Secrecy surrounds Utah County industrial development

ELBERTA — A cloak of secrecy continues to surround plans for an apparent industrial complex near this rural south Utah County town.

Utah County commissioners, state economic officials and others involved in the project have signed an agreement of confidentiality regarding the plans near the Kern River gas line while the details are worked out.

Utah County Commission Chairman Larry Ellertson says he's optimistic the deal will come together so an announcement can be made.

"Not everything is taken care of," Ellertson said. "A number of entities are working on it."

Among those involved are the Economic Development Corp. of Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as property owner and the so far unnamed company that has made overtures to build in the industrial area.

Earlier, officials announced plans for a paper-manufacturing plant near Elberta, then backed off, saying they were uncertain whether it was coming at all. But neighbors see activity that indicates something big is happening about two miles northwest of the U.S. 6 and state Route 68 crossroads.

Local farmers and ranchers have watched as work crews put in a well large enough to supply the needs for a small city. The crews worked on it night and day until it was finished, one rancher said.

LEI Consulting Engineers, which confirmed it is doing work on the project, also has signed a confidentiality agreement. So has Draper-based engineering firm Bowen Collins & Associates, which hired Bob Beeman Drilling of Moab to drill a 1,600-foot-deep well.

The well is close to two highways, power lines, a railroad line and the Kern River gas line, all necessary to the development of a large industrial complex.

Last spring, the County Commission approved the Goshen Valley Specific Area Plan, which allows for residential, commercial and industrial development. Much of the land in that plan, 25,752 acres, is owned by the LDS Church.

The maximum density the plan will allow is 55,000 homes, 9.3 million square feet of retail space, 12.7 million square feet of office space and 21.9 million square feet of industrial space. The plan also includes 15 percent of the land as open space, county planner Jeff Mendenhall said.

The state and county have been working to bring an industrial complex to the area to drive development of the property, Mendenhall said.

e-mail: rodger@desnews.com