Citywide Development

Below is a portion of a letter that I recently sent out highlighting some notable additions to West Valley City.

Greetings! As we all prepare for the holidays I want to send you and yours some well wishes and a sincere thank you for allowing me to serve you and the community that I love. I also wanted to make you aware of a variety of new retail establishments recently opened, under construction, or planned to open in West Valley City in the near future. Below is a highlighted list of these:

  

  

Highbury Centre (Target):

 

Kneaders (open)

Dunkin Donuts (open)

Firehouse Subs (open)

Noodles & Company (open soon)

Freebirds World Burrito (open soon)

Marshalls (under construction)

Maurices (under construction)

Cinemark Movie Theatres (under construction)

Zaxbys (planned)

 

*various other stores  are in final lease discussions including a restaurant, hospitality, clothing store, etc. 

 

Shoppes at Lake Park:

 

Ross (under construction)

Rue 21 (under construction)

Zupas (open)

 

Valley Fair Mall

 

* 5 stores in final lease discussions including a restaurant, jewelry store, mid-box variety store, etc.  However, until leases are final they do not want the actual names to be released.

 

Also, CVS Pharmacy is ready to build on 3500 South and CHOW TIME BUFFET on 5600 West is to be open soon.

Major Annoucements

Not much to elaborate on with two major West Valley City announcements. The City just keeps moving forward. Target has announced that they will build a store and anchor a new development on 5600 West. The 135,300 square-foot store will be built on a 39-acre parcel directly across the street from WinCo at 2550 South 5600 West. Target will be a welcome addition to the burgeoning 5600 West corridor and that location will draw customers not only from West Valley City, but also from Magna and even Tooele because of the easy access. The West Valley City store will also be the first prototype in the nation of Target's new-store model. The store will include an ample selection of groceries, but will not be labeled a Super Target.

Today was the unveiling of the mixed used City Center development henceforth to be known as Faribourne Station. West Valley City now has a new urban center focal point. Fairbourne Station will be a combination of retail space, office space, residential living space and even an upscale hotel, encompassing 40 acres right central to the City and the Salt Lake Valley. The name is taken from pioneer days when Fairbourne weigh station was the a hub and gathering place for our emerging community.

More information on the project as well as concept pictures can be found at:

http://www.fairbournestation.com/index.php

Proposition 3 -Parks and Trails

I have been bombarded with questions due in relation to West Valley City's first ever General Obligation bond election which will appear on this November's Ballot. The City Council unanimously approved placing this on the ballot for various and differing reason. However, it will ultimately be up to the voters to decide whether or not we take this opportunity to reinvest in our community and give a kick start to what could be the premier transit oriented development in the State, namely the West Valley City Center. Below is a sheet of frequently asked questions and answers in relation to the bond election including a list of projects that would be funded. When you take a look you will notice that several of these projects are probably close to your home or place of business, thereby immediately increasing the value and attractiveness of that neighborhood. As always if you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to contact me.

Fact Sheet

Proposition 3 “Parks and Trails for West Valley City Families”

Q: What will West Valley City be voting on?

A: On the ballot this November, West Valley registered voters will have the opportunity to vote on the city’s first ever general obligation bond. This bond, which could be up to $25,000,000, would fund a variety of parks and trails throughout the city. The bond would be paid back over 20 years using property tax revenues. General obligation bonds are used because they have the lowest interest rates.

Q: How much will the bond cost an average family?

A: For a homeowner with an average home (valued at $177,000), there would be a property tax
increase of $25.02 per year. This breaks down to less than $2.09 per month, or less than 7 cents per day.

Q: What exactly will the bond go to pay for?

A: The bond will help complete dozens of projects in three major categories:

1) TRAILS. For biking to work, walking to school, or exercising with the family, the bond will be able to complete the city’s Crosstowne Trail. This runs at about 2700 South from the Jordan River, through the Decker Lake area, west through Lake Park and Highbury, and all the way
to Magna at 7200 West. The bond will also complete the Utah & Salt Lake Canal Trail, which
runs from 4000 West and 4700 South along the canal and behind Academy Park, Kennedy
Junior High, Woodledge Park, and West View Park out to 7200 West and 3900 South. These
trails will tie into the future Mountain View Corridor trail along 5800 West, and the existing
Jordan River Parkway.

