Council backs RFP and resolution for proposed workforce housing on West Division hayfield

The Ogden City Council approved a request‑for‑proposals acceptance and a resolution supporting a workforce‑housing tax‑credit application for an infill project proposed for a 4.91‑acre hayfield behind properties on West Division.

Developer Abby Gilreath introduced herself to the council and described a market workforce‑style development she said would occupy roughly 2½–3 acres of the site, composed of single‑story, townhome‑style units with individual entrances and no shared common space. Gilreath said unit footprints would range from about 840 to 1,300 square feet, the buildings would be all‑electric with central air and forced heat, and the site plan includes internal access roads, head‑in parking, heavy landscaping and an east‑side detention area to manage stormwater.

"I'm Abby Gilreath. I just wanted to come tonight to put a face with a name in the submittal," she told the council, describing experience in infill and neighborhood revitalization and saying she plans to apply for workforce housing tax credits to make the project feasible. Gilreath said she will submit the tax‑credit application in June; awards are typically released in August or September and, if funded, she expected dirt‑moving to start the following May with project opening in "the fresh spring of '28." She said the state requires projects to start by July 1 of the year following an award.

The council approved the RFP acceptance and also passed Resolution 608 to support the developer’s workforce‑housing application. Members tabled a related purchase agreement to work through concerns raised in a resident letter and with the city attorney, and set a public hearing for July 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Neighbors asked about stormwater and runoff. Gilreath said the eastern portion of the parcel is proposed as detention and that the design would retain and slowly release stormwater—"We're not allowed to do it by state law anyway anymore," she said—adding she will include stormwater engineering during due diligence. The council also discussed neighbor access and the potential to preserve or reconfigure existing street connections as part of parcel re‑platting and community outreach.

The developer said the project will be self‑managed with an on‑site maintenance presence and that she will invite neighbors to public meetings during due diligence. Council members and staff also noted a separate small project by Zach Cloud to rehabilitate two upper‑story units above a gym; council approved a supporting resolution for that application as well.

The council did not finalize any purchase terms; the public hearing scheduled for July 14 will provide neighbors an opportunity to comment before staff and council advance the purchase agreement and any required zoning or permitting steps.