Laying Bare The Record >> Mesa City Council: On The Agenda Next Week Mon 13 Jan 2020

Re: "Mesa and Main Redevelopment"
NO FINANCIAL DETAILS WERE EVER DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
"One of the grand fundamentals of Mormonism is to receive the truth, let it come from where it may"
- Joseph Smith, History of The Church, 5:499
_________________________________________________________________________
///

Monday, March 10, 2014

246: MORMONOPOLY: BUILDING "ZION" ONE PROPERTY AT A TIME

"When I was a little kid, sometimes instead of a lesson for Family Night Evening, we would play board games. One of my favorite games was Monopoly. It is a game where the players move around the gameboard buying properties, developing their properties by building housing and then collecting rent from their opponents.
For the LDS market, I had an idea for a new variation of the game. I would call it Mormonolopy. . .

"All of us are very familiar with the non-profit side of the Church with the buildings of Temples, churches, and the missionary program, but most are not familiar with the LDS Church for-profit companies. I thought it might be good to have fun playing a game with some of the properties that the Church owns. These are investment properties and companies that are income-producing assets. . . "

Many might be surprised to know that the LDS church is the largest non-governmental land owner in the US.
It is not unusual for the Church to buy land. It normally does so through its primary corporate entity, the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. news article

In a recent fireside at our stake, a Church employee spoke and shared with us that the Church builds more square footage in United States than Walmart. I don't know what the Church's exact square footage is, but as of January 31, 2014, Walmart has built almost 1 billion square feet. ( 723,385,669 square feet to be exact) stats

Last week, Suburban Land Reserve (one of the real estate arms of the Church) met with the City Council to propose a preliminary Planned Unit Development (PUD) in Herriman. The LDS Church owns 300 acres in Herriman approximately at 6801 W 11800 South. and hopes to get approval to subdivide the land into 2,549 home building lots. (Minutes to the City Council Mtg.)
A few years ago, "The Mormon Church has purchased a major chunk of undeveloped property in overbuilt Maricopa from two major home builders.

Property Reserve Inc., a real-estate holding company owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, paid home builders Fulton Homes Corp. and Shea Homes for Active Adults a combined $72 million in October for about 1,900 acres of virgin land in the Pinal County city, 35 miles south of Phoenix." LDS Purchases Maricopa land from builders in Arizona
While a developing land to subdivide into home lots is one thing, when I learned that the Church has land with plans to develop an entire new city, I was really surprised . . ."
A few other purchase of the Church within the past 10 years:
International Corporate Park in Orlando bought by LDS Church's Surburban Land Reserve.http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2007/08/27/daily52.html

Suburban Land Reserve announced late Friday that it has bought the International Corporate Park in east Orange County for an undisclosed price. Scott Dean, a vice president with the Utah-based firm, says work with Orange County and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority will begin immediately to complete the development and construction of the Innovation Way interchange at the 528 Beachline.
LDS church transfers Northwest Quadrant to Kennecotthttp://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/52567975-90/kennecott-development-church-lake.html.csp
Most of the quadrant has been owned by the LDS Church for decades, once serving as a welfare-era farm during the Great Depression. Duke, with the LDS Church's real-estate arm, notes PRI now holds 2,000 acres there, 1,000 of which is the city's former landfill. Firmage says the LDS Church was "frustrated" by the inability to make a return on its sprawling investment. He says the housing market makes it too risky to develop, so he hopes to see an easement or the like to protect the land as open space."

For those that are interested, here is a partial list of some of the other LDS for-profit companies and property holdings.

Deseret Management Corporation
Property Reserve, Inc.
Suburban Land Reserve, Inc
City Creek Properties
Beneficial Financial Group
Bonneville International
Bonneville Communications
Bonneville Interactive Services
Bonneville Satellite
KSL Radio Station as well as other affliates.
Television Station (KSL)
Deseret Book
LDS Motion Picture Studios
Deseret Morning News
Hawaii Reserves
Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC)
La'ie Shopping Center
La'ie Park
La'ie Cemetary
Hukilau Beach Park
La'ie Water Company
La'ie Treatment Works (sewer)
Temple Square Hospitality
Joseph Smith Memorial Building
The Inn at Temple Square
Lion House Pantry
The Roof Restaurant
The Garden Restaurant
Passages Restaurant
Zions Securities Corporation
Farm Management Corporation
Deseret Land and Livestock
Sun Ranch (Martin's Cove)
Deseret Ranches of Florida (Orlando)
Deseret Farms of California
Rolling Hills (Idaho)
West Hills Orchards (Elberta, Utah)
Cactus Lane Ranch (Arizona)
Deseret Trust Company
LDS Family Services
Property Reserves Inc. (PRI)
Ensign Peak Advisors -
Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators
Brigham Young University (BYU)
BYU - Idaho
BYU - Hawaii
LDS Business College
Agreserves Australia
Deseret Ranches of Alberta, Canada
Agreserves LTD Cambridge,England
AgroReservas, S.C. Los Mochis, Mexico
Deseret Farms of CA Woodland, CA
Deseret Farms of CA Modesto,CA
Deseret Farms of CA Chico,CA
South valley Farms Bakersfield, CA
Deseret Security Farms Blythe, CA
Naples Farms Naples,FL
Deseret Cattle & Citrus ST. Cloud, FL
Deseret Farms of Ruskin Ruskin, FL
Kewela Plantation O'ahu,HI
Rex Ranch Ashby, NE
Riverbend Farms ST.Paul, OR
Deseret Land & Livestock Woodruff, UT
Wasatch-Dixie Farms Elberta, UT
Agreserves Cottle CO.,TX
Agrinorthwest Kennewick, WA

I would be interested in know[ing] how these companies and properties fulfill the missions of the Church, and with "hastening the work".
It might be my lack of understanding but, it seems to be a lot of business as usual.
Large land parcels of several thousand acres for agriculture seems like a good thing.. but long-term development, mixed use projects, office, industrial, high rise condos seems more like Monopoly.
________________________________________________________________________

Flash-forward to

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

2019.12.18 - WHAT WOULD JESUS DO WITH 100 BILLION DOLLARS?

Yesterday after a whistleblower claims that the LDS Church stockpiled $100 Billion in charitable donations and dodge taxes, the First Presidency released a statement.

" Over many years, a portion is methodically safeguarded through wise financial management and the building of a prudent reserve for the future. This is a sound doctrinal and financial principle taught by the Savior in the Parable of the Talents and lived by the Church and its members. All Church funds exist for no other reason than to support the Church’s divinely appointed mission.

The reason why they give for safeguarding the money was the principles taught by the Savior in the Parable of the Talents?

I find it so interesting how people can interpret scripture so differently. While some could read the parable as justification to multiply what you have been given, others could read the parable as a condemnation, and teaching us of what NOT to do."

Source: http://barerecord.blogspot.com/

________________________________________________________________________

Council, Committee and Board Research Center
Items 9-c + 9-d
ITEM 9-c MEETING DETAILS + ATTACHMENTS

File #:

20-0054

Type:

Subdivision Plat

Status:

Agenda Ready

In control:

City Council

On agenda:

1/13/2020

Title:

“Mesa and Main Redevelopment - Phase 2 East Block” (District 4) Located within the 0 to 100 block of South Udall (east side) and the 0 to 100 block of South Lesueur (west side). Located east of Mesa Drive and south of Main Street (1.05± acres). Suburban Land Reserve Inc., developer; John W. Marshall, Hilgartwilson, LLC, surveyor.

Attachments:

1. Vicinity Map, 2. Council Memo, 3. Final Plat, 4. Preliminary Plat

Council Memo (194 KB)
planning division
MEMORANDUM
To: Mayor and City Council
Through:
Kari Kent, Assistant City Manager
Nana Appiah, PhD, AICP, Planning Director
From: Lesley Davis, Senior Planner
Date: January 13, 2020
Subject: “Mesa and Main Redevelopment – Phase 2 East Block” Final Plat
Attached for your review is the final plat of “Mesa and Main Redevelopment – Phase 2 East Block”.
The preliminary plat was approved by the Planning and Zoning Board on October 23, 2019. This will establish a plat for 12 rowhomes.
There have been no significant revisions to the subdivision design following preliminary plat approval.

________________________________________________________________________
ITEM 9-d MEETING DETAILS + ATTACHMENTS

File #:

20-0055

Type:

Subdivision Plat

Status:

Agenda Ready

In control:

City Council

On agenda:

1/13/2020

Title:

“Mesa and Main Redevelopment - Phase 2 West Block” (District 4) Located within the 0 to 100 block of South Mesa Drive (east side) and the 0 to 100 block of South Udall (west side). Located east of Mesa Drive and south of Main Street (1.15± acres). Suburban Land Reserve Inc., developer; John W. Marshall, Hilgartwilson, LLC, surveyor.

Attachments:

1. Vicinity Map, 2. Council Memo, 3. Final Plat, 4. Preliminary Plat

Council Memo
planning division
MEMORANDUM
To: Mayor and City Council
Through:
Kari Kent, Assistant City Manager
Nana Appiah, PhD, AICP, Planning Director
From: Lesley Davis, Senior Planner Date:
January 13, 2020
Subject: “Mesa and Main Redevelopment – Phase 2 West Block” Final Plat
Attached for your review is the final plat of “Mesa and Main Redevelopment – Phase 2 West Block”. The preliminary plat was approved by the Planning and Zoning Board on October 23, 2019.
This will establish a plat for 10 rowhomes and 6 detached single residences.
There have been no significant revisions to the subdivision design following preliminary plat approval.
________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT