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Staff seeks survey area designation for Wildcat Square student housing; privilege tax proposed to capture RDA increment
Summary
Staff and Weber State presented a proposal April 21 to designate a survey area on Weber State campus to evaluate feasibility of a ~513‑bed student housing project; the developer requests RDA support and staff said a privilege tax on state land could convert non‑taxable acreage to captured increment for public infrastructure, with due diligence and a future public hearing planned.
City staff and Weber State representatives briefed the council on April 21 about the Wildcat Square redevelopment concept and asked to designate a survey area so staff can complete due diligence and prepare a project plan and budget for future RDA consideration. The proposal covers land on the Weber State campus where the university and a private developer propose a four‑story student housing project with roughly 513 beds and amenity space.
How financing would work: Staff explained that because the land is state‑owned and exempt from property tax, Utah law allows the use of a privilege tax (a tax on the use of state land) to create taxable value for the purpose of generating increment. That increment could be captured by an RDA to help fund public infrastructure or gap financing. Staff said a developer lease is expected to be long term (the presentation referenced a 99‑year developer lease) and that the RDA capture period will be set under statute (staff noted common capture periods are significantly shorter than 99 years, with 25 years offered as a common planning assumption).
University rationale: Mark Halverson, Weber State vice president, said the university continues to experience enrollment growth, including increased international students, and lacks sufficient campus housing, particularly for students who cannot live with family. "We're still projecting continued growth," Halverson said, and said new housing would support retention and campus strategic goals.
Transit and planning connection: Council members asked how the proposed housing maps to the OGX station plan. Staff said OGX planning anticipated future housing in this area and that the proposed site would connect to a multimodal hub and existing transit plans.
Process and next steps: Staff requested the survey area designation so they can perform due diligence, prepare a project area plan and budget, and then return for formal public hearings and council/RDA approval. Staff said the survey area item is scheduled for RDA consideration on May 12; no RDA approval or tax capture decision was made at the work session.
Questions raised: Council members asked about student enrollment projections, whether the housing would qualify as low‑income housing (not specified), and concerns about developer selection and the public process; staff committed to providing additional documentation and to discussing developer outreach and transparency before the RDA consideration.
