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The Utah Inland Port Authority board meets at the Utah State Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.

Carlene Coombs, Daily Herald

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New boundaries of the Verk Industrial Park in Spanish Fork with expanded portions in blue and red.

Courtesy Utah Inland Port Authority

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The Utah Inland Port Authority approved an amendment to the Verk Industrial Park, an inland port project area in Spanish Fork, to expand the project’s boundaries by 418 acres, to a total of 2,681.6 acres. The board voted on the amendment at its meeting Wednesday afternoon.

The industrial park boundaries now will include land north of 4000 South, which recently was incorporated into Spanish Fork city limits in August and is near Utah Lake wetlands. An additional small portion of land just south of 4000 South also was added.

Spanish Fork approved the expansion during the Nov. 21 City Council meeting. The process of expanding an inland port project is the same as approving the initial plan, wherein a municipality’s legislative body first has to approve the amendment, then it goes to the UIPA board for approval.

Because the new area is close to wetlands from Utah Lake, the board said the city has pledged to use at least 1% of the tax differential for wetlands mitigation.

According to the board’s wetland mitigation policy, 1% of the tax differential for any project that contains wetlands from the Great Salt Lake or Utah Lake must go toward wetlands mitigation.

During the meeting’s public comment time, Spanish Fork resident Jackie Larson raised concerns about the Verk Industrial Park.

Larson said she was concerned about language in the plan discussing future infrastructure considerations that mention expansion to take advantage of a planned Interstate 15 interchange on Center Street.

One section of the plan discusses the need for a fueling station for trucks that supports alternative fuels like natural gas and electricity.

“Ideal locations for this type of station would be off of 4000 South due to direct access to the I-15 corridor, expanding to a second location that takes advantage of the planned 1-15 Spanish Fork Center Street interchange,” the plan reads.

The UIPA board also presented updates and focal points for the upcoming year for each of the inland port projects in the state.

For Spanish Fork, the authority plans to focus on construction and infrastructure design as well as “targeted industry” recruitment for the Verk Industrial Park.

Some potential industries or users mentioned in the plan include manufacturing, distribution and data centers.

So far, there are eight inland port project areas throughout Utah. Vineyard has been considering inviting UIPA to create an inland port project but has yet to vote on the issue.

The board meeting Wednesday also drew a group of protestors who expressed concerns about increased air pollution and ports’ impact on the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake.

The protest was organized by Stop the Polluting Port Coalition, which called for a “halt” to port projects and a legislative audit of the Utah Inland Port Authority. While the protest mostly focused on port projects near the Great Salt Lake, such as in Weber County and Salt Lake City, organizers briefly expressed concern over the Spanish Fork expansion.

Spanish Fork first approved the port project in July, with the UIPA board voting to approve it later that month.

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