Midvale City Council gave the go-ahead to a high-density housing project despite lingering concerns surrounding a lack of affordable units and the absence of businesses and services in the Jordan Bluffs area.

The Gardner Group will develop the View 78 Apartments, comprising three-story apartment buildings totaling 232 units, along with an additional 124 townhomes.

The housing complex is boxed between Bingham Junction Boulevard and South Main Street, lying southeast of 8150 Ivy Drive. On the north side of Ivy is the Reserve at View 78 Apartments, a different set of apartment buildings already under construction by the Gardner company.

   Conceptual design by STK Architects. (Photo courtesy Midvale City) 

A strip of Seghini Drive will run through the heart of View 78, and the developer plans to add curb extensions on the road to protect parked cars from oncoming traffic.

“That’s actually a pretty nice feature to have on the street,” Midvale’s Planning Director Wendelin Knobloch said of the curb extensions in February. “I think from experience as a city in Midvale and other cities in the valley, we know no matter what your parking requirement is, there will be cars on the street.”

Before approving the project on Nov. 18, Councilman Bryant Brown said that he found the housing development “uninspiring and a little bit kind of insulting.”

“You have the ‘good, better, best model,’ I wouldn't even put that in that when everyone keeps waiting for this area to provide a lot of amenities,” he said.

Planned amenities for the View 78 Apartments exceed the city's requirements for a residential project. Still, Brown said it offers nothing to the public at large.

Dave Denison, the senior development manager at the Gardner Group, told the council that the developers are trying to balance their property rights with possible land uses.

“We actually, a few years ago, you remember, brought some five-story [apartment buildings], a lot more dense product here, which the council wasn’t really happy about,” he said. “And in our work session, we kind of realized that, and we switched gears at great expense to ourselves.” 

“So we do feel it is a better plan,” Denison continued. “It’s less dense. We really worked hard to enhance Seghini Drive … and make this a true benefit for the city.” 

Brown replied that he would have preferred five-story apartment buildings if they included ground-level retail.

“Density is not my fear, it’s density without providing services for the area, even if it’s mostly servicing the four stories that live above,” he said.

Councilmember Denece Mikolash shared Brown’s sentiment, stating she would like to see a balance of apartments and townhomes, along with a mix of commercial buildings.

     Color concept of 78 Apartments design. (Photo courtesy Midvale City)

During the public hearing on the housing project, Midvale resident Jason Baxter said he, too, would like to see retail in the Jordan Bluffs area.

“A lot of this part of Midvale has seen commercial space and stores close over the years and get replaced by housing, which is good that the housing is there. But the nearest grocery stores to this area are miles away,” Baxter said.

Housing affordability was another concern raised during public comment.

Candace Tarkeshian, a Midvale mother of three, told the council that two of her adult children cannot afford their own apartments.

“When I see spaces like this, I think of my 25-year-old daughter who's disabled,” Tarkeshian said. “I would love for her to be able to move into a space like this, but she A: has to be able to afford it and B: has to be able to get where she's going, and with transportation being difficult for her, that's a concern for me and my family.”

Councilmember Heidi Robinson later echoed concerns about the dearth of affordable units at 78 View.

“I just hope at some point we can see some sort of affordability component to such a large project,” Robinson said. “I mean, just because there’s more houses, it doesn’t address the affordability of them.”

Some 5.4 acres in the southern lot of the complex are left vacant in the preliminary design plan. “It remains to be seen if the south lot will be used for more townhomes or apartment buildings,” Knobloch said.

The Gardner Group plans to finish construction of 260 dwellings in the fall of 2028. The company will then begin construction on the remaining 96 townhouses right after.

 Construction on the Reserve, an apartment complex across the street from the recently approved View 78 Apartments. (Giovanni Radtke/City Journals)