Logan Economic Development Director Kirk Jensen said he knows some downtown residents are opposed to the building of Garden Park Apartments.
“There are definitely multiple sides to this, or at least two sides, you know, those that are for the project and those that are against it,” he said. “I respect the feelings of those in the immediate neighborhood. Change is always difficult. Growth can be difficult.”
Some residents are concerned with the idea of an apartment complex in a neighborhood with hundred-year-old homes. Some of the housing in the new more-than-120-unit structure will be lower income, which some say will make the population more transient and less invested in the downtown area. Others disagree with the location, because it will utilize a piece of a local park, Garff Wayside Gardens, though the majority of the park will not be affected. Another concern is the aesthetic effect of the wall that will be built with the complex.
Jensen said while he empathizes with concerns, he believes city officials have made the correct choice.
“The downtown, really in my mind, has got to grow,” Jensen said. “As Logan City grows, as Cache County grows, to me it’s to be expected that your commercial core will also inflate, if you will.”
Jensen said the decision to build the complex is in line with pre-established plans adopted by the city council for both the city as a whole and downtown specifically. With a commercial core, he said, comes the people who support it. The cost of land on Main Street is functionally prohibitive for this project, making 100 East a logical choice for the complex.
“The planning’s been done previously, and now we’re just seeing the fruit of that,” Jensen said. “This project’s been really worked on for quite a long time. I think it’s a good project. It will be difficult for some, because that’s their neighborhood, and I understand, and I’m sensitive to that. I think, looking at, ‘Is this the right project for Logan?’ I’d say, 'Sure. It definitely is.'”
