Utah County approves MIDA interlocal to pursue 62-room Sundance veterans inn

The Utah County Commission on Nov. 8 approved an interlocal step with the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) to pursue development of an ADA-accessible inn to support a Sundance veterans restorative program. The motion to approve Item 28 passed by voice vote.

Nicole Caudle, representing MIDA, described the proposal as a public-private partnership to facilitate a roughly 62-room inn tailored to wounded veterans and their families and modeled after a long-running Vail, Colorado, program. Caudle said the overall project boundary covers about 2,600 acres but that the inn itself would sit on about one acre within that area. She said MIDA was created in 2008 to support military installations and active-duty service members while promoting local economic health, and that the authority plays a financing and deal-structuring role.

Caudle told commissioners Utah County would retain all land-use authority and existing property-tax baselines, while MIDA would enable an incremental-tax development fund similar to a redevelopment increment to finance project components. She said the plan calls for assembling private development partners, gaining local consent and then taking the package to MIDA's board, which is scheduled to meet Dec. 19 to consider the project.

Commission discussion was supportive in tone and included reading of relevant interlocal agreement language by a commissioner. A motion to approve the county's invitation to MIDA and to proceed with partner negotiations was moved, seconded, and adopted by voice vote.

The item as presented did not include final development contracts or a detailed financing schedule; Caudle said those details would be developed with private partners and other taxing entities and returned to local and MIDA bodies for approval.