2) NEW GRANGER PARK/CITY CENTER GREENSPACE. Designed to both replace Granger Park (which is being used for the new Granger High School), and to create a “town square”
or “village green” of sorts, this 4 to 7 acre space will become a gathering place and regional
amenity for the entire city. Located adjacent to the TRAX station by city hall and featuring
water features and picnic areas, this space is intended to spur economic development and
to keep the positive momentum of the new Valley Fair Mall redevelopment flowing west.

3) NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS. Seventeen new neighborhood parks will benefit from the bond,
resulting in a city park within 2,000 yards of every family in the city and increasing the city’s
open space inventory by 20%. This will include the city’s first off-leash dog park and skate
park.

Sunset Hills Park (U-111 and 6400 S) 2 acres
Falcon Crest Park (4055 S 7060 W) 1.5 acres
Fox Tail Park completion (6880 W 3045 S) 2 acres
Wetland Park series of trails, walkways and interpretive signs through 40 acres of wetland and
playa (6700 W 2820 S)
5. Vistas East (6356 W 4580 S) 2.9 acres
6. Pleasant Valley Park (6124 W Brud Dr) .5 acres
7. Vistas South (4540 S 6000 W) 2.7 acres
8. Complete West side of Centennial Park, and include a skate park somewhere in the park. (5415
W 3100 S) 3 acres
9. Park in the area of 4800 W 4150 S with off-leash dog park 2 acres
10. Arlington Park open spaces (4700 W 4620 S) .5 to .75 acres
11. Park at (4300 W 4300 S) .5 to 1 acre
12. Trail-Head Park on Utah & Salt Lake Canal. (4050 W 4700 S) .75 acres
13. Firestation Park (2700 W 2900 S) 2 Acres
14. Park at (3641 S 2200 W) 2 or more acres
15. Park in the area of 3800 S Redwood Rd 2 acres
16. Chesterfield Neighborhood Park in an area to be determined 1.5 acres
17. Jordan River Parkway at about 3800 S 1250 W .5 acres


Q: Why did the City Council choose this year to request a bond for parks and trails?

A: Each year the city is losing more potential park sites as the community grows, and there is a need to acquire these sites while the real estate is still available and affordable. With many families vacationing from home during the economic hard times, the demand for recreational amenities close by like parks and trails is the highest it has ever been. Furthermore, many residents are concerned about slumping property values and studies show that one of the best ways to reinvest in neighborhoods and enhance value is through developing nearby parks and trails.

Also, with the completion of TRAX light rail next summer, and the finalizing of plans for the West Valley City Center there, the timing is critical for the new Granger Park/City Center Greenspace to be installed to help jump-start economic development. Finally, the city has long neglected getting caught up on its long range park master plan, and current interest rates and construction costs are at record lows, enabling many more projects to be completed for much less money than it normally would cost.

National Committee Work Official Release

Here is the official press statement jointly released by the National League of Cities and West Valley City:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 28, 2010
Contact: Corey Rushton, Councilmember At-Large, 801-963-3346
West Valley City Councilmember Corey Rushton Explores Redevelopment Solutions at National League of Cities Meeting
West Valley City – During a recent meeting of the National League of Cities’ (NLC) First Tier Suburbs Council in Garland, Texas, West Valley City Councilmember Corey Rushton explored innovative solutions to redevelopment issues and learned how to translate these ‘best practices’ into reality for West Valley City.
“This committee is very ambitious in identifying and researching innovative solutions to the common challenges that our communities all share” said Rushton.
Local officials from first tier suburban communities struggle with the challenges of redevelopment, including aging housing stock and infrastructure, outdated land use regulations and sprawl.
In response to these challenges, city officials learned about downtown revitalization efforts that spur new growth while retaining community character, as well as efforts to plan and leverage new development around Dallas Area Rapid Transit stations. The cities of Garland, Plano, Duncanville, North Richland Hills and Richardson took advantage of the opportunity to bring new life to their communities by combining deliberate growth patterns, public/private partnerships and community support and participation.
In addition to touring successful redevelopment projects, city officials heard from national experts and discussed challenges and solutions to regionalism; retail revitalization; transit-oriented development; neighborhood vitality; changes in the real estate market; and strategic approaches to economic development attraction.
Chaired by Garland Councilmember Douglas Athas, the First Tier Suburbs Council is comprised of local officials from communities outside of central cities and inside the ring of developing suburbs and rural areas.
The National League of Cities is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

