Should One Neighborhood Decide Ogden's Fate? By Bob Geiger

Fellow Ogdenites,

Here are some facts that came from last night’s Community Planning Meeting for the Mt. Ogden neighborhood. I share this information so that you have a more full understanding of the political climate in which we are dealing:

Situation: 4 business days before Chris Peterson unveiled his plans at WSU, Smartgrowth Ogden initiated a meeting to petition civic leadership for a community plan. They submitted approximately 280 signatures to the city council and the mayor. At this meeting, Greg Montgomery (City Planning Manager), said that community plans are best achieved when they are not initiated around a hot button issue. The process for establishing the community plan is now underway.

Concern: Smartgrowth Ogden is using the valuable community plan process as a political blocking tool to prevent a $500,000,000 private investment in our community.

Fact: The Mt. Ogden Neighborhood represents about 12.8% of Ogden’s Population
Fact: The Median Income of the Mt. Ogden neighborhood is $47,373. The median income of the remaining 87.2% of Ogden is $38,950
Fact: 7.95% of the residents in the Mt. Ogden Neighborhood live below the poverty level. In the remaining 87.2% of Ogden, 17.3% of the residents live below the poverty level.
Fact: Approximately 6% of the population in the Mt. Ogden Neighborhood is Hispanic. Approximately 24% of the residents in the remaining 87.2% of Ogden are Hispanic.
Fact: Mt. Ogden Park land was “purchased” by Ogden city over a period from 1940-1961. 91 acres of the Malan family property was not “given” to Ogden; rather it was purchased in 1941 for approximately $25,000.
Fact: For years there were several roads built through the Mt. Ogden Park land.
Fact: No housing developments occurred on the Park Land until the 1980s when 16.5 acres were sold to George and Mary Hall to build a fully gated community. (This community exists on the north end of the Golf Course. The proceeds from that purchase were used to build the adjacent Public golf course. (Mary Hall is a prominent leader of Smartgrowth Ogden.)
Fact: The general plan provides guidelines for determining the acreage of park land that a community should have. According to these guidelines, the Mount Ogden Community should have 11.9 acres of park land.
Fact: Excluding the Park Land that is Federal Park land and the Golf Course, the Mt. Ogden Park (Tennis Courts, Soccer Fields, etc.) is 23.7 acres. This is about twice the acreage that the current General Plan calls for for other communities in Ogden. (The 23.7 acres of Mt. Ogden Park are not part of the sale to Chris Peterson.)
Fact: Since 1999 the number of rounds of golf played at Mt. Ogden Golf Course has experienced a significant downward trend. Greg Montgomery (City Planner) said that the course is getting less than half the round played compared to other courses in the area that have the same price.
Fact: Greg Montgomery (City Planning Manager) noted that the reason the Golf Course is doing poorly is because it is a difficult course to play.
Fact: All members of Ogden subsidize Mount Ogden Golf Course---a course that was developed using money from the sale of public land to George and Mary Hall (Smartgrowth Ogden Leaders) for the development of a lucrative gated community.
Fact: When asked how they would like things to be in 20 years, Smartgrowth members of the Mt. Ogden community said: “Don’t change anything (applause).” One member said, “What does the rejuvenation of Ogden have to do with the Mt. Ogden Community.”

Question: Should one neighborhood decide the fate of Ogden?

Sincerely,

Bob Geiger