West Bountiful, Woods Cross envision research park highlighting project along Legacy Parkway

WOODS CROSS — A pair of Davis County cities want to get in on the Legacy Parkway development boom but feel their joint project has something different to offer.

A joint meeting of the Woods Cross and West Bountiful city councils Thursday focused on creating a Legacy Community Development Project Area of about 157 acres north of 500 South, between Legacy Parkway and Redwood Road. The "Legacy Gateway" project, adjacent to larger CDAs in each city, currently calls for a research park and offices to occupy most of the site.

"Think of the University of Utah business park and how successful that's been," project consultant Jason Burningham told the group. "We don't have anything in Davis County like that."

Currently, developments being considered along Legacy Parkway in Farmington and Centerville feature movie theaters and retail stores. To the east, the East Gate development, in Layton, likely will focus on the needs of Hill Air Force Base, he said.

"But there's nothing like the university business park here," Burningham said. "I think that's an ideal use. I don't mean that's all of it — I still see some retail here — but we're kidding ourselves if we're thinking we're going to be absorbing a million square feet of retail."

Woods Cross city administrator Gary Uresk said the site could bring in many high-tech jobs instead of "juggling commercial around in the county."

But both Uresk and Burningham cautioned that the current approach could change.

"Actually how that's configured, I think, is going to be quite a bit up to demand and how the developer wants to do it. … but I think the concept's close in determining what uses are going to be there and how it's going to be distributed," Uresk said.

"Development will occur," Burningham said. "It will take a while. … Market forces will drive how this develops."

Because retail is expected to be a small component, Uresk said the project will not be a big sales-tax generator. It will produce higher property taxes and other revenues but will not be "the cash cow I think that all of us envisioned," he said.

Most of the 157 acres is unincorporated. The joint CDA would be in place until the area is annexed into the two cities and the area would be absorbed into their respective CDAs. West Bountiful's adjacent CDA has 268 acres; Woods Cross' has about 300 acres.

Next up is a set of Aug. 3 public hearings in each city and adopting a resolution approving the Legacy Gateway draft project area plan and budget. Later that evening, each council will consider an ordinance approving the plan as the official CDA plan for the site.

Also needed are approvals by various taxing entities, which could be in place by autumn.

e-mail: bwallace@desnews.com