Davis expected to sign Station Park resolution

Davis County commissioners are expected to sign a resolution today in support of one of the county's largest redevelopment agency (RDA) projects.

The project — known as Station Park — is proposed for more than 100 acres around the Park Lane interchange in Farmington. It will be centered around the Farmington commuter rail station and will have connections from U.S. 89, I-15 and, perhaps, the Legacy Parkway.

Station Park has been criticized recently because of its use of RDA dollars. An $18.5 million budget was approved for the project — money that will go only toward roads, utilities and other infrastructure, said developer Rich Haws.

In the recent state legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill that put a one-year stop to any RDA projects used for retail development. In June, they will convene a task force to study whether cities are misusing RDA powers.

A state audit of RDA projects will also begin in June.

While not connected to the audit, Wilf Sommerkorn, director of community and economic development, said the council's resolution may deflect criticism connected to the legislative RDA reviews.

"This project is just getting caught in that whole circle of 'perfect storm' events with the RDA legislation," he said. "It's a great development, and one of the few tools we had to make it happen is the RDA. It kind of puts us in a dichotomy situation because of the tax issue, but we have a great need to develop the future economy of Davis County."

Commissioners are expected to sign the resolution supporting Station Park during their regular commission meeting today. Station Park is the largest of several developments being planned along the Weber-County-to-Salt-Lake-City commuter rail line.

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