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OGDEN — Weber County is moving forward with construction of a new inland port facility on 8,785 acres of undeveloped land in the western part of the county, north of the Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management Area and east of the Great Salt Lake bed.
It has sparked strong opposition from some residents who are concerned that industrial development could negatively impact not only the Great Salt Lake but also wetlands within the zone. But Weber County officials say safety measures are in place to protect the environment, and on Tuesday, Weber County commissioners, after hearing their opponents, announced that the Utah Inland Port Authority’s It approved a measure requiring officials to develop a final development plan for the vast tract of land.
“Bringing in an inland port at this point in the process will provide us with the resources to work with the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA),” Weber County Economic Development Director Stephanie Russell said. He hinted that this would open up the possibility of raising funds. The Port Authority is also partnering with authorities in several other areas of the state on similar development projects, but “doesn’t intend to control what happens in those areas.”
The Utah Inland Port Authority board will then take a preliminary look at the plan at its Jan. 10 meeting in Salt Lake City. A second board meeting at which officials could greenlight the project is tentatively set for March 26, Inland Ports Executive Director Ben Hart said.
![One of the large tracts of land in western Weber County divided by railroads that will be part of the Utah Inland Ports Authority's development area is pictured Sunday. Weber County officials want the Inland Port Authority to come up with a development plan.](https://img.ksl.com/slc/2963/296386/29638602.jpeg?filter=kslv2/inline_lg)
Environmentalists have fiercely opposed some of the UIPA plans that have been floated around Utah aimed at boosting job growth and economic development, with several speaking out on Tuesday and calling on commissioners to He asked them to vote against Weber County’s proposal. The proposed development area includes an 8,436-acre tract in far western Weber County, near where Compass Minerals and Western Zirconium have operations. It also includes 349 acres of land to the east of where the business park is proposed.
Critics fear the development will increase truck traffic and further air pollution. They also say it would damage wetlands in the area and the nearby Great Salt Lake, and threaten waterfowl that migrate through the area. The original inland port location is in northwestern Salt Lake County, with other ports in Box Elder, Tuele, Utah, Juab, Beaver, and Iron counties.
“This kind of accelerated development is what we need most,” Brian Mench of the Utah Medical Association for a Healthy Environment told KSL.com. He did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, but his group is part of a coalition opposing the UIPA project, and he expressed the same concerns as critics at Tuesday’s meeting.
Hart attended Tuesday’s meeting and later refuted opponents’ concerns in an interview with KSL.com. Plans for Weber County have been in the works since last year, with county commissioners last August discussing a smaller version of the 903-acre inland port, which has since been expanded to include 8,785 acres.
“Objection and misinformation are two different things. What I heard this morning is probably misinformation,” Hart said.
Weber County leaders have long promoted industrial development in the area. In fact, Weber County Chief Planners Russell and Charlie Ewart said the area in question is already zoned for heavy industry and manufacturing, whether or not it’s an inland port. . In any case, the county’s zoning regulations and general plan that guides the development of the area include safeguards to protect the area’s wetlands and other natural attributes.
“There are a ton of laws in place that developers have to comply with, including wetland mitigation,” Ewart said. General Plan provisions require a balance between development and the maintenance of open space, and include environmental protection.
![Two maps show the area of the Utah Inland Port Authority's proposed development site in western Weber County. The Little Mountain Zone on the left is 8,436 acres, and the Weber Bend Zone is 349 acres.](https://img.ksl.com/slc/2963/296386/29638603.jpeg?filter=kslv2/inline_lg)
Additionally, Hart argues that the development would actually help environmental efforts, as it would generate funds that should be used to protect the area’s water resources. Additionally, proponents say developing the area as an inland port would allow for the use of tax increment financing (TIF) funds to pay for infrastructure improvements. TIF is funded by property tax revenue generated by new development.
It remains to be seen what kind of development will occur if the area becomes an inland port.
Moench said similar types of projects elsewhere in the country are resulting in warehouse developments that provide low-wage jobs. “These are not the types of jobs that will help the economy or the Wasatch Front,” Moench said.
Hart envisions “advanced manufacturing” and high-wage jobs. Meanwhile, Weber County officials said they want to develop an “industrial district and renewable energy hub” in western Weber County.
The Union Pacific Railroad passes through a portion of the proposed site for the Weber County Inland Port, which is part of the proposed site. It also runs through the 12th Street Corridor, a road that connects to Interstate 15 further east. Over the next few years, officials envision extending the West Davis Corridor north into Weber County and serving as another transportation link to points south.