USU purchases land for regional campuses to maximize growth
Utah State has purchased the property housing the former Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City, a piece of land USU spokesperson John DeVilbiss said is a significant one.
The land will be used for future growth, DeVilbiss said, and is in a prime location because unlike the strip mall the Brigham City campus of USU is currently in, this land will give USU more of an opportunity for expansion.
“It is already considered a campus setting which makes it a nice fit for USU,” he said.
The main piece of land, consisting of 33 acres, was appraised three times, DeVilbiss said. The land was appraised by the seller, Thomas Development Co. of Boise, Idaho, as well as by USU and a third, outside party. The $2.5 million USU paid came from the third appraisal. He said the university was approached after Thomas Development purchased a total of 50 acres of land from New York investors for $650,000.
“We had it appraised which is required by policy and we followed that process exactly,” DeVilbiss said. “There is never a normal amount for appraisals, they change day to day.”
Dave Cowley, USU vice president for business and finance, said the final purchase amount for the 33 acres came after the seller appraisal and buyer appraisal were different enough that both parties decided a third appraiser should come in. Once the third, independent appraiser came in, the final purchase amount was agreed upon.
“The final number did end up between the seller appraisal and buyer appraisal, but it doesn’t always work that way,” Cowley said.
Cowley said there are two more pieces of property that USU purchased for $800,000 from another individual not part of Thomas Development. Five more acres in Brigham City are in the process of being purchased by USU as well. Cowley said the total cost of all of these properties will be $4-5 million.
“There were a couple small properties that we were able to get in conjunction with the main property. It consolidates the property so we could maximize opportunity for growth,” DeVilbiss said.
Cowley said one benefit for USU is that it secures a site for long term future development of the Brigham City campus. He said USU now has close to 50 acres in one continuous block which is a piece of land that can be used over several decades.
There is no specific time line for the property, DeVilbiss said, but it is more of a long-term plan. He said the old K-Mart building near the site had already been donated to USU, so the university had a “foot print” there and it seemed like a good time to go ahead and make a decision.
“In terms of a good purchase, it was a very wise and visionary purchase and it worked well with our overall plan for future growth,” he said.
Ronda Menlove, vice provost for regional campuses and distance education, said the purchase is a part of a very long-term “master plan.”
“We are planning for a 100-year future,” Menlove said, “I mean, the people who planned the Logan campus had no idea how much we were going to grow, and that is what we are trying to plan for here.”
DeVilbiss said the property will be a university campus which is “wonderful for Utah State and for Brigham city,” because that property will benefit them by providing a “world-class facility for education.” He said the expansion will benefit Brigham City economically, similar to how the Logan campus benefits Cache Valley.
“I am thrilled, absolutely thrilled,” Menlove said, “this is looking toward the future and this is an amazing opportunity for us to acquire this land.”
– megan.b@aggiemail.usu.edu