Not the most amazing development, IMO, but happy to see some initiative taken by private developers to begin building more density around the University. This is needed to make Weber less commuter feeling and to integrate it more with the surrounding community.
Weber State and city officials go forward with proposed apartment complex
http://www.standard.net/Education/20...t-complex.html
By Anna Burleson
OGDEN — Weber State University Vice President for University Advancement Brad Mortensen admitted the university was initially wary of the idea of a new apartment complex near campus.
At a community forum Wednesday, April 12, Mortensen said the initial thought was it would compete with on-campus housing offered by the university, but officials have since come around to the idea of a new apartment building as a public-private partnership
"We want to find ways to make this a possibility ... but respect the boundaries and impacts on the community,” he said.
City officials and Weber State administrators are supporting a city ordinance change so the development company Axis Marketing can build an apartment complex, near 3801 Harrison Blvd., intended to house Weber State students.
Axis Marketing owners Daniel Stevens and Adam Allred spoke at the meeting.
The building will have 41 four-bedroom units, four levels and 56,000 square feet total. Stevens said the budget for the project is $7 million, despite hopes for $4 million in initial conversations. Rent will be, on average, about $420 per person, which Allred said would include cable and internet.
Mortensen said it’s in both the school and the developer’s best interests to market the apartments to Weber State students. Allred agreed.
In small-group work sessions, residents expressed concerns about parking, crosswalk safety, speeding on the roads around Weber State and the effects such an apartment would have on the area’s electric, water and sewer systems.
How it all works
Ogden Planning Manager Greg Montgomery said Ogden has always been divided into zoning areas that dictate what kind of dwellings or businesses can be there.
Residents can petition to have these ordinances changed, which is done through the all-volunteer planning commission and then through the Ogden City Council, made up of elected officials.
In 2007, the ordinance was changed to limit the number of unrelated people who could live in buildings around Weber State from five to three. This was before a state law was also changed to limit dwellings to three unrelated people.
Despite the state law, Mortensen said, cities across Utah have come up with ordinances to allow student housing. St. George, for example, adopted planned development student housing zones, and Provo made its college campus a mixed-use and multifamily zone.
Montgomery said a project similar to the one being proposed now was talked about in the summer of 2016, but it ultimately fell apart because the developer “wasn’t responsive.”
The city Planning Commission is now recommending a conditional overlay rather than an ordinance change, which would essentially allow for this specific apartment complex. No more, no less.
“This will be a beautiful building,” Allred said.
Montgomery said the Ogden City Council will consider the request, establish a review timeline and hold a public meeting. There are still several other steps that need to be taken, including studies on traffic, soil and sewer impact; stormwater detention; possible water line improvements and overall building design.
Goals
Weber State offers on-campus student housing that was an average of 85 percent full in fall 2016, but President Charles Wight said he hopes more housing options will draw more out-of-state students.
According to data presented at the meeting, 10 percent of Weber State students are from out of state, compared with about 20 percent at the University of Utah, Utah State University and Dixie State University.
"If there are ways we can find nonresident students to pay a higher price tag to help support us, that's a good thing,” Mortensen said.
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Hey, You know how much every body on this forum loves the Ogden area. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much is going on, when I took just a little bit of time to surf the internet.
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