UIPA hears pitch for Historic Capitol Project Area from Millard Co. officials

Brice Wallace 

Creation of an inland port project area in Fillmore is “something we absolutely need,” according to one of the local proponents of the proposal.

A couple of local government officials spoke recently to the Utah Inland Port Authority board about the positives that the Historic Capitol Project Area could mean for the city and the rest of Millard County. Creation of the project area is expected to be up for approval at the Aug. 1 board meeting in Fillmore.

“Overall, investments such as the Historic Capitol Project Area development will lead to a more vibrant, sustainable and resilient community,” Dennis Alldredge, a member of the Fillmore City Council, told the board.

The proposed Historic Capitol Project Area occupies approximately 1,960 acres straddling Interstate 15, although most of it is west of the highway. It is bounded to the north by SR-100 and to the south by Sunflower Lane. The Fillmore City Council adopted a resolution in December in support of the project area’s creation.

The region has several importers and exporters, including Diamond Agricultural Processors, Great Lakes Cheese Co., Paul Terry Trucking Co., Mountain View Mushrooms, Sun Gro Horticulture Processing and RCF Inc. As proposed, incentives for companies in the project area would favor those in light or medium manufacturing, agriculture technology, and industries that are complementary to existing businesses.

Millard County’s population is projected to fall from 13,010 in 2020 to 11,739 in 2060, according to UIPA documents. Meanwhile, the median age is expected to increase from 34.7 to 47.7 during that time.

With 2,592 residents in 2020, Fillmore represents the county’s second-largest population center. Alldredge said Fillmore is experiencing rapid growth, with a population increase of at least 20 percent expected by the year 2040.

“To manage this growth effectively, we must ensure that our tax base can support the necessary community resources for an expanding and aging population,” he said. “Increased investment in the Historic Capitol Project Area brings numerous benefits, including stimulating the local economy through job creation and business growth, improving infrastructure and public services, and enhancing the overall quality of life.”

Development of the project area could revitalize declining parts of the city, reduce blight, support sustainable development, foster a stronger sense of community, spur innovation and entrepreneurship, improve connectivity, and enhance resiliency and self-sufficiency of Fillmore, he said.

And, like many rural Utah counties, “our biggest export is our children,” he said, but the project area could result in more young people staying for economic opportunities.

Alldredge said Fillmore is a crossroads community. “We feel like we’re in a central location, ideally located,” he said. “However, the difficulty of trying to recruit businesses because of the lack of certain things that bigger cities can give, has been an issue, whereas the inland port would allow us that ability to help and bring businesses in and sustain them and support them.”

Wayne Jackson, Fillmore’s planning coordinator, noted the expected population drop projected by 2060. “That’s scary,” he said. “That doesn’t give us much opportunity, so something like this, for a Historic Capitol Project Area inside of Millard County, inside of Fillmore City, is paramount. It’s something we absolutely need.”

The public benefits of such a port area for both the city and county are “incalculable right now,” he said. “Something like this, an incentive for Fillmore City to give to others for development to come into our city and into our county, would change the entire face,” Jackson said.

Following consideration of the Historic Capitol Project Area, the UIPA board may approve only one more project area by year-end, according to Ben Hart, UIPA executive director. In 2025, the figure likely will be two or three, although he has said that revisions to existing project areas likely will become more common.