Councilman Van Turner wants to move the city's Fleet Facility farther west and north. That would open the block to housing, retail or other commercial uses.
The timing is right, says the west-side councilman. UTA is building a TRAX station nearby. The city is spending millions to rebuild 900 South from Main Street to the Jordan River more than a mile away, adding landscaping, street lighting and sidewalks. And developers are slowly adding housing to the surrounding blocks.
"What's your view going to be - looking down at our garbage-truck fleet? It's a 24-hour-a-day operation," Turner said the facility. "It's just the wrong location."
But it may be the right place for redevelopment - it actually is in a Redevelopment Agency district - but here's the catch: It will cost the city at least $3.2 million more to move the facility than to renovate it, which already is a costly project.
The 8-acre plant, which provides maintenance for 2,700 city vehicles, has more than 30 problems - from faulty ventilation forcing employees to breathe engine fumes to poor layout with no space for larger equipment.
It will cost the city $11.2 million to renovate. To build a new one, it would cost $14.4 million to $16.4 million, plus the cost to buy land. And the city already has spent $70,000 on renovation work. But some problems will remain even after a remodel.
The city is looking at buying 11 acres near Interstate 215. Lamont Nelson, fleet manager, prefers moving, but says it's "a money issue."
Other council members have recently said they don't want to delay the fleet renovation by exploring a move. And they fear that with its fuel tanks and oil changes, the facility would be costly to clean up - though city staff members say preliminary studies show it won't be.
The city has long wanted to relocate the fleet building. A master plan calls for the block to set the image for the district, with a grocery, hardware or garden store, post office, medical center or schools.
Turner concedes the revitalization wouldn't happen quickly.
Even if fleet moves, the surrounding blocks are filled with industrial facilities with homes, some abandoned, are stuck in the middle.
Linda Cove is one of those homeowners. Still, she said the current fleet site has some advantages. Police officers come to the neighborhood to fuel up and repair their patrol cars.
Alicia Steele, walking with three children Monday on 900 South next to a scrap recycling yard, looks forward to redevelopment.
"It seems really run-down, not very family-friendly. I'd love if this area were safer."
