Weber County Utah
County | Posted 08-02-2024
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The West Weber Project Area is a forthcoming industrial development on the eastern shores of the Great Salt Lake near the area known as Little Mountain.
The project area totals 9,000 acres and is located entirely within the boundaries of Weber County. It enjoys a very strategic location with access to: Interstate 15, Interstate 84, US Highway 89, Union Pacific rail, and a nearby regional airport. This is also a future site for a connection with the West Davis Corridor.
Given the proximity to the Great Salt Lake and the presence of wetlands, a wetlands
strategy
has
been established to ensure their protection.
PROJECT AREA PLAN
Please view the West Weber Project Area plan at https://inlandportauthority.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/West-Weber-Project-Area-Plan-FINAL.pdf.
WETLANDS STRATEGY
Please view the wetlands strategy on page 10 of the Project Area plan.
PUBLIC INPUT
Extensive efforts, including public work sessions, meetings with officials and staff from the
existing port area and neighboring counties, as well as discussions involving various
stakeholders
such as the county’s Economic Development Finance Committee, development partner organizations,
private property owners, and Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) staff, have led to the
formulation of
the Project Area plan. Following a year of thorough examination, the county passed a resolution
facilitating the establishment of the West Weber Project Area on January 2, 2024. The UIPA Board
approved the creation of the West Weber Project Area and adopted the West Weber Project Area
plan on
May 20, 2024.
UIPA INVOLVEMENT
The county's resolution and the Project Area plan address concerns regarding the project area's
vision, finance mechanisms, and control. While state statute grants the UIPA specific
development and financing powers, both the resolution and the Project Area plan specify how and
when
these powers can be exercised. Moreover, they include an "escape" clause should the UIPA deviate
from the Western Weber General Plan and the overarching county vision for development in that
corridor.
AIR QUALITY & CULTURAL PRESERVATION
Industry recruitment and development are already constrained by several existing state and
federal
infrastructure and environmental regulations, such as air quality attainment, the absence of
water,
storm water, and sewer infrastructure with long-term capacity, and wetland and other natural and
cultural preservation regulations that neither the UIPA nor the county have the power to
circumvent.
WESTERN WEBER GENERAL PLAN
The UIPA is just one among several stakeholders involved in the county's efforts to steer and
oversee development in the West Weber Corridor. The Western Weber General Plan emphasizes short
and
long-term smart growth and natural resource preservation. Additionally, the Commission and the
county’s development departments maintain close partnerships and hold regular stakeholder
meetings
with entities such as: Weber Basin Water, Wasatch Front Regional Council, UDOT, Little Mountain
Service Area, West Warren Water, Central Weber Sewer, Division of Water Quality, utility
providers,
as well as private property owners and developers in the project area.
Please view the Western Weber General Plan at
https://www.webercountyutah.gov/planning/western_weber_plans.php.
The development of the West Weber Corridor is inevitable; it's a process that's been in motion
and
zoned M3 for decades. However, the county has taken a proactive stance, laying out a
sustainable,
comprehensive, and intelligent approach to managing this development. The Commission has
established
precise mechanisms to scrutinize the influx of development proposals and projects. Their aim is
to
ensure that only the most suitable projects are chosen and supported, with each contributing to
the
economic and environmental sustainability not just of the West Weber Corridor, but of Northern
Utah
as a whole.