Similar to the mall project that once stood in its place, The Junction has required an investment from the City in order to come to fruition. Though many factors contributed to the decline of the mall, ultimately the sharp drop off of sales tax revenue, property values, and property taxes resulted in less income for the community—schools, libraries, and city/county services.

In 2000 after the mall went out of business, the site was earning no income whatsoever and the market value for its property was a mere $6,000,000. Ogden City subsequently purchased the parcel for that same amount in the hopes of building a better downtown attraction. Thanks to the businesses and developers that are investing heavily in the project, The Junction’s property value is projected to be $182,000,000 in 2010—more than 30 times the original investment.

Not only will Ogden residents and neighboring communities have access to the West’s best playground, but much of the revenue generated from this area is expected to come from outside patrons. In other words, the funds that support our schools, libraries, county, and City, will largely come from dollars spent by outside visitors to Ogden. The Junction is expected to bring a myriad of job opportunities to our local residents too, and will help fuel another booming economy.

Ogden has made an investment in a downtown attraction that will provide a healthy return to taxpayers and benefit the community for years to come.