The organization I'm talking about is the Episcopal Diocese of Utah. They've apparently made a "firm" purchase offer:
In a formal offer this summer, the Episcopal Diocese of Utah asked Ogden City to sell the land to the east of the historic church and its social hall. Good Shepherd wants to build a second, larger chapel that could accommodate the 400-plus members of the congregation and be surrounded by park-like landscaping.
Not only would such a church allow the parish to handle the big crowds it sees on holidays and for funerals, it would reintroduce Ogden to a piece of its history that has been virtually hidden behind the walls of the mall's parking terrace for a quarter of a century - the 130-year-old chapel.
"It's not just history," says the Rev. Adam Linton, rector of Good Shepherd. "We're very committed to downtown Ogden. It [the plan] makes us a real anchor and a resource."
This offer is apparently getting in the way of the Ogden City administration's uber-tight grand plans, though:
Dave Harmer, the city's new director of community development, said he and his staff have been too busy this summer trying to line up financing for the high adventure recreation center to respond to the church's offer to buy property.
The church wants all the land, roughly a half block, between its existing property and Kiesel Avenue, a north-south road that will be re-established down the center of the new development. The city, however, wants retail shops to line Kiesel Avenue east of Good Shepherd, Harmer says.
City and church leaders figure negotiators will come up with a solution by winter.
I guess it all depends on whether the Rec Center project succeeds or fails by the December 31, 2005 drop-dead-date.
I ask you though, gentle WCF readers, wouldn't it make more sense to snap up a good-faith offer from a long-time investor in downtown Ogden, rather than to cultivate these rather vague central-planning Disneyland delusions?
Here's a map from the administration's "grand vision," which graphically shows what the debate's about. It'll wipe out about four yet to be leased (or built) retail shops:
The "Vision"
Gimme a break, people. Isn't it possible that the "central scheming scammers" could yield just a little bit, for the sake of the plans of the "Church of the Good Shepherd," one of the long-time ("gentile") institutions of Ogden City?
There are lots of "movers and shakers" within the body of parishioners of the "Church of the Good Shepherd," I would think, just as in the past in Ogden. I can't help but think that ignoring their standing offer is anything other than a dumb political move.
Comments, anyone?
