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TIM VANDENACK, Standard-Examiner
Roy’s 1900 Western Commercial Corridor is pictured on February 26, 2021. City leaders have approved zoning changes that supporters say will benefit the redevelopment of the core area.
ROY – After approving changes to development guidelines in busy 1900 West to spur business growth, Roy officials have hired a new employee to lead economic development efforts.
The city’s 2023 budget approved last month includes $160,000 in funding to cover salaries and benefits for the economic development authority. Roy City Council appointed its newest employee last week – Brody Flint. Flint was an assistant prosecutor in Roy Justice Court, where he handles misdemeanors and violations, and now serves as director of community economic development and assistant to the city manager.
“He’s been with the city for a while and he knows the ropes here,” Flint said at a Sept. 6 meeting of Roy City Council when he was offered the post. Andrews said Flint’s legal background helps him navigate the legalities of economic development.
A total of 20 people applied for the post.
A consultant has been handling economic development efforts in Roy more or less part-time. But city officials, pushed by Mayor Bob Dandoy, have placed a heavy emphasis on attracting new businesses to Roy, prompting Flint’s hiring.
Dandoi said Roy is the second largest city in Weber County after Ogden, and smaller cities like Riverdale have dedicated economic development directors. In addition, the Utah Department of Transportation has indicated that 13 businesses in the area of ​​5600 South could be lost due to plans to widen the road.
The city needs someone to “champion” the cause of helping those affected businesses, Dandoy said. “We definitely want to keep those businesses in Roy,” he said.
The city also last year updated zoning guidelines around 1900 West and the busy commercial strip.
Broadly speaking, the changes – meant to keep pace with evolving development trends – will pave the way for growth in both commercial and residential aspects, not just one or the other. The new guidelines also allow tall buildings, in some cases.
In addition, the Roy City Council last year approved new development guidelines around the city’s FrontRunner station, which includes 50 acres of mostly undeveloped land, some privately owned and 18 acres owned by the Utah Transit Authority. A major focus of those changes is to allow for greater amounts of growth over longer distances.
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