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Show I BomtMiml IResciaids Motel Vote I By GARY R. BLODGETT News Editor BOUNTIFUL-- Attempting to "correct a mistake made a week ago," Bountiful City Council recinded a vote to approve a 100-unit hotel on the southwest corner of 500 South and 500 West. THE 3-1 VOTE in a special council meeting Mon-dav Mon-dav night overrides a 4-0 vote last Wednesday night ,l,at would have given Triangle Oil Company pre- liminary approval for the three-story hotel complex. Earlier, the Council -- with Councilman Bob Lin-' Lin-' ne present but Councilwoman Phyllis Southwick i absent -- voted 4-0 for preliminary approval of the j h0g;T WITHIN a few days, at least two council ' members asked to change their vote, including Councilman Paul Allen who wrote a letter formally notifying city officials that he had changed his mind and now opposes the hotel proposal. (See story, i Page 2). Councilwoman Southwick - who was in Hawaii when the first vote was taken -- said Monday that "she did not have enough information and would abstain from voting." An abstention is a "no" vote, making Monday's vote 3-1. IN THE SAME motion to recind the earlier vote, the council set Nov. 10 as deadline for the council, along with Bountiful and Woods Cross Redevelopment Redevelop-ment Agencies, to meet with all parties concerned in an attempt to agree to an overall development of the entire 10-acre RDA site located west of 500 West and east of 1-15 between 500 and 600 South. All of the council members present Monday agreed that "a mistake had been made the previous week and the vote should be recinded." THE COUNCIL also agreed that the city's primary concern should be for development of the entire 10-acre project rather than allowing development of only two acres -- as approved earlier -- which could have an adverse affect on the future development of the entire RDA project. "Approval of the two acres could landlock the remainder of the property or otherwise restrict planned plan-ned development of the entire project in cooperation with Woods Cross' Redevelopment Agency," commented com-mented Mayor Dean S. Stahle. "I BELIEVE the council was anxious to help the developer (Triangle) to develop its hotel without fully ful-ly studying all aspects of the entire project." Triangle Oil was expected to file an injunction against the council because of last Monday's vote reversal. However, there was no representative of Triangle at Monday's meeting. IN A member-by-member vote of the council, here is a summary of their remarks: Councilman Paul Allen said "I have no partiality to any developer but an overall plan of the 10-acre sit is necessary. We errored by not talking first with Woods Cross RDA before making our decision. There are still too many unanswered questions and these can be answered only by confering with all parties concerned." COUNCILMAN Keith Barton: "Bountiful needs a commercial development to help its tax base and everything possible should be done to aid private enterprise in this type of development. However, in this case there were some mistakes made -- especially especial-ly in dealing with Flying-J and Woods Cross RDA --that --that should be corrected. (Flying-J Corporation had earlier met with Bountiful Bounti-ful RDA with a proposal for a 300-unit motel and 500-seat convention center planned for the same 10-acre 10-acre site). COUNCILMAN Dean Hill: "We need to be careful care-ful to see how the entire project will melt together so that the development will be beneficial to both Bountiful Boun-tiful and Woods Cross." Councilwoman Southwick: "I was not here to hear the balk of information and input from last PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 2 Bountiful Rescinds Motel Vot( CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 week's meeting but I strongly feel that serious consideration con-sideration should be given to both developers (Triangle and Fling-J) and therefore I'm a little bit on the fence as hov. to vote at this time." MAYOR STAHLE emphasized that Flying-J probably prob-ably would still be interested in a major development and negotiations with this firm should not be stopped. stop-ped. He also stressed that the council's action to recind its vote has no bearing on the resignation of Bountiful RDA Executive Director V.A. (Kit) Betti-lyon Betti-lyon following last Wednesday's meeting. (See story. Front Page). THERE W ERE many unanswered questions and disagreements between the council members and the council and developer. During the past few weeks RDA (Council) has been negotiating with another potential developer -Flying-J Corp., Brigham City, which has proposed construction of a 300 to 500-unit hotel and convention conven-tion center complex on the same site, just a few hundred feet from the proposed site of the hotel approved Wednesday night. IT'S UNCERTAIN at this time if Flying-J is still interested in constructing a hotel on the same site as the hotel approved for construction by Triangle. It's also uncertain about Woods Cross Redevelopment Redevelop-ment Agency's position in this matter because the two-acre site -- although it is a part of the "target area" of the RDA overall project - is located in Bountiful and the hotel is being funded entirely by private money, according to the developers. ATTORNEY GEORGE S. Diumenti, representing Triangle Oil, told the council that demolition of ex isting buildings could begin about Nov. 1 and that foot.ngs could be poured as early as Dec : 15. He predicted the hotel -- which is identical in de sien to one beine built in Salt Lake City -- would be completed and ready for occupancy by next June. TT DIUMENTI emphasized that Triangle Oil does not want to be a part of Bountiful's RDA .project even though the property is located within the kda b-UWeare serious about building this hotel now and financing it with private funds, not RDA money he said "The property is zoned for commercial development de-velopment and we have met all the building requirements require-ments of the city (Bountiful) so I don't see how anyone can stop us from constructing this hotel. PLANS FOR the hotel have been presented to the Bountiful Planning Commission twice and reviewed the previous week by the Bountiful Redevelopment Agency. The Planning Commission did not make recommendation to the Council at last Tuesday night's special meeting. But what has upset the mayor and some council members is the letter written by Atty. Diumenti stating stat-ing that Triangle Oil "no longer wants to be a part ot the RDA project." "I INTERPRETED this to mean that Triangle was no longer interested in building a hotel on the two-acre two-acre site and we had the RDA go ahead with negotiations negotia-tions with another developer (Flying-J) for a hotel-convention hotel-convention center complex," said Mayor Stahle. "Now we don't know where we stand. There are many unanswered questions and we don't know what steps to take. There needs to be more plan- ""tHE M4YOR then emphasized a need J velopment of the entire RDA project in CoJ wi h Woods Cross RDA and this would J P hotel complex larger than the one pro; TrBut8Atty. Diumenti disagreed. , "BOUNTIFUL HAS no written agreeing : Flving-J or any other developer," he said. - E have not presented Bountiful with any plansjf not nearly as far along with development pas I are It would be illegal and fraudulant for BoUr try and stop us from developing this hotel." A verbal battle then ensued between the at; and Mayor Stayle. THE MAYOR emphatically denied that thc( RDA "had been dragging their feet in regard hotel proposal." "Your letter clearly stated that Triangle, longer interested in building a hotel at this sitea:' took you at your word," said Mayor Stahle.-we Stahle.-we as an RDA, put a lot of time and money iP exchange of property for the Utah Depart Transportation. We've got to give them cot, too." COUNCILMAN Bob Linnell took the initial support of the proposal by Triangle. "Just for the record I think that anytime wet private enterprise to do what the RDA wouldfc do, we should jump at the opportunity," he sa;-think sa;-think the location is good, away from the inter-and inter-and they have met all requirements for constnj; of a hotel. |