An 18-acre parcel of city-owned property in West Jordan will be sold to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for $900,000 cash.
City Council members, sitting as the West Valley Redevelopment Agency board of directors, approved the sale Thursday following a brief executive session called to discuss the transaction.City Manager John Patterson said church officials made the best offer on the land, agreeing to pay the full appraised price of $50,000 per acre in cash without any stipulations about zoning or land use.
The property, which was technically owned by the redevelopment agency, is located at about 5200 West near 8100 South.
But the sale did raise one question: How did West Valley City come to own a large chunk of land in West Jordan?
Background documents provided to the council indicated the city acquired the 18-acre tract two years ago in a land swap with the Jordan School District, trading away 15 acres of adjacent land West Valley City had acquired in the late 1980s.
That original 15 acres was obtained by the city through foreclosure on a property bond that had been posted during the construction of a section of Decker Lake Drive.
Patterson, who said the land deal would be beneficial to the city, indicated he doesn't have any specific plans for the $900,000.
However, he said some of the money should be allocated to the general fund to cover the administrative costs of acquiring, maintaining and selling the property.
Board members unanimously approved the land sale without discussion.