National Committee Meetings

COUNCILMEMBER RUSHTON
COUNCIL REPORT
JUNE 15, 2010
NATIONAL NLC COMMITTEE CONFERENCE
SUMMARY
From June 9-12 I attended and represented West Valley City at my National League of Cities Committee Meeting held throughout the Dallas, Texas region. The conference major speakers and presenters included a variety of municipal officials, developers, and academics that investigated important issues identified by the committee. The meetings were very intense and took place from breakfast through dinner meetings. Clinical Professor and Real Estate advisor Michael Buckley, was given keynote status as he laid out technical information regarding transitions in real estate waves. The presentation impacts towards future development was explored by a firsthand bus tour of recent redevelopment and transit-oriented development through the region. The convening of this committee featured ten PowerPoint presentations with over 450 slides of information. I acquired electronic copies of these presentations in case of expressed interest or application to our City. Additionally, I gathered materials and discussed numerous best practice solutions and innovations in order to share them with executive staff for informational purposes.
PRIORITY ISSUES
1. Regionalism: Karen Walz, Project Manager for Vision North Texas, discussed the efforts of public-private partnerships in addressing the future quality of life, economic desirability and long term sustainability or regions using North Texas as an example.
2. Retail Revitalization: Anne Ricker, Leland Consulting Group, shared retail revitalization strategies and implementation tools.
3. Transit Oriented Development: Art Lomenick, managing Director, Trammell Crow Company discussed elements of successful transit oriented developments.
4. Neighborhood Vitality: Garland Planning and Neighborhood vitality department described the efforts of the City of Garland, Texas neighborhood vitality innovations.
5. Federal Agenda: Council discussed the shift in Department of Housing and Urban Development philosophy and programs toward more 'sustainable' development.

Valley Fair Phase Groundbreaking

This morning business owners, developers, city staff, and the chamber of commerce gathered to ceremoniously break ground on the next phase of the Valley Fair Mall redevelopment. When the mall is completed the lease-able space for stores will jump from 782,641 square feet to over 1.1 million. It is estimated that the complex will boast 120 shops along with the theatre and including a plaza and children's play area. Finally, although TRAX will soon have a station across the street from the mall if you chose to drive to the mall there will still be 4,172 parking spaces to choose from once the construction is finished.

For more information you can visit the Mall's official site at:

http://www.shopvalleyfairmall.net/

Happy Holidays

It is amazing to witness the holiday transformation within my home, neighborhood, and throughout West Valley City. The City Center including City Hall, Valley Fair Mall, and the surrounding streets have been adorned with various lights and decorations that add to the vibrancy of our community. JCPenney's has recently completed some simple, yet striking improvements to their exterior as the Mall redevelopment moves along. Construction didn't hamper the excitement surrounding the annual Christmas Parade which was made possible with the partnership of Chamber West. The highlight of the parade was of course Santa Claus at the end of the parade and not the City Council at the beginning. One final noteworthy festive holiday contribution from the City and City residents is the Trees of Diversity exhibit on display at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. The submissions are a delightful walk down the various interests and accomplishments of West Valley City. The Utah Cultural Celebration Center also hosts a couple of free concerts this holiday season including Miss Margene's Musical Theatre on December 14 at 7:00 pm and Bonnie Harris will preform her legendary Christmas Concert on December 21 also at 7:00. These are a couple of great ways to celebrate the holidays and make a few new family traditions here in West Valley.

