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Show Bountiful Downtown I Redevelopment Tops Jl Five Year Priorities B GARY R. BLODGKTT "" News K.ditor BOUNTIFUL Projects and goals for future redevelopment of Bountiful were outlined last Wednesday night by , the city's new Redes elopment Agency ' (RDA) 1 director. 1 RANDY SAM, who took office J March I, outlined long-range (5-year) ' goals and priority projects he said he I ' would like the RDA Board of Directors ' to consider. I 1 Mr. Sant outlined nine major goals i of which he told the board "'should he established at the beginning of each fiscal year and should be evaluated at . the end of each year." AMONG THE priority redevelopment redevelop-ment projects, Mr. Sant suggested that V. several projects could be under study 1 j or construction at the same time. j A downtown redevelopment plan i was atop the list of priorities -- includ-! includ-! ing bringing a major department store j and other businesses to the dow mow n , area. .. "IT IS 03YIOUS that a general 5 face-lifting alone, is not the solution," mmm he said. "We must do things to stimu-. stimu-. late new and existing businesses." He said he had met with many dow n-y. n-y. town merchants and agreed to promote Bountiful and assist in bringing major "j businesses or tenants to the dow ntow n tjra- AT THE SAME time, Mr. Sant f emphasized the need to expand and pJjJ improve 5-Points Mall; continue plans '' for hotel-motel projects within the . city; and revise and improve Colonial Square Shopping Center. ; He said a recent study of 5-Points Mall shows 16 vacant stores exist in the mall -- representing a vacancy rate of 30 to 40 percent. "WITHOUT a major anchor store soon to draw people to the mall, 5-Points 5-Points Mall," he said. "This should be compared to development of a motel as priority short-range projects." Mr. Sant stressed the importance of working jointly with development of downtown Bountiful and the 5-Points Mall so as not to destroy existing major tenants. THE HOTEL-Motel project on 500 South west of 500 West is still on the "front burner," the RDA director noted. At the same time, motel and restaurant developers have contacted private property ow ners on 500 South east of 500 West w ith interest in developing de-veloping in that area, according to Dean S. Stahle, chairman of the RDA board. Mayor Stahle told board members that preliminary (conceptual) plans are being prepared by a group of local architects suggesting proposed landscaping land-scaping and redevelopment of the downtown area. He did not elaborate on the proposed ptans. Goals established by the RDA director direc-tor and approved by the board include a long-range plan of redevelopment (minimum of 5 years); assistance in obtaining a major department store for the downtown area; improve downtown down-town parking; encourage additional office space; establish a land inventory of areas suitable for new business development; de-velopment; establish financing programs prog-rams for RDA projects; establish a closer relationship w ith other city departments de-partments and neighboring communities; communi-ties; prepare a public relations packet to help promote Bountiful; and develop de-velop a cash flow through the sale and development of RDA-owned land. |
