full-force. The recent announcement of the City Center project – Fairbourne Station – and the continued development of the Valley Fair Mall are proving successful, as businesses and retailers continue to become involved with and thrive in one of the largest redevelopment projects in the state.
At Valley Fair Mall, the Olive Garden Restaurant has been recognized for the second consecutive year as the company’s leading performer among the restaurant’s 750 North American locations. Paul Schmitt, General Manager of the Olive Garden at Valley Fair Mall, has been presented with Darden Restaurants’ top honor – the Joe R. Lee Diamond Club Award – named after the company’s retired chairman and CEO.
Now in its 14th year, the award is presented annually to a General Manager in North America who demonstrates outstanding results by achieving top financial performance in the company’s previous fiscal year.
“I’m extremely pleased with the Olive Garden’s recognition, but not at all surprised,” says West Valley City Economic Development Director Nicole Cottle. “Our team has worked hard with the Valley Fair Mall to bring in tenants who are wanted and needed in West Valley City. Their success proves that our community
is ready for retailers and restaurants of their caliber.”
Economic development efforts in the heart of West Valley City are not limited to Valley Fair Mall.
Fairbourne Station, a major redevelopment effort encompassing the area between 3500 South and 3650 South and 2700 West and 3200 West, will begin taking shape this month as construction begins on a four acre park and a Hilton Embassy Suites Hotel, offering 162 guest rooms and 6,000 square feet of meeting
and banquet space.
“The synergy within West Valley City’s center is contagious,” continues Cottle. “In the coming months, our city will see several exciting developments built upon the successes of Fairbourne Station and Valley Fair Mall.”
For more information about West Valley City’s Fairbourne Station project, visit www.fairbournestation.com.
For more information about Valley Fair Mall, visit www.shopvalleyfairmall.com.

The Final Fore & Unveiling of the Stella 5 Stone

Friday was a busy day as I attended ceremonies for the FINAL FORE closing of Westridge and the reception and unveiling of the Stella Five Stone gift from Chiapas Mexico. The Stone will be on display permanently at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center.

Izapa Stella 5 is one of a number of large, carved stones found in the ancient Mesoamerica sites of Izapa, in the Soconusco region of Chiapas, Mexico along the present day Guatemalan border. These stones date from roughly 300 BC to 50 BC. This is also known as the "Tree of Life" stone, the complex imagery of Stella 5 has led to different theories and speculations concerning its subject matter. Though discovered and documented first in the 1930s, the stone is particularly noteworthy because of the controversy created by the proposition by Professor M. Wells Jakeman in 1953 that the stone was a record of the Book of Mormon "Tree of Life" vision. Regardless of the origins it is a magnificent gift for the City and was greeted with dignitaries from Mexico, The State of Utah, and of course West Valley City.

The final days for the West Ridge Golf Course as we know it are upon us. A small but fun little program including many past and present City Council members participated in a putting contest and enjoyed talking about the past present and future of the golf course. The bonds on the golf course were paid off last year and all changes and improvements come from damages and land paid for by the Department of Transportation. Below is a copy of the official WVC press release:


West Valley City – For more than 20 years West Ridge Golf Course has challenged golfers and offered some of the most breathtaking views in the Salt Lake Valley. On October 3, the course will close to undergo a reconfiguration to make way for the Utah Department of Transportation’s Mountain View Corridor project. Golfers are invited to enjoy the challenges and views at West Ridge during Final Fore! – the final week of play September 26 through October 2.
“The Mountain View Corridor cuts right through the back nine, leaving a number of holes that will need to be reconfigured,” says Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Astill. “It’s really not feasible to reconfigure just that portion of the course, so we have opted to close the course and revitalize the entire thing.”
The revitalized course will be designed by the Bates Golf Design Group, and will include a complete redesign and reconfiguration. Grading changes and hole direction changes are among the improvements golfers can expect. The existing clubhouse will be refurbished and upgraded.
“The new course will feature a classic design with multiple bent grass tees to accommodate golfers of all abilities,” says West Ridge Golf Pro Mike Richards. “The fairways will offer a mixture of Rye and Blue grasses and a variety of elevation changes to provide a challenging but fair game to even the best of golfers.”

The revitalized course is expected to reopen in July 2013.
Golfers wishing to enjoy the course one last time may call 801-966-4653 for a tee time. All golfers during the Final Fore! event will receive a commemorative gift.
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New Granger High

It is hard to believe that almost a year ago I represented West Valley City by breaking ground at the new Granger High. The work and progress has been remarkable as the new school year begins and it was nice that the new football stadium was unveiled with a brief halftime ceremony over the weekend. The work on the school is also well underway as we all look forward to watching Utah's newest High School take shape.

Broadening the tax base--WVC #1

Periodically I am asked what we as a City are doing to keep taxes low? The simple and most universally accepted answer to this question is to broaden the tax base. We have done this in West Valley City by successfully attracting and retaining businesses and job centers and by investing in our community. I have often mentioned that as a direct result of West Valley City economic development efforts we have attracted over 2,215 jobs and well over $100 million dollars in private investment in the past year.

These efforts were again validated last week when the Sales Tax distribution numbers were released for June 2011. West Valley City led the State in year over year increase in sales tax revenues from June 2010 with a 15.9% increase. The statewide results came in at 9.9% meaning that West Valley City recorded 6 full percentage points better than the state average. Altogether it has been a great year during some tough economic times and I look forward to continuing to work hard in broadening our tax base while lowering rates.