All that window washing paid off.
The developers who want to put 10 office buildings and a hotel at 6500 S. 3000 East have won the support of nearby residents who praise the developers' sensitivity to the neighborhood.That sensitivity has included sending crews over to wash windows at nearby homes when construction stirred up dust. In one instance, Wallace Associates sent a bulldozer over to dig a trench for some homeowners whose basements had flooded, said John West, chief executive officer of Wallace Associates.
The developer has asked Salt Lake County for $2 million in tax breaks to help them get their $170 million complex off the ground. Several residents showed up to give support, urging the commissioners to give whatever it takes to make the development happen.
"I've never had anybody treat me like this company has treated me. They are just fantastic," said Rowell Sims, a nearby property owner. The developers have put down dust mats to control dirt swirling up from the one-time gravel pit. "No one else has done that."
The 44-acre project is being built as an economic development project. Under Utah's 1993 RDA law, governments can give tax breaks for designated economic development projects similar to tax breaks given for redevelopment projects.
In this case, Wallace Associates wants $2 million in tax increments. Developers say they want to built the highest-quality office and research development project in the county, but they can't do that without the $2 million in tax breaks.
The project contains 860,000 square feet of office space and a 250-room hotel. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Utah already purchased 13-acres within the project for 221,000 square feet of office space they plan to build on the northeast corner.
If the county agrees to the tax increments, the developers plan to obtain a project bond for nearly $2 million, explained West. That money would be used to help build the first $16 million building.
With the $2 million, developers can build a nicer building. Without it, they have to scale back, West said.
The first building will dictate the success of the remaining nine office buildings. "You have to prime the pump to get a project started. There is always a credibility issue in getting started. Your first building is critical," West said.
Even though the $2 million would go toward construction of the first building, the developers are asking for the money to compensate them for the extraordinary work required to prepare the site. The one-time gravel pit required more work than developers expected, West said.
In addition to the $2 million, the developers are seeking at least another $1 million in tax breaks to compensate them for county-mandated improvements such as curb, gutter and sidewalk along 30th East. A proposed Park and Ride lot may add $500,000 to the increment request.
If the first building fills with tenants fast, developers may be able to finish the entire project in four to five years. If the first building falters, it may take 12 years to finish all 10 or 11 buildings, West said. The 11th building - the hotel - will be built by another company that specializes in such construction.
While the project was approved for 10 office buildings and the hotel, the wishes of prospective tenants and landowner Blue Cross could whittle the number of office buildings, West said.
The county held the first required hearing on the tax increments recently. A second mandatory hearing will be held April 15.
Some residents lamented the growth surging around them. "This has gone from a peaceful rural area to a hubbub," said Karen Gage. But if development is inevitable, residents preferred the restricted development of the Cottonwood Corporate Center. I-215, an upscale housing project and the massive HealthRider complex helped change the tenor of the area.
The center marks the first use of a new zoning called ORD zoning: office, research and development zoning.
The zoning requires 30 percent open space, stacked parking, a jogging trail and a two-story cap on building height.
The county waived the cap for most of the Cottonwood project, allowing buildings along I-215 to be four and five stories high. But buildings at the entrance of the project will be the required two stories. The developers countered by creating nearly 40 percent open space instead of just 30 percent.
The project will generate $46 million in taxes over 20 years, estimated county consultant Bob Springmeyer. "That's over and above what is currently being paid as a gravel pit."