Building boom taking place in Vernal

Construction is underway on the TownePlace Suites in Vernal, part of a building boom the city is seeing after a two-year lull. City officials say most of the construction is taking place in the retail and commercial sectors.

Geoff Liesik, Deseret News

VERNAL When people mention the word "boom" in Vernal, they're typically talking about the state of the oil and natural gas industry that drives the Uintah Basin's economy.

But a new kind of boom is under way, and it has folks like Kyle Ashworth dreaming big.

"With the opening of City Creek, which made big headlines in Salt Lake, the focus will now move east to the Uintah Basin, to Vernal, of all places in Utah," said Ashworth, a realtor with Coldwell Banker Aspen Brook Realty.

City Creek Center a $1.5 billion mixed-use development that features more than 80 stores and restaurants, along with office space and condominiums opened March 22. It is expected to provide a huge economic shot in the arm for Salt Lake City.

Vernal City officials hope the same thing will happen when the much smaller Vernal Towne Center the project Ashworth is working on with The Gardner Company as well as other retail and commercial projects are completed in the coming year.

Allen Parker, assistant city manager and planning director, sees the projects as means of diversifying the area's economy, which will offset the "boom-bust cycle" that is commonplace due to the region's reliance on the energy industry.

"What we're looking for is something that will expand upon the development and utilization of natural resources," he said, noting that most of the new businesses coming to town are tied to major companies, "although we've had quite a few small-business owners start up here."

The new growth has led to a staggering increase in the amount of building permit fees the city has collected this year when compared with the fiscal years ending in 2010 and 2011, according to finance director Mike Davis.

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Building boom taking place in Vernal