By Rachel Jefferies

NORTH LOGAN -- After two motions, the City Council finally agreed Thursday night to support expansion of Utah State's "Innovation Campus."

While time is short for the campus to go ahead with development plans between 1400 and 1800 North and 600 to 1200 East, campus neighbors have voiced concerns to the council for two weeks on potential increases in noise and traffic associated with the expansion.

Councilman Gordon Younker said a few residents don't feel their campus complaints have been remedied.

"We haven't had people come in," said Teresa McKnight, Innovation Campus manager. In six years, only one complaint has surfaced about noise and was rectified by a $35,000 sound wall. Other complaints were not given to the right sources. "It'd be nice to have complaints filed to us. We need to be addressed, so we can rectify it as soon as possible."

"That sound wall didn't satisfy all neighboring residents," resident Craig Loosle argued. "And the traffic is tremendous on 1800 North in the area of the campus."

Campus parking is used to 38 percent capacity, McKnight said. After months of tracking, traffic on 1800 North is shown to be directed at Lee's Marketplace, the hospitals and the mini-malls--not Innovation Campus.

Residents were encouraged in a public hearing two weeks ago to attend presentations at the campus March 18 for more information.

The campus board "did make a few changes (to the master plan) after input was given from the community," McKnight said, though concerns still rest with a few neighbors. Changes include moving a heating and ventilation building to the Logan city side, away from North Logan, and building buffers to reduce noise and vibration for residents. Conditional uses, which allow restrictions by the planning commission, are replacing permitted uses on an animal clinic and food service.

The university can legally proceed with plans regardless of the council's decision, but "we need a partnership and not a university that waves its nose at the community," said M.K. Jeppesen, acting director of Innovation Campus. The campus was "developed for economic and educational benefit, not personal gain. We developed this master plan to beautify and enhance North Logan and Utah State University."

Because the plan consists of five phases over a 30-40 period, it is a concept and not final, Jeppesen said, but part two of the plan, including a molecular building "must be started on right away or the bond money will be taken away."

With the length of the plan, the council expressed concern about new administrations changing original agreements and asked that mayoral representation from North Logan be included in the planning.

"Utah State University has been here over 100 years. Innovation Campus is part of USU. Hopefully, there's been a trust recognized by having USU in Cache County," Jeppesen said. There are covenants and guidelines written into the plan, so that there is an understanding of what's expected. A mayoral representative could serve on the campus's facility advisory council with approval from the governing board.

"I don't think we should stop them from proceeding," Councilwoman Elaine Nelson said. "I have good faith that the university, in the future, will address our citizens' concerns and aptly meet them."

"It boils down to trust," Mayor Val Potter said. "I think they've been very open-minded and I fully expect them to hold to their promises. In working with them for 10 years, they've never let me down."

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