Provo man buying up property and planning to build cities
David Hall poses for a portrait in a three-wheeled Vanderhall vehicle on March 30, 2016. Hall has been purchasing homes in two neighborhoods and has a plan called NewVista to build upon them. The plan is a new housing concept that supposedly originated with Joseph Smith. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
NewVista community concept shows agricultural component.
NewVista Housing component features top level greenhouse, family living, basement apartments, workplace and underground pathway components.
This NewVista community building offers modular walls, floor lifts and a variety of room size options with movable interiors.
Construction projects and land owned by David Hall is seen in Provo on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Hall has been purchasing homes in two neighborhoods and has a plan called NewVista to build upon them. The plan is a new housing concept that supposedly originated with Joseph Smith. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Construction projects and land owned by David Hall is seen in Provo on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Hall has been purchasing homes in two neighborhoods and has a plan called New Vistas to build upon them. The plan is a new housing concept that supposedly originated with Joseph Smith. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Construction projects and land owned by David Hall is seen in Provo on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Hall has been purchasing homes in two neighborhoods and has a plan called New Vistas to build upon them. The plan is a new housing concept that supposedly originated with Joseph Smith. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
For nearly 40 years, entrepreneur David R. Hall, 69, has been working towards his dream of building a 21st century community from the ground up.
Hall’s life could be a study in patience, perseverance, making money, and not worrying about what others think.
The NewVista dream
“It’s a very big project, but I’m not afraid of it,” Hall said of his NewVista community.
According to the NewVista Foundation’s website, “The NewVista project is an initiative to create an urban model and economic system for the 21st century and beyond. Through scientific and technological research, we are working to develop sustainable solutions to refine and achieve this urban model.”
The NewVista model is built upon four fundamental principles: (1) high quality of life, (2) robust local ecoosystem, (3) massive scalability, and (4) low environmental impact.
A community has 24 proposed districts. Each district is able to house 1,000 people. It is not a commune nor is it a kibbutz, and it is not run by politicians or religionists.
Hall said that within the next 10 years there will be a one district prototype built by his new headquarters under construction in the Mt. Vista Business Park in the Spring Creek Neighborhood, perhaps against the wishes of some residents on the street.
Hall has purchased several homes in the Spring Creek area and, as time passes, he expects to own the remaining four or five. He also intends to build educational and research components in the Pleasant View neighborhood, near Brigham Young University.
To accomplish all the components of NewVista, Hall has developed products and companies focused on that vision. After some of these companies are solid in the product and production, he sells them and uses the money to build yet another company that would help with a component of his NewVista vision.
Those products include everything from a modernized toilet to a three-wheeled car. Crews of researchers, developers, scientists and others are on the team to make sure the focus continues on the NewVista dream. In all, he has approximately 150 employees on staff.
Some of the products are on display at his operations in southeast Provo. Hall is currently building a number of research/manufacturing sites on 100 acres in Mt. Vista, including his new headquarters, and anticipates hiring up to 2,000 employees.
Of curiosity is the concept of his modern toilet. It is still in the research stage. However, this toilet not only has a built-in bidet, uses less water, and recycles, but it also aims to medically read the content of excrement and urine to let the user know how their health is doing.
While the NewVista communities are designed for walkabilty, there could be a need for some form a transportation to be used within the community and driving elsewhere. To that end, Hall worked to develop Vanderhall — a new three-wheeled car. The electric car is made out of carbon fiber and aluminum, and sells for approximately $77,000. The rub is these cars, like the classy Laguna, can be sold everywhere but Utah.
The Utah State Legislature passed a law that doesn’t allow a car manufacturer to sell its cars directly to the public. However, the cars do meet road standards and are handmade in Provo.
In all, David Hall said he has 700 patents.
“I’m able to do this because I’ve been able to sell companies like Novatek to keep things rolling,” Hall said. “I have 25 projects that will eventually be sold to other companies that will sale to the world.”
Novatek, formerly known as Mega Diamond, was originally started by Hall’s father who developed synthetic diamonds.
The LDS factor
Hall said he will ultimately use these companies and their products to help build the futuristic NewVista communities. While these communities are ecologically friendly and modern, Hall said they are actually based on information and concepts from as long ago as the 1500s.
Designs and descriptions utilized in NewVista are specifically from drawings and descriptions found in the Joseph Smith Papers and in the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of modern scriptures and revelations canonized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hall, who is a member of the LDS Church, is quick to note that the community is not necessarily based on LDS religious principles or doctrine.
“This is not a religious community, it’s for everybody,” Hall said. “Doctrine and Covenants Sections 94 and 95 give us the keys (to the NewVista design).”
Section 94 refers to revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, August 2, 1833. Hyrum Smith, Reynolds Cahoon, and Jared Carter are appointed as a Church building committee. Section 95 is a revelation given through Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio, June 1, 1833. This revelation is a continuation of divine directions to build a house for worship and instruction.
