The city has chosen a local developer to buy its share of the Tooele Army Depot North Area, a 1,650-acre legacy the Army is handing over for free.
"It's probably one of the biggest decisions in the future of Tooele that has been made in quite a few years," Councilman Larry Silcox said. "The potential to create needed jobs and develop Tooele's tax base is enormous. We're in a very exciting time for Tooele."When finalized this summer, the deal with Endeavor, L.L.C., a Tooele development firm operated by Matthew Arbshay, could mean 300 to 400 new jobs at the site on Tooele's southern edge within a year.
"Down the road five or 10 years, we're looking at the possibility of 3,000 or 4,000 more jobs," Silcox said. "That will really help the tax base of Tooele."
The future seemed gloomy just four years ago, when the North Area was downsized. More than 1,800 jobs were eliminated by the city's largest employer.
However, the city was able to acquire 1,700 acres of depot property for free and sell it off as industrial sites.
"A lot of people had doubts; we had a lot of naysayers," said City Attorney Roger Baker. "But we stuck with it, and now it's happening. It's going to be a nice industrial park."
The engine-manufacturing firm Detroit Diesel bought the base's 50-acre engine-maintenance facility for $10 million last fall and now employs about 360 workers to refurbish engines at the site.
"It's similar to an anchor tenant in a shopping mall. That is a significant advantage," said Endeavor Comptroller Jed Connell. That's because related industries - parts suppliers, for example - will want to locate close to Detroit Diesel's headquarters.
"We're sure we're going to be able to draw some super tenants," said Councilman Charlie Roberts. "Before, we were out on bended knee asking people to come to Tooele. Now they're pounding on our door."
A contract with Endeavor should be complete by midsummer, Baker said, and refurbishments could begin before fall.
Tooele's Redevelopment Agency unanimously chose Endeavor over three other competitors to be that caretaker.
The final purchase price for the land, which includes several buildings totaling 2.9 million square feet, still has to be negotiated. Baker said Endeavor's deal, to be paid over several years, "is in that same ballpark" as Detroit Diesel's $10 million.
The city is required to put that money back into developing the site.