Transit Hub

Thursday we were pleased to join with Utah Transit Authority officials to officially open the City Center Intermodal Transit Hub under beautiful clear warm skies. This station will not only be the connecting point for numerous Bus and BRT service, but is really the first step in establishing a West Valley City Center. Future plans call for this to also be adjoining a Trax station and will also connect to an even larger City Hall Plaza that will feature different artistic amenities and be a regional gathering place. The transit is also excepted to provide a boost to the City Center redevelopment plans that will offer some taller buildings and a more urban and walkable downtown experience. After the official welcoming and recognition of those that made this project possible, those in attendance enjoyed a Mexican food treat and mingled in the plaza.

Project Updates

Recently as a City Councilmember I have been asked a lot of questions in relation to the specifics of any number of construction and/or redevelopment projects within the city. I would like to give a brief update on the status of a couple projects today.


The first project is the remodeling and redevelopment at the Valley Fair Mall. The first aspect of this large project was the successful introduction of Costco to the mall campus a few years ago. This addition has helped to increase the overall profile and shopping traffic of the mall. The first phase on the mall itself is nearing completion with the noted addition of a few well known restaurants and some additional retail space around the perimeter of the site. Interest in these restaurants have been high and I expect the mall to continue to grow as a dining destination. The second phase of the mall redevelopment which will soon be underway will consist of over 50,000 square feet, with the main feature being a spacious plaza and gateway to the mall complex. The plaza will be landscaped with trees, flowers, and water features and will be a great gathering place and focal point to our city center. The posted picture is an artists rendition of what the completed plaza should consist of.







I am also happy to announce that the improvements to 5200 West are now underway and I am looking forward to watching the progress on this project as it will add some safety to this street. To this point it has been a very complicated process, as almost every property on the street had some special circumstances that needed to be factored in. 5200 West has long been a favorite street of mine as it is long and straight, lined with mature trees as well as some good friends and relatives. It is also boasts a variety of beautifully landscaped and unique homes and well as a very special church near one end. It is my understanding that only two churches of this style were ever built and it to me it just looks like a good fit to the neighborhood. As there are a lot of different aspects to these road and sidewalk improvements I was amazed at the variety of projected costs associated with each submitted bid. For example how is it that Company 'A' charges $110 per replaced mailbox while Company 'B' expects $235? After sorting through the various numbers and bids of this project the best value and lowest responsible bid was awarded and the construction has begun. Consequently, this road is closed and only accessible by local traffic, so it is best avoided for now. My niece Jordan and I walked down the road and took a few early construction pictures posted below.






As a final note: Thanks to everyone who helped celebrate my birthday yesterday and to all those who in one electronic form or another wished me the best.

Update Op-Ed

Recently I wrote the "Update" message for the West Valley Journal. There were a number of items and issues that I would have loved to address, but due to space limitations I wrote the following that was themed towards the challenges of a maturing urban city. It also encompasses my thoughts towards many eminent policy decisions from Animals to Zone Changes:

Progress as Promised

A message from Councilmember Corey Rushton

As you take a look around West Valley City you may have noticed the increasing blooming of orange construction cones and fences. The amount of growth and development in this once desolate and lonely region of the valley has been remarkable. It is hard to believe that over fifty years ago it was extremely difficult to obtain a home loan in this area because lenders thought that it was too remote of a location and would eventually be abandoned. However, it has been said many times and in many different ways that change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change. Progress and change is at the root of most issues and challenges we face as we continue to grow and mature as a city with its own identity.

I would like to point out three significant ways in which West Valley City is maintaining a small town sense of community and responsibility in the midst of a rapidly growing urbanized region. First, unlike many government entities, we have a balanced budget and have been consistently paying down city debt. Second, our city has done a great job in attracting and retaining businesses, in addition to having major employment centers. We are fortunate to have roughly the same number of jobs in West Valley City as we have working age adults. Finally, the FBI released crime statistics last week for major U.S. cities, and I was pleased to see that we experienced a decline in violent crimes last year. Considering the state of current economic challenges, I feel that we as a city are in a strong position to make continual strides of improvement.

In addition to all of this, I am thrilled at our city’s unmatched efforts in bringing people and communities together. The great inventor and innovator Henry Ford once noted that, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” I also invite everyone to take inventory and reflect on how we can continue to bring our community together and enjoy the progress within your own lives and within West Valley City.