Hall also refers to section 124 in his building designs, which in part talks about the city of Nauvoo, Illinois occupying the site of the former village of Commerce, Illinois, being built up by the Saints, and where the headquarters of the church had been established. The Joseph Smith papers coincide with these revelations and refer to maps, street designs, agricultural areas and even building designs.
While these LDS scriptures may offer the keys to the community concept, there are some areas in Provo and now Vermont, the birthplace of Joseph Smith, that are keeping their neighborhoods deadbolted to any NewVista development.
The Neighbors
Over the past few years, Hall, who grew up in the area, has been buying up homes in the Pleasant View neighborhood.
His first big project was remodeling his parent’s home into a place for visiting clients to stay. It provides upscale amenities and hosting opportunities, and is located directly across from the Marriott Center.
“It’s not illegal,” Hall said.
He claims that neighbors have been staking the home out, checking license plates and embarrassing his clients.
“I had a Muslim client in there, and it upset the neighbors,” Hall said.
But that’s about where some of the neighbors say Hall should have stopped. Hall has purchased at least 11 other homes that he is renting. Eventually, he wants to build a research building for NewVista and connect with engineering and research students at BYU just a block away.
In an open letter to Hall — provided to the Daily Herald — his former neighbors said in part, the following:
“Pleasant View is a great neighborhood with a tremendous heritage. Over the years, it has been enriched by the wonderful families who have resided here including your family, and ours — so many great scholars, scientists, teachers, neighbors, friends, and exemplary citizens,” write Ray and Maryann Andrus. “This is a place where we have felt the joy of raising good families and the closeness of good neighbors — a safe and lifting place to live.
“But now a dark cloud hangs over the neighborhood. It is laden with fear, uncertainty, confusion, frustration, and worry about lost friends and families, property values and the future … Many people have been stressing about this. We wish you no ill — we trust that you will have the same consideration for us.”
The Andrus family is not the only one concerned. The Daily Herald received several letters of concern over the potential future development of the Pleasant View area and the recent purchase of homes, turned rentals.
According to Paul Evans, Pleasant View neighborhood chairman, a series of communications invited Hall to discuss his intent with the neighbors, but they said Hall has refused.
“David’s purpose in buying all the property he can for his own use is selfish as well as devious,” said Phil Merrill, Pleasant View resident. “He has said that the neighborhood is finished, that it is dead. No neighborhood that is occupied with loving people is or will ever be finished. It will continue to thrive with life as new folks of similar ideals move into our neighborhood.”
Hall said he is renting homes to people who want to rent, and he is buying the homes for more than one reason.
“We are buying them because the area is getting run down,” Hall said.
Hall claims the neighbors are upset because some of the renters have cultural diversity from the rest of them and that it, “seems to be bothering the locals.”
It’s not only here in Provo where the old-timers are concerned. Hall has also purchased 1,000 acres in Sharon, Vermont next to the birthplace of Joseph Smith. He is hoping to obtain 5,000 more.
Recently, the community discovered what he wants to do in the lush green rolling hills and it is not sitting well with them either.
NBC affiliate WPTZ TV reported last week that Hall is basically starting to set up shop. Hall said he and his daughter will be in Vermont this summer for an extended time to meet with folks and present his NewVista dream.
“Basically everyone’s trying to figure out what’s going on, why is he doing this,” said Kevin Blakeman, a longtime real estate agent who also chairs the Sharon Selectboard, in a WPTZ report. “I can’t figure it out really, but after seeing the NewVista Foundation website I see what his goals are — pretty grandiose.”
One woman speaking to WPTZ, Deborah Wroth of Sharon, called it “very un-Vermontish.”
Reporter Nicole Antal with Daily UV Guest in Vermont interviewed Hall. He described himself and his project to Antal as follows:
“I am an engineer and scientist,” said Mr. Hall, “and my interest is in solving critical issues like full cycle carbon neutral energy and local food and walkable communities and economic systems that are fair and egalitarian.”
But also, “what drives me, this project,” said Mr. Hall, “are the Joseph Smith documents.” The NewVista project is based on the revised Plat of Zion, a paper dating back to 1833 written by Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism and the Latter-day Saint movement. The Plat of Zion describes an ideal society that would host between 15,000 and 20,000 inhabitants.
With all the push back from neighbors in Utah and Vermont, Hall says he believes his community concept still is appealing to several areas of the world. Hall has received inquiries from China and India.
“They’re anxious for it,” Hall said. “The people want it, but we’re not ready.”
Hall knows he probably won’t be alive to see the dream, but his new foundation and his children believe one day that NewVista communities will be built and they will change the world. He anticipates that when he is gone the family will carry on the dream. All of his children are involved in various companies and his wife Karen has served as the corporate CPA.
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