OCR Text |
Show ' Bountiful RDA Di$miBes Committees By GARY R. BLODGETT BOUNTIFUL The city's three redevelopment agency (RDA) committees are being dissolved, but RDA planning is going ahead on schedule, according to Bountiful Redevelopment Agency officials. IN A meeting with RDA Director V. A. (Kit) Betti-lyon Betti-lyon and Mayor Elmer W. Barlow, who also serves as chairman of the RDA board of directors, it was learned that "nothing will change because 'the RDA committees are being discontinued." "In fact," said Mr. Bettilyon, "there are several things that have come to light within the past few days, some of them so new that I can't even discuss details at this time." HE DID say, however, that progress on the 5-Points 5-Points Mall addition of a new anchor store and family-style restaurant have reached a point that con- i struction could begin "as early as next January." He said a major department store at the mall could exceed the floor space available in the present Albertson's Warehouse facility necessitating the development de-velopment of a portion of the proposed store as a second-story facility. MR. BETTILYON did not specify the name of the store, but said several tenants have been contacted and have shown an interest in the space. Also, a large family-style restaurant chain has shown interest in locating at the 5-Points Mall location. "We are negotiating with these tenants now and should have agreements signed within a few months," he said. "If so, construction could begin as early as next January." MAYOR BARLOW said he advised the committee chairmen more than a month ago that he had talked individually with the RDA board and it was agreed that the committees should be dissolved. "I notified the committee chairmen of this decision deci-sion and suggested that they complete their final reports and recommendations to the board within the next 30 days," he said. "I'm sorry that there is so much misunderstanding about this." ASKED ABOUT an executive (or general) committee commit-tee being named to replace the three committees being dissolved so that there would continue to be input from the residents, the mayor explained: "This is being considered, but it's my belief that this committee should be appointed only from the general population, from a large list of candidates, and that it not be comprised exclusively of members of the existing committees. These committees didn't represent the entire population of the city before and other persons should be allowed to serve." THE MAYOR then apologized for the method for which the three existing committees were organized. "We went about it the wrong way," he said. "We should have given the committees specific guidelines, guide-lines, goals and a time frame to complete their assignments. assign-ments. If we had done this, we would not have had the confusion and problems that we have today. COMMITTEE chairmen have been requested to meet with the RDA board of directors Wednesday at 8 p.m. This meeting will follow a city council study session of the proposed planning anJ zoning ordinance ordi-nance scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the conference confer-ence room of Bountiful city hall. The RDA meeting will highlight a presentation from Mahan, Hampshire and Properties Inc., who were named a couple of weeks ago to do the study of downtown redevelopment, including a proposed downtown mini-mall. MR. BETTILYON emphasized that neither he nor CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 UAVIS UJUN1 Y UJrrtH, JUUT 13, lOl Dismisses Committees CONTINUED FROM FRONT the RDA board has made a decision on any definite RDA project concerning a mall or major department store development. "We do not have our minds made up as many persons believe," he said. "We are still listening to proposals and ideas and are trying to incorporate these suggestions into our overall RDA development. develop-ment. "MHP IS doing a study of the downtown area, as well as Other project sites, and we won't know until after the study is completed whether or not a mall is -feasible. The mall is not going to be considered unless un-less studies show a real need for it." Mr. Bettilyon admitted that the redevelopment is focusing on the downtown area, but only to bring other stores including Penney's and shops from Colonial Square back into the downtown area if they are willing to relocate. HE EMPHASIZED that even though it appears to some that the RDA has taken a "scattergun" approach to redevelopment, this is not the case. "We are only trying to bring the seven proposed projects back into focus because each proposed development de-velopment affects the success of the others." However, he noted, unlike a "house of cards." most of the proposed projects can be completed even if one or another project folds along the way. "THE ONLY one (project) that could perhaps cause the house of cards to tumble is the 5-Points Mall addition of a new anchor store and restaurant ," he said. It's essential that 5-Points be developed for at least a year before construction is started on any other major redevelopment project, the RDA director stressed. |