Historic Committee Meeting 5:30 WED - THE OLD MILL is 'THE RIGHT PLACE' for The NEW TOWN CENTER

Mayor Weicher, 

     The OLD MILL is ‘The Right Place’ for Cottonwood Heights to build Our Town Center - NOT Hillside Village! The Old Mill has long been the iconic symbol of Cottonwood Heights, and is a natural gathering area for city events with its pristine Canyon and beautiful walking path along Big Cottonwood Creek.

      At a City Council meeting, it was suggested that The OLD MILL area be preserved as a park and recreation area, with The OLD MILL as the focal point and Future Community Center for the Arts.

       I was on the committee 5 years ago, when a highly influential development team submitted architectural renderings for re-purposing the Old Mill as a Community Center for the Arts.  The high profile development company which has a very large presence in downtown Salt Lake, had all of the studies on the soundness of the building done and presented their plans to the owners, and were ready to start building.  They had even worked with the Hale Family to place a Hale Center Theatre in the building! But sadly the owners just kept putting the project on-hold, and for 2 years kept deferring to something they were checking into.   

      I feel that if everyone was made aware of the wonderful original plans that were made for The Old Mill, they would unanimously agree that The Old Mill is close to everyone’s  heart of Cottonwood Heights, and would serve as a natural Town Center. 

      I am very disappointed that the city plans have been diverted to creating a town center at an old shopping center that obviously has already met with failure.  After reading up on what makes a good Town Center, I realized Hillside Village does not meet the criteria.    

      To be successful a town center must have between 50 - 100 acres and have a focal point. - The OLD MILL is its own focal point, surrounded by a beautiful natural area and pristine canyon walls, a nature path that runs all along Big Cottonwood Creek, and a large retaining pond area that could be landscaped for recreational purposes. There is already a small commercial area a short walk away and several popular restaurants - like Jimmy John’s, Market Street Grill & Bandits Grill.  

     When I look at the Town Center plan, it seems like its mostly commercial.  Shouldn’t the city leave commercial development to the developers? 

     Residents are more interested in the city getting involved with promoting the arts and encouraging community involvement! Wouldn’t children prefer to be playing next to a stream rather than next to a busy road?  And wouldn’t a Senior Center be far more appreciated inside a beautifully restored OLD MILL?

     When The Old Mill  is renovated, it would become a beloved gathering spot for all the  community of Cottonwood Heights! 

     I’m not sure if studies have been done, but it seems to me that Hillside Village failed because it was too small to lure customers away from the Fashion Place Mall and the large shopping complex nearby, and the mega stores - Walmart and Sams. Interestingly, even the Reams grocery store failed there, with Dan’s & Whole Foods nearby.  I think  we need to take a closer look at the location and realize that just building a new shopping center will not guarantee that people will choose to come there.  Look at the hodgepodge businesses surrounding Whole Foods or the shopping center at the corner of S 3000 E. and S Big Cottonwood Canyon Road where Wells Fargo & Mountain America Bank have both failed, along with numerous other small businesses.  

      In real estate its all about location, location, location.  We must remember that Hillside Village failed!  The chances of it failing as aTown Center are high!  Does It really warrant the time, money, and effort to try and make it succeed, only to find that after 10 years, no one is going there?

     And finally, Hillside Village sits along Fort Union Boulevard and has good access to public transportation, shopping, and the public library, all of which are needed for high density housing. Since High density housing seems to be the new goal of the state of Utah, it is more appropriate to build it at the Hillside Village area where the road is large enough already and there are services nearby.

      It does not make sense to ruin our pristine Big Cottonwood Creek Canyon and demolish Our Historic OLD MILL to cram apartments all along the banks of Big Cottonwood Creek, and ruin the beautiful walking path enjoyed by so many of our residents! 

     I encourage the city to work out a trade with the owners of The OLD MILL, to build their apartment development at the Hillside Village location, and for the City to develop the Cottonwood Creek Canyon as the Town Center For The City of Cottonwood Heights!

      That is why I am asking citizens to VOTE ‘NO’ On the $30 million Bond Measure, because The HISTORIC OLD MILL Is ‘THE RIGHT PLACE’ For The Future Town Center for The City of Cottonwood Heights.