In the late 1990s, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) seriously considered Hill Air Force Base for closure. Ultimately, the commission decided to keep it open at that time, but as one of the largest single-site employers in the state of Utah and the economic cornerstone of Davis and Weber Counties, it was critical to find ways to strengthen the base’s value to the Air Force to help protect against the potential for future closure.
Hill Air Force Base began revitalizing some of its underutilized property through an Enhance Use Lease (EUL), which allows private entities to develop the land for commercial purposes while Hill Air Force base receives payments from the ground lease. Texas-based Hunt Companies and Utah-based Woodbury Corporation joined forces to form Sunset Ridge Development Partners, which won the bid for Hill Air Force Base’s EUL for Falcon Hill Aerospace Research Park in 2008. Hunt and Woodbury act as co-developers and in addition, Hunt handles the construction management, while Woodbury Corporation handles property and asset management.
The Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) was created in 2007 by the state of Utah to provide municipal services, act as the taxing and land use authority, and serve as the trustee of the Air Force’s payment-in-kind account for Falcon Hill Aerospace Research Park. As Falcon Hill stretches across both Weber and Davis counties and traditionally would be beholden to multiple jurisdictions, having MIDA serve as a single authority over the project helps streamline the process and increases efficiency for Sunset Ridge Development Partners when securing zoning and building permits and other necessary approvals.
“Due to the effectiveness and efficiency of MIDA in conjunction with Air Force Civil Engineering Center (AFCEC), we’ve had projects where within 45 days of submitting we’ve had permits to start building, which is really unheard of anywhere else.”
- Taylor Woodbury, Chief Operating Officer of Woodbury Corporation
In 2012, the first project at Falcon Hill, a 150,000-square-foot office building inside the fence, was completed as a build‐to‐suit for Northrop Grumman for their work on the ICBM Integration Support Contract. This was followed later that same year by the completion of the 75th Security Forces Building, the first payment‐in‐kind (“PIK”) building delivered as part of the EUL and the development of the new West Gate that helped alleviate traffic congestion on I-15.
To date, approximately 100 of Falcon Hill Aerospace Research Park’s 550 acres have been developed, meaning there are still a lot of exciting property opportunities and plenty of room for continued growth in the future. The benefits for defense contractors and other entities that want to be close to both the freeway and Hill Air Force Base are many—especially for those who require secure space for classified work. Because of the unprecedented and ongoing partnership between the Air Force and Sunset Ridge Development Partners, projects can be completed efficiently and cost-effectively.
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