The city's Redevelopment Agency killed plans for a post office on Block 29 Wednesday and, after one developer failed to present his plans for the parcel, the agency looked into another developer's plans.
The RDA, composed of the mayor and City Council members, voted 4-1 Wednesday to withdraw its offer to sell the downtown block to the U.S. Postal Service.The service wants to build a large post office and was willing to pay about $800,000 for the land, between Main and 100 West from Center to 100 South. The RDA bought the land for about $1 million.
Before turning thumbs down on the post office idea Wednesday night, board members awaited the arrival of developer Clark Jenkins.
He was to provide more details about his company's plan to build retail shops on the block with turn-of-the-century architecture.
But Jenkins never arrived. Enter John R. Thackeray of Johansen-Thackeray development.
Thackeray presented a revised version of his company's plans to develop the partially vacant lot.
He and his partners want Ream's grocery chain to build a 42,000-square-foot store on the back of the lot and surround it with a few small retail shops. Cafe Alicia would sit on one corner of the block, and Keith Stahle's law practice, a barber shop and the old Clipper building would anchor the other corner. In between the two would be a courtyard entrance to the block.
Thackeray said his company wouldn't pay more than $600,000 for the land, however.
Most agency members said they were at least leaning toward Thackeray's proposal. They nearly accepted it but amended a motion to wait a week to hear from Jenkins.
"(Thakeray's plan) is the best proposal we've seen in a long time. It puts an established retailer in there, does the block all at once, puts it back on the tax roles and increases sales tax," Mayor Bob Linnell said.
Agency members said they shied from Jenkin's plan - though most were enthused by it two months ago - for three reasons: His absence at the meeting, because he supposedly asked to have the block for $10, and because his company will only develop in phases.
But Jenkins, contacted at his home late Wednesday, said he never asked to have the block for $10. In fact, he discussed paying $200,000 for 11/4 acres, the first phase of development, with City Manager Tom Hardy last week, he said.
He didn't show at the meeting because of an earlier disagreement with two agency members over whether he was capable of completing the project, he said.
"Until we meet and talk about it I'm not going to get up and let them rake me over the coals publicly. They aren't informed on the situation," Jenkins said.
The dispute related to the completion of a condominium project in Bountiful, he said.
Councilwomen Barbara Holt and Renee Coon referred to the project during the meeting Wednesday, saying Jenkins had failed to finish it.
City Manager Tom Hardy explained one of the project's phases was never started but that was "normal" for condo developments in the area.