CENTERVILLE -- The council has until tomorrow to respond to a frontage road proposal from UDOT. The city's decisions will determine the future of their proposed business park. Centerville city officials have called an impromptu council meeting, to be held today at 7 p.m., over the Legacy Parkway interchange. The city council and planning commission will be at the meeting. The new Legacy Parkway will detach the south part of the business park from the north portion. The proposed frontage road would connect the two segments of the business park, according to Steve Thacker, Centerville City Manager.

Last Thursday, UDOT offered Centerville City funds to help build a future frontage road, while discouraging the city's proposal to have an additional Parrish Lane overpass connection.

UDOT is trying to convince the city to give up their initial proposal to have a 1250 West overpass, according to Thacker. State officials are hoping the city will agree to eliminate the 1250 West overpass with the possibility of a permanent frontage road west of Legacy.

City officials are concerned that accepting UDOT's proposal will limit their possibility of building a more permanent frontage road.

State and city officials are looking for a solution to allow greater access to the future business park.

Cost estimates are being done and city officials are evaluating the risk factors.

Two concerns the city council have are the Parrish Lane interchange/frontage road design and the sale of city property for a nature preserve.

A permanent frontage road will depend on UTA's decision to allow a tracks crossing corridor on the Denver Rio Grande Western.

Officials are also concerned that the government agencies will keep the city from building a permanent frontage road because of the potential threat to wetlands.

Due to time constraints city officials are limited in knowing the outcome of negotiations with neighboring cities and the government entities.

"If UDOT's plan to help fund a more permanent frontage road does not pan out, we are afraid we will be stuck with a limited capacity frontage road," said Thacker.

The plan approved by the council in the past shows 1250 west extended over Legacy Parkway and continued as a frontage road along Legacy to serve future development in area to the north of the existing business park.

While city officials prefer that Parrish Lane go under Legacy and continue on to the business park, it would cost UDOT $17 million more to build the interchange going under Legacy. If Parrish is put at grade UDOT would like to offset costs at by eliminating the 1250 West overpass road.



sclarke@davisclipper.com