Real Property Transfer Proposal – North Salt Lake City

Summary:

The City of North Salt Lake would like to acquire a .87 acre parcel of land located in their city adjacent to the Jordan River (Figure 1). North Salt Lake City plans to construct a small park with a takeout facility for small water craft over and across this property. In the future the city would like to add a trail on the remaining parcel of land to the south that would connect up with Center Street. The Division has investigated the proposed facility and does not oppose its construction. The city originally requested an easement, but at the same time, wished us to consider transferring the land to them at a future date. However, the Division would like to transfer the land to the city instead of granting an easement. The easement would encompass the entire parcel and render it useless for any other purpose. The Division is concerned about remaining within the chain of title for liability issues and management problems. It is therefore recommend that the Division transfer the property to the City of North Salt Lake so they may construct and operate their facility without Division involvement.

History:

The Division owns a small parcel (.87 acres) of land located in North Salt Lake City adjacent to the Jordan River. This land was acquired in January of 2000 as part of a three-way trade with a local land owner, the Division and UDOT. As part of this trade the Division received a parcel of land located on the northern end of the Jordan River OHV center and UDOT acquired land along the Legacy Highway corridor. Originally this parcel of land was to be part of the transfer/trade to UDOT, but later decided they were not interested acquiring this parcel.

Current Conditions:

The transfer parcel is located just west of the corner of Jordan River Drive and Center Street and is directly adjacent to the Jordan River. The strip of land is approximately 40 feet wide and 890 feet long. The land is an undeveloped state. North Salt Lake owns a portion of the property to the east. The land to the south is privately owned. There are no state park facilities located adjacent to this parcel and the Division does not plan to purchase land and develop facilities in this area.

Proposal:

The Division proposes transferring the .87 acre parcel to The City of North Salt Lake so they may develop a park with a small watercraft takeout facility. The city’s preferred concept plan (Exhibit A) includes a parking area, takeout ramp, picnic pavilion and open areas with native vegetation. They have plans to develop a trail along the river as part of a future development that will connect to this facility. The city’s letters of support are attached as Exhibit B.

Exhibit A

(As Attached)

Exhibit B

(As Attached)

GARY R. HERBERT Governor

SPENCER J. COX Lieutenant Governor

State of Utah DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

MICHAEL R. STYLER Executive Director

Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands BRIAN L . COTTAM Division Director / State Forester

October 29, 2015

Tara McKee Office of Outdoor Recreation Governor’s Office of Economic Development 60 East South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 Dear Ms. McKee:

The Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (Division) enthusiastically supports the City of North Salt Lake’s endeavor to construct a boat ramp along the Jordan River in North Salt Lake. Providing for safe navigability of the State’s sovereign lands is of paramount importance to the Division. The proposed boat ramp supports the Division’s management objectives to maintain navigability of the Jordan River.

The Division has provided funds to North Salt Lake to acquire property adjacent to the river for the boat ramp. A funding match from your organization would emphasize a cooperative effort to improve the conditions of the river corridor and promote the importance of increasing safe recreation opportunities on the Jordan River.

We appreciate your consideration and support for North Salt Lake’s worthy effort to increase navigability on the lower Jordan River.

Sincerely,

Laura B. Vernon

Sovereign Lands Planner

1594 West North Temple, Suite 3520, PO Box 145703, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-5703 telephone (801) 538-5555 • facsimile (801) 533-4111 • TTY (801) 538-7458 • www.forestry.utah.gov

Jordan River Commission

195 North 1950 West, P.O. Box 91095

Salt Lake City, Utah 84109-1095

801.536.4158

www.jordanrivercommission.org

October 29, 2015 Tara McKee Office of Outdoor Recreation Governor’s Office of Economic Development 60 East South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 RE: North Salt Lake – Center Street Boat Take-out and Trailhead. To whom it may concern: The Jordan River Commission was created in 2010 to implement the concepts included in the Blueprint Jordan River regional vision. We are writing now to express our support for North Salt Lake’s proposal to the Utah Waypoint Grant for the construction of a canoe and kayak take-out, parking area and trailhead at Center Street. The Jordan River Parkway is an incredible resource for our region, and is visited daily by Wasatch Front residents from throughout the valley. The Jordan River Trail and the acres of adjacent park and natural open space provide a unique recreational opportunity in the middle of our urbanized valley. The Parkway offers an important connection to the great outdoors that might not otherwise be available for many of the residents of the Wasatch Front due to financial or mobility challenges. The use of the river for canoeing and kayaking is becoming increasingly popular, and local non-profits even use canoeing on the river as a way to provide outdoor experiences for disabled veterans, at risk youth, and other disadvantaged groups. Regions with developed water trails, like Reno, NV are seeing tremendous economic impacts as a direct result of investing in water trail infrastructure. In Colorado, they found that non-commercial kayaking had an estimated economic impact of nearly $3 million. The Jordan River corridor could rival the Wasatch Mountains as a regional amenity with boater and trail facility enhancements like this, alongside with water quality improvements and navigational hazard mitigation. The Jordan River Parkway is already a recreation destination for residents, and enhancing this segment with a new boat and trail facilities will only improve this community amenity. Please join us in supporting this much needed project. Sincerely, Laura Hanson Executive Director Jordan River Commission

Elliott R. Mott October 28, 2015 Ali Avery, Long Range Planner City of North Salt Lake 10 East Center Street North Salt Lake City, Utah 84054 To Whom It May Concern: Please accept this letter in support of the City of North Salt Lake’s application for assistance with a Jordan River Take-Out facility off of Center Street. There are three reasons. As a frequent recreation boater on the Jordan River and as a volunteer leader of group floats, I am very familiar with the sections of the Jordan River which are safe to float. There are fourteen between Utah Lake and the Great Salt Lake. The northern most section, #14, begins in Salt Lake County in Salt Lake City and flows north into Davis County and the City of North Salt Lake. Boaters need a take-out off the Jordan River on the north end of section #14, and the best site is on the south side of Center Street in the City of North Salt Lake because on the north side of Center Street they enter the gated Legacy Nature Preserve where a vehicle shuttle is not possible. On a river, boaters need a way to shuttle from their take-out site to their put-in location. For this reason, boaters must take-out at Center Street – but there is no facility at the present time for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church groups, non-profits, and enthusiasts like me to exit the river. The complete absence of a take-out facility or even a boat-friendly gently sloping river bank at this location makes this a HIGH PRIORITY project for boating enthusiasts. The second reason to support this project is that the take-out in question is the terminus of the Jordan River Water Trail – so a take-out facility at this location gains special significance. It is the end of the line in railroad parlance and so the City of North Salt Lake’s desire to construct a proper facility takes on SPECIAL URGENCY as a much needed water trail improvement. Boaters need a gently sloping river bank out of the river and adjacent off-street parking. The third reason to support this project is to facilitate river cleanup. This northern most section of the Jordan River Water Trail collects river debris – because everything flows downstream – the absence of a take-out facility on Center Street retards clean-up efforts because volunteer groups and municipal workers cannot safely off-load collected river debris. A take-out facility off of Center Street would facilitate RIVER SAFETY and much needed Jordan River cleanup. In sum, I earnestly support the City of North Salt Lake’s Jordan River project and respectfully request that you do as well. Thank you. Sincerely, Elliott R. Mott