The city’s strategic location has influenced its development approach, particularly along the 12th Street corridor. City Administrator Bill Morris describes the area’s thoughtful design as follows: “What we’ve tried to do is capitalize on the beauty of the West here through our architecture and design standards for businesses. If you look at the buildings, they look like something out of the West with rock and wood architecture that really highlights the mountains and the beauty you see here in the Intermountain West and northern Utah.” Vice President of the Marriott-Slaterville City Council, Erin Holley, emphasizes the natural splendor that defines the area.“We have a lot of agriculture, and it is beautiful to drive around and see fields of alfalfa and corn. We have a dark sky ordinance that allows us to actually go outside at night and see the stars without light pollution.” The city’s efforts extend to its waterways and wildlife habitats. “About a year ago, I was driving home from taking my daughter to high school and saw 14 eagles in the trees. We have some beautiful wildlife here,” Holley adds. SMART GROWTH MEETS RURAL HERITAGE The evolution of Marriott-Slaterville’s downtown corridor exemplifies how thoughtful urban planning can preserve rural character while fostering economic vitality. Morris outlines the city’s strategic vision for its Central Business District: “We’ve got the Best Western hotel, Jeremiah’s restaurant, and some other restaurants and gas stations.The new IFA Intermountain Farmers Centre is starting to build out and it looks great.”The area’s appeal extends beyond retail, with direct access to outdoor recreation.“You can hop on the trail down by the Weber River and it runs all the way up to Ogden Canyon, with access to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail System,” Morris adds. The city’s forward-thinking approach to mixed-use development has garnered statewide recognition. “We’re looking at updating some of the plans to have mixed-use in the 12th Street corridor,” Morris explains. We’ve got an apartment complex that provides multifamily housing, and we’re exploring concepts with first-level commercial and second, third-level residential spaces.” This innovative planning earned Marriott-Slaterville the Governor’s Quality Growth award in the early 2000s for its general plan, business districts, and trail system. Drawing inspiration from the urban planning book “Rural by Design,” the city has implemented cluster and conservation subdivisions and strategic development approaches. “We’ve been able to compact development onto a smaller footprint 185 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 01 MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE, UT
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx