Sandy city and Salt Lake County hope to score a grand slam home run with the sale of a vacant lot on the northwest corner of 9400 South and 1300
East. The two entities agreed Monday to a deal that would allow Sandy to buy the 22 acres from the county for $1.2 million - a bargain rate that depends on the city's using the land for a public purpose, such as a senior citizen center or city recreational programs.The county and city then plan to work jointly to expand Dewey Bluth Park, 170 E. 9800 South, adding baseball fields and possibly two soccer fields.
The agreement must still be approved by the Sandy City Council, which also must decide how to use the corner site at 9400 S. 1300 East.
The county agreed Monday that if the deal proceeds, it will use the initial payment of $300,000 from Sandy to acquire a wildlife corridor at the east end of Dimple Dell Park. The county will use the remaining $900,000 to develop baseball and soccer fields at Dewey Bluth Park.
The county will clean up a 14-acre dump that lies between the west end of Dimple Dell Park and Dewey Bluth Park to make room for the additional playing fields, said County Commissioner Jim Bradley.
Sandy also will kick in another undeveloped five acres adjacent to Dewey Bluth Park to accommodate more playing fields at the park, said Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan.
"We really appreciate them being willing to build a baseball complex in Sandy," Dolan said. "It's one of the first times the commission has stepped up and helped with recreation in Sandy City."
While there has been talk of building a "Baseball City" at the site on 9400 South and 1300 East, that idea is not likely to fly for several reasons.
In September several Sandy residents proposed a joint venture between the city, the county and a private developer to build a multiple diamond complex on the property.
But Bradley said the county isn't willing to give the city a bargain rate on the property if it plans to turn around and sell it to a private developer.
"If we're going to sell it at a discount, we don't want to turn around and see it used by a private developer for gain," Bradley said. "We don't mind selling (the land) to Sandy for public purpose. We don't want to see them turn around and cut a deal with some private organization, or we'll have to go back and talk about the real value of that land."
The market value of the land could be as much as $4 million, Dolan said.
Sandy officials also have been leery of any project that could generate more traffic through what is already a heavily used intersection.
A senior citizen center may be the property's best use. Dolan said the city desperately needs better accommodations for its senior citizen program, which is currently located in the historic city hall building, 8781 S. 250 East. The building is too small to handle the 300 to 400 seniors who attend activities monthly, Dolan said.
The number of senior citizens in Sandy is expected to increase dramatically in the next decade, Dolan said.
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S.L. and county agree to swap land
The Salt Lake County Commission on Monday approved a land exchange that will deed 52 small parcels of open space to Salt Lake City.
The property, inside the city limits and appraised at about $365,000, includes several pieces that are connected with the Jordan River Parkway trail system and a handful of parcels that are part of the protected Emigration Canyon watershed.
In exchange for the real estate, the city will cede to the county a 16,000-square-foot strip of property adjacent to the Salt Palace Renovation and Expansion Project, currently under way, and will waive about $600,000 in construction-permit fees.
Commissioner Randy Horiuchi said that each party to the deal is giving up something of "approximate